The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-28
.BRYAN'S SPEECH ADMINISTRATION CLOSES CONGRESS He Declares Conservation
 a Subject Which
 Grows FISHER ADVOCATES LEASING OF LANDS Letter From Theodore Roosevelt Read to Congress Explaining Why Ex- President Was Unable to
 Attend the Meeting

Kansas City, September 27.-After Will liam J. Bryan had delivered an address tonight in Convention hall, the third Ma tional Conservation congress adjourned
 .sConservation." said Mir Bryan, lis a subject that grows. Begin, for instance with the conservation of forestry and you are confronted with the soil question. Az ricultural colleges as the panacea for farm ills then come before you. But at last you come to the matter of social conditions. This is the question of man himself. His health, his hopes, his char acter, are the great controlling principles that govern life and conduct. These be- come primary subjects and all other forms of conservation become methods through which he works out the problem of ad- vancement.
 MT. Bryan was on the platform when Walter L. Fisher, secretary of the inter- for addressed the Congress today on the subject of "Conservation and the Public Domain"
 Secretary Fisher strongly urged the leas- ing of government owned coal lands with particular reference to those in Alaska.
 aI have been in Alaska and British Co., lumbia,'' he said. "I studied the leasing law in British Columbia. Why can't we have the same kind of a law. It retains the land In the hands or the government, it affords a permanent return and pre- vents the exhaustion of the land in few years. But most important of all 1t pre- vents the boarding of the land and the subsequent undevelopment by capitalists"
 After speaking of conservation of forest lands MT Fisher said.
 "There is a system lsed in Australia that would bear emulation. It is that the owner or leaser of forest interests ean- not keep titles unless he does some de- velopment work"
 As to the situation today regarding gov ernmen, coal lands in the west MT. Fisher said.
 T have learned that there are a lot of men who want to gain control of the coal lands and hold them. They don't want to give the public chance but want to hoard these lands so they will make money for their progeny million years hence.
 At the afternoon session letter from Theodore Roosevelt to President Wal lace expressing regret at being unable to be present was read.
 Mr Roosevelt said he believed With all his heart in conservation, Ill the movements against child labor and the white slave traffic in every rational movement to promote the cause of tenn perance' in industrial and agricultural educations in the movement for play grounds and for the betterment or rural life conditions, fn the movement to secure werkmen's compensation acts, to better tenement house conditions and most emphatically in something being done carefully to investigate the increased cost of living.
 He had, he said, received requests to speak for each of these movements as well as others, but he could not speak for one unless he spoke for the others and he. was too busy to speak for all of them-
 Senator Robert l.. Owen of Oklahoma addressed the convention tonight.
 At business session the report of the committee. on. resolutions was adopted. Among the resolutions was one recommending the "bringing to- gether as a department of health tho various human activities of the United States government as a co-ordinate branch of its administrative work.
 Another resolution recommended the early opening of. the coal lands and other resources of Alaska for industrial and commercial purposes on system of leasing. national ownership to be retained pending such development of that portion of our territory as to per init the creation of states. within Its area, and as a means of promoting industry and commerce in Alaska, to improve the construction of necessary highways. railways and terminal facil- ities by the national government"
 A resolution was adopted lnstructing the secretary to send telegram to Giffori rInchot. one of the officers of the congress, expressing the regret of the congress that he was unable to be present.
 The city at which the next conven- tion will be held will be selected by tho months.