The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1910-09-10

~ .hat II brings. Some Of our farmtn.
~ ohiies in the Mississippi; valley ana
n lhe middle west have made marveyous
aaosless aa, yet even the best of them. uke
| hernas , OF every other kind are not
" 'oiu s Improvement. while much needs
10 De done in some other sections r. ~.
pioVe country life. AS yet we know con-
paiatlVeiy little OF the basic facts of rur.,
| iNation. The means for better farm
t tns we we nave studied with care, but to bet
| ei nVihs on the farm and to better bust
| hs1. ol .ne Iarm the farmers themselves
ne'e given scant attention One of the
niosl urgent needs Of our civilization 10
| .Aa. the farmers themselves should un-
uertake to get for themselves better
| hnowiedge along these lines. and then to
| apply IT, Sir Horace Plunkett for uanv
| years a wyoming cattleman and now de-
voting himself in Ireland to the country
| life problem there, has suggested IN his
| recent book on the Country Life Prob
lem In America" the creation of a Coun-
| Try Lie institute as a center where the
work and knowledge Of the whole world
concerning country life may be brought
! together for the use OF every nation I
am strongly in sympathy with this idea
ana hope to see 1t carried ont with the
cooperation and assistance Of our own
people. Last spring while visiting the
capital OF Hungary, Buda-Pesth, I was
Immensely impressed by the Museum of
Country Life, containing an extraordinary
series OF studies in agriculture, in stock
raising. In forestry, in mining; the ex-
hibits were of the utmost practical i'm
portance and were elso intensely inter-
esting and instructive
AS people we have not vet learned to
economtze. One Of the virtues we Ameri-
cans most need Is thrift. It is a mere
truism to say that luxury and extrava-
nr ynt P1,
AS they affect character the loss they
cause may be beyond computation But
In the material sense there Is a loss
greater than is caused by both extrava-
gance and luxury put together. 7 mean
the needless, useless, and excessive loss
TO our people from premature death and
avoidable diseases. Wholly apart from
the grief. the suffering. and the wretched-
ness which they cause the material loss
each year has been calculated at nearly
twice what 1t costs to run the Federal
government. In addition to the state and
city health officers and organizations,
there is urgently needed a Federal bu-
reau Of health, to act, so far as the Ma
tional government properly may. to re-
l'eve our people from this dreadful bur-
den.
National Conservation Commission.
One Of the most important meetings in
our recent history was that Of the gov
ernors in the white house in May, 1908.
to consider the conservation question. BY
the advice Of the governors the meeting
was followed by the appointment Of a
National conservation commission. The
meeting Of the governors directed the
attention OF the country to conservation
as nothing else could have done, while
the work Of the commission gave the
movement def1niteness and supplied 1t
with a practical program But at the
t-,f1 1yv
to begin the campaign for putting its pro-
gram into effect an amendment to the
Sundry civil service hill was introduced
by q congressman from Minnesota with
the purpose Of putting a stop TO the work
so admirably begun. Congress passed the
amendment It's object was to put an
end to the work of a number Of commits
sions which had been appointed by the
president and whose contribution TO tho
public welfare had been simply incalcu-
liable. Among these were the commission
for reorganizing the business methods Of
the government the public lands COM
mission, the country life commission,
and the National conservation cnnmfs-
sion itself When I signed the Sundry
civil service bill containing this amend
ment. I transmitted with II as my last
OFFICIAL act a memorandum declaring that
the amendment was void. because II was
an unconstitutional interference with the
rights Of the executive. and that II were
to remain president I would pay TO IL no
attention whatever.
The National conservation commission
ttereupon became dorm an'. ''he suspeh-
sion Of it's work came at most unIor-
tunate time. and there was se-leus oan.
ger that the progress already made would
re- lost A. this critical moment 'hc NJ
t,oraI conservation association was or
panfzed II took up :he work which 9th
erw.se would not have been done. END II
= eSernIsed a most :lscSf1l fnf1ueare ~ pre-
venting t,aH legislation, In securing 'ne
intro.uction Of better conservation meas.
vres Mt the past session OF congress af.u
in promoting the passage of wise laws. l.
daec~ves the confidence and sur port 't
evorv .,itizen Interested in the "'sa oe-
ye,on--oent and preservation OF our nat
ural resources, and in preventing thelh
from r,sssing into t''a hands nf hhcon-
t~ol1ed mnnopolies. II Joins with thr Ma
,i,r.al conservation e'nsress N ,a,nt h.,,''r ,ns
th'- meeting. i am hcrc py LIE ''". -
vftation Of both
Pan-American Construction.
4ha Government Of the United
c+,+az awoke to the idea of conservation
ana s,w that It was good 1t lost no time
IN communicating the advantages OF tie
now noint Of view to Its immehiate nelSn
bors among the nations. A North Aineii-
can conservation conference was heid ~.
rocjNt tyS
Canada and Mexico in the great propieih
- Cay-e,opfng the resources of the con'l-
ne,+ for the benefit of Its peopie WAS
ae,,ea and promised. The nations uooll
orr ort bern and southern oouhu'i""
rie.,y realized that their opportnn.eV W
conserve the natural resources was oe.,l
,po, ours because with them destruc'Ioli
a,,s r,onorclization had not gone so lar
- +,ax, had with us. So it Is with the
r,nrb,ics of Central and South America.
ob,rioI,slv they are on the NRfsS ~
/ ,er;od Of great material progress' iii7
,7eveloprent Of their natural resoore
.hair forests their mines. their water
- +ba;y soils-wffl create enormous
| ,,,aa,+r TT is to the mutual interest OF
| 49, r-ri+ed states and our sister Anerl-
| can repubiics that this dsVeippinei'
| ebo,11d be wisely done. Our manutactur-
| i,r Industries offer market Tor more
| go MORO If their natural wealth ana
@ nv a4o,i,l while they will increasingly
! soe,re 70 meet that demand in CONNER
! iaI oxcbanga The more we buy from
! +bar, +he more shall sell 10 tnefh.
| 1,ba,r prosperity IS inseparahly 1nVoiVeo
| r,,tl, our own Thank heaven, we OF thls
| oo,t.,ent are now beginning to reahze,
80 :, tho end the whole world will
xaoI1a that normally 1t is good thing
/ r !, ,o+,o, to have It's neighh0r nations
rrcsper We of the United states are
re,n,inelv and heartily pleased to see
+ growth and prosperity in Canaoa' III
| Mexico, in South America
IT is clear that unless the governments
~ orr southern neighbors take steps IN
the near future by wise legislation to con-
trol the development and use or the.r
natural resources. they Will prooaoiF TAI
| ,,+o the hands of concessionaries ana pr
| ,otare with single purpose. without re-
gard to the permanent welfare Of TIE
Iand in which they work, will be to maze
| +ho most possible money in the shortest
| noesible time. There will be shameful
waste. destructive loss, and short-sighted
disregard of the future, as we have learned
~, bitter experience here at home.
| Unless the governments of al the