The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1910-09-15
RESOURCES FOR ALL TIE pL0ftE
Conservation Congress Adopts Plat.
form and Adiourns.

o'' aui, Mlnn lCpecial Ill ne VA
tional Conservation Congress adopted a
platform placing the seal Of its approval
on national control of natural resources
and adjourned.
A threatened fight on the part of State
conservation commissioners to place the
names of President Taft and Theodore
Roosevelt in the platform as the great
friends of conservation did not material
ize on the floor. Under vigorous use OF
the gavel 1t did not even get started.
The following were chosen officers:
President, Henry Wallace, Des Moines,
Iowa.
Secretary, Thomas r. Shipp, Indian
apolis.
Treasurer, d. A. Latchaw, Kansas
City.
Clifford Pinchot and j. B. White, Of
kSnsas City, declined to be nominated
for the presidency, and Mr.. Wallace was
not opposed.
Nice-presidents for each State were
chosen, each speaking briefly.
Granville NJ. Hunt invited the next
congress to meet at Washington. ID. G..
J.. G. Worsham, of Georgia. announced
that a Southern conservation congress
will be held at Atlanta on October and
s.
The Platform.
The platform, in part, adopted by the
convention is as follows:
The second National Conservation
Congress. made up of delegates from all
sections and nearly every State and Ter
ritory of the United States. met at the
call of a great moral issue, now in session
ii 1,I -. Il. e
State of Minnesota. does hereby adopt
and solemnly declare the following plat
form of opinion and conclusion concern
ing the inherent rights of the people of
the United States:
Heartily accepting the spirit and in;
tent of the Constitution and adhering I'd
the principles laid down by Washington
and Lincoln, we declare our conviction
that we live under a government of the
people, by the people. for the people, and
we Iepudiate any and all special or local
interests or platforms or policies in con.
iiict with the inherent rights and SOW.
ereign will of our people.
Peoples Rights Inherent.
Recognizing the natural resources of
the country as the prime basis of prop.
erty and opportunity, we hold the rights
of the people in these resources to he
natural and inherent and justly inalien
able and indefeasible, and we insist that
the resources should and shall be de
Nc'oped, used and conserved in ways con.
sistent both with current welfare and
with the perpetuity of our people.
Recognizing the waters of the coun.
try as great national resource, we ap
prove and indorse the opinion that all
the waters belong to all the people and
hold that they should be used in the in
terest of the people.
For Democratic Supply.
Recognizing the inter dependence o,
the various uses of the waters of the
country, we hold that the primary Uses
are for democratic supply and for agri'
culture through irrigation or otherwise,
and that the uses for navigation and
power in which water is not consumed
are secondary; and we commend the mod.
ern view that each use of the waters
should be made with reference to all
other uses for the public welfare in ac.
cordance with the principle of the great
est good to the greatest number for the
longest time.
"Viewing purity of water supply as
essential to the public health and gen.
eral welfare. we urge upon all municipal.
State and Federal authorities and on
individuals and corporations requisite
action toward purifying and preventing
contamination of the waters.
For Limited Leases.
eve hold that the deposits of minerals
underlying, particularly mineral fuels
iron ores and phosphate deposit, should
be leased for limited periods not exceed
ing 80 years, but subject to renewal, the
royalty to be adjusted at more frequent
intervals, such leases to be in amounts
and subject to such regulations as to
prevent monopoly and unnecessary waste
State Cooperation Favored.
eve favor cooperative action on the
part of States and the Federal Govern
ment looking to the preservation and bet
ter utilization of the soils by approved
scientific methods.
1--WE approve of the continuance of the
control of the national forests by the
Federal Government and approve the
policy of restoring TO settlement such
public lands as are more valuable foI
agriculture.
To Teach Conservation.
Eve recommend that the public and
private schools instruct the youth of the
land in the fundamental doctrines of con.
servation."