The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-10-07

Judging from the course of events
in the past, the conference of state
governors bids fair to be an annual
event, carrying, perhaps, more of sig
nifcance for the future than has been
disclosed by the gatherings thus far,
held. AS MAY be recalled, the first
conference was called by President
Roosevelt in November, 1907, to con.
slider the general subject of the con-
servation of national resources. The
conference then called met in Wash
ington on May 10, 1908, when no
fewer than thirty-seven governors of
states attended, together with attend.
ant delegates provided for in the in
vitation, comprising persons selected
by them to act as advisers, and men,
bers of Congress and of the Inland
Waterways Commission. AS one re-
suit of their experience at the meet
ing, the governors, not content with
Joining in an expression of belief in
the wisdom of future conference be-
tween the President, the members
of Congress and the state executives,
reached an agreement whereby com
mittee was designated to make ar
engagements for a meeting of govern
ors to be held in the following year
at some time and place to be deter.
mined later on.
The second conference met, not in
the following year, but in January,
1910. The place selected for the
gathering was again the national cap
ital, but the President took no part
in the proceedings. This was the
first conference held by the state eX-
ecutives on their own initiative and
Independent of the President. Over
thirty governors attended this gath
ering, which devoted itself to the dis
cussion of attainable uniformity in
legislation upon matters of impor-
lance in which concerted action was
desirable. The third conference,
which was the second called indie
pendently, met at Frankfort and
Louisville, in Kentucky, in December,
1910. At this gathering, in addition
to discussing questions of uniform
ity, the governors adopted a plan of
permanent organization, providing for
annual meetings of weeks duration,
and agreed to endeavor to secure APP
preparations from their respective
states to aid in carrying on the work
of the conference. The latest gath
ering of the state executives began
its sessions at Spring Lake, N. j., on
Tuesday
AS was appropriate, Governor Will
son of New Jersey, the state in which
the gathering was held, made the
address of welcome to his fellow eX-
ecutives. In the course of his re-
marks he said that there was no mis-
taking the signs of the times. The
people of the country expected their
that Of the most vital sort, and it was
of the utmost importance that the
men who exercised leadership should
come together in common council to
consider the affairs of the whole
country. 1t was more important, the
governor added, to draw the country
together in thought than in any other
way. Several of the addresses made
before the conference dealt with the
need of strengthening the power of
the state executives. The discussion
of this topic was begun by Governor
O'Neal of Alabama, who declared that
the powers of the state governors
should be broadened if they were to be
held responsible for carrying out the
laws of the states. He noted with
satisfaction the fact that the modern
tendency in the United States has
been to give the Chief Executive great
er independence and to increase his
capacity to obey the mandate found
in the Constitution to take care that
the laws be faithfully executed He
directed attention, however, to an
other movement seeming to be gath
ering strength in certain sections of
the Union which, he said tended to
weaken rather than to strengthen
executive authority, namely, the sys-
TEN of initiative, referendum and re-
call. 1t was manifest, he said, that
if the people could frame and enact
laws without the aid or Intervention
of the governor or legislature the
control of the latter over legislation
was to that extent destroyed, and the
governor had no power to veto or
amend a law initiated by the people
and adopted by referendum.
Governor O'Neal expressed the