Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-25
WELCOMED By GOVERNOR
Purpose Of Meeting Pointed Out,
Coupled With q Warning.
PRESIDENT TAFT TO SPEAK
Address Tonight Expected to Be
Most Important Utterance of
His Western Tour.

KANSAS CITY. September 25-De-
termined TO give an added impetus TO
the cause of conserving the nations
natural resources. $500 delegates to
the third National Conservation Con-
gress assembled In this city today.
Nearly all the leading champions of
the policy Of conservation in the Unit
ed States were present when the con-
greSs was called to order by its pres
ident. DR.. Henry Wallace of Des
Moines. Iowa.
Statesmen. scientists. educators.
farmers and representatives OF every
branch Of American business and So
cial life were in attendance. Every
state in the Union was represented and
Thomas r. Ship. executive secretary
of the congress, said this year meet
ing was the most representative the
congress ever held.
Taft to Speak Tonight.
The congress will be in session three
days President Taft, as the guest
of the congress. will deliver an ad-
dress tonight. 1t has freely been hint
ed that this speech probably will be
the most important the President will
deliver during his present tour. This
city is near the storm centers OF re-
publican insurgency.
Tuesday night DIR. Harvey w. Wiley
chief of the bureau Of chemistry i'm the
Department of Agriculture. will deliver
an address on The Health Of the Peo
pie" William j. Bryan will be the prin
distinguished men scheduled to take par
In the proceedings are Walter L. Fisher
Secretary Of the Interior: Henry 8
Graves, United States forester; Walter
H. Page of New York and Judge b. B
Lindsey of Denver. While the program
this year embraces every phase of thu
subject Of conservation. the ofiicfals Of
the congress planned to make the TIVE
paramount questions the conservation o
the soil and the betterment Of the con
ditions of country life.
Gov. Hadley's Welcome.
Gov Herbert 8. Hadley Of Missouri. il
an address of welcome to the delegates
said that experts had shown that over 4
per cent of the farm lands Of this coun
try are cultivated In a manner tending t
decrease rather than to increase thei
productivity. Such a policy must IN
evitably result, he said, in the Empower
ishment of the nation.
The continuation of this condition O
affairs he said, would be q ref1ection OF
the American people for their capacity Z
use In a proper manner the great nat
ural resources with which nature haa
endowed them, but that the effective
manner in which the people have takel
up the important question of conserra
ton under the inspiring leadership o
that great American, Theodore Roosevelt
has demonstrated most effectively thefl
capacity for self-government.'
One Food; One People.
The governor spoke in part as follows:
"Cp to the present time In this coun-
try we have been peculiarly fortunate In
that our production has exceeded con-
sumption and the supply has always been
greater than the demand The result
has been that the American people alone
of all the people In the world, have eater
the same kind of food. And no stronger
influence can exist as against the crea'
ton of classes and castles In our popula'
Iation than for all the people to eat the
same kind of food.
But with the consumption increasing
more rapidly than production and tht
consequent increase in the cost of the
necessities of life, there Will come .
time when many will not be able to Sc
cure the same kind of food that Is enjoy
ed by others. Then Will there come
disturbing and dangerous influence, thai
will threaten our society and our insti
tutiOnS.
statistics tell us Of a constantly de-
creasing surplus of production Ii this
tendency continues In few years We
will consume all the products of oui
grain and of our live stock. And when
this condition is followed by a time
when it will be necessary to import the
necessities of life, then will exist con-
ditions that will be the cause of con-
Germ.
Missouri's Undeveloped Acres.
There is no state in the Union which
illustrates more completely both the ne
cessity and the value Of practical ap-
plication Of the policy of conservation
than Missouri OF the 100000 of acres
which constitutes the state, little more
than one half has ever been touched by
a pIowshare and Of her 20,OO0.OO0 acres
of uncultivated soil, there are 17,5O0,OUI
acres of woodland, waiting the stroke
of the woodlands axe. Through the prop
er application of the principles Of con-
servation this timber can be cleared sc
as to restore the growth of bluegrass
and blue stem. thus making this region
the most favorable for dairying and the
raising of live stock that the country
affords. and preserving enough timber te
give the natural commercial advantages
to be derived therefrom.
There are three and one-half millions
Of swamp and overlooked lands to be
found in the valleys Of our great rivers
If this land were reclaimed 1t would
produce enough agricultural wealth each
year to feed all the people of Missouri
and leave the balance of our land for the
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