El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-09-06
ROOSEVELT SAYS NATION ALONE CAN
PROPERLY HANDLE CONSERVATION
CONTINUED From Page one,

ern and southern boundaries wisely re-
allied that their opportunity to con-
serve the natural resources was bet
| ter than ours, because with them de-
struction and monopolization had not
gone so far as they had with us. So
it is with the republics of Central and
South America. Obviously they are on
the verge Of a period of great mate
! rial progress. The development of
their natural resoUrces-their forests,
their mines, their water, and their
SOilS-win create enormous wealth.
For the Future.
| 1T is clear that unless the govern
ments of our southern neighbors take
/ steps in the near future by wise leg
/ iSlatiOn to control the development and
use Of their natural resources, they
will probably fall into the hands of con-
/ cessionares and promoters, whose sin
! gle purpose, without regard to the
, permanent welfare Of the land in which
! they work, viii be to make the most
possible money in the shortest posi-
| BILE time. There will be shameful waste,
/ destructive loss, and short-sighted dis
regard Of the future, as we have learn
! ed by bitter experience here at home.
| Unless the governments of all the
American republics, including our own,
| enact in time such laws as will both
! protect their natural wealth and pro-
| mote their legitimate and reasonable de-
velopment, future generations will owe
! their misfortunes to us of today.
State and Federal Control.
! But while we of the United States
are anxious, as I believe we are able,
/ to be of assistance to others, there are
problems of our own which we must
not overlook. Ore of the most i'm
portant conservation questions of the
moment relates to the control of water
l-power monopoly in the public interest.
| There is apparent to the judicious OBJ
! server a distinct tendency on the part
of our opponents to cloud the issue by
raising the question of state as against
| federal Jurisdiction. We are ready to
meet that issue if it is forced upon US.
I But there is no hope for the plain peo-
pie in such conflicts of jurisdictions
The essential question is not one of
| hair-splitting legal technicaIities 1t is
simply this: Who can best regulate the
special interests for the public good?
Most of the predatory corporations are
interstate or have interstate affiliations
Therefore they are largely out of reach
of effective state control and fall of ne
cessity within the federal Jurisdiction
/ The most effective weapon against
these great corporations, most of which
are financed and owned on the Atlantic
coast, viii be federal laws and the fed
eral executive. That is why 1 so
strongly oppose the demand to turn
these matters oyer to the states.
The Conservation Fight
"One of the difficulties in putting
into practice the conservation idea is
that the >field to which it applies is
constantly growing in the public mind
1t has been no slight task to bring be-
fore ,OOO,0OO,O00 people of great concep-
ton like that of conservation, and con-
vince them that it is right. This much
We have accomplished. But there re-
, mains much to be cleared UP, and
many misunderstanding to be removed.
These misunderstanding are due in
part at least to direct misrepresenta-
ton by the men to whose interest it is
that conservation should not prosper
| For example, we find il constantly said
by men who should know better, that
temporary Withdrawals, such as the
Withdrawals of coal lands, will perna-
nently check development. Yet the fact
is that these Withdrawals have no pur-
pose except to prevent the coal lands
from passing into private ownership
until congress can pass laws to open
! them to development under conditions
just alike 10 the public and to the men
"\o will do the developing.
The idea, widely circulated of Late
mat conservation means locking up the
natural resources for the exclusive use
of later carnations, is wholly mistaken.
Our purpose is to make full use of these
resources, but TO consider our sons and
daughters as well as ourselves; Just
as a farmer uses his farm in ways to
preserve its future usefulness. Con-
servation is the road to national eff
! cheney, and 1t stands for ample and wise
development.
Progress of Conservation
But in spite of these difficulties
most Of which are doubtless inevitable
IN any movement of this kind conser-
walton has made marvellous progress. 1
have been astounded and delighted on
my return from abroad at the progress
made while 1 was away. We have
right to congratulate ourselves on this
marvellous progress: bat there is no
reason for believing that the fight is
won. In the beginning the special in
terests, who are our chief opponents in
the conservation fight, paid little heed
to the movement because they neither
understood it, nor saw that if it won
! they must lose. But with the progress
OF conservation in the minds of our
people, the fight is getting sharper. The
nearer We approach TO victory the bit
terer the opposition that we must meet.
and the greater the need for caution
| and watchfulness. Open opposition we
can overcome, but L warn you especial
ly against the men who come to con
interested citizens, but actually as the
paid agents of the special interests.
National Duty.
1t is our duty and our desire to make
/ this land Of ours a better home for the
race, but our duty does not stop there
| We must also work for a better nation
! to live in this better land. The devel-
opment and conservation of our nation
al character and our free institutions
must go hand in hand with the deveIon-
ment and conservation Of our natural
resources.
What this country needs is what
every free country must set before it
as the great goal toward which #
works-an equal opportunity for life
! liberty, and the pursuit OF happiness
( for every one of its citizens
ITO achieve this end we must put
stop to the improper political dominion
no less than to the improper economic
. dominion, Of the great special interests
1his country, its natural resources, its