Arizona republican., 1913-06-08
Conference of Western Gov
ermOrs Comes to an End
After Many Interesting
Addresses Are Delivered
bv State Executives
DENVER IS \ENT
NJ MEETING PLACE
Paper of Governor West Of
Oregon Defends National
Policy as Not Only Wise
But Also as Necessary for
Preservation of Timber
ASSOCIATED PRESS DISPATCHl

ASSOCIATED PRESS DIsPATCHl
SALT LAKE CITY, June With
an adoption Of declaration of prin-
cipIes and the selection of officers and
the next meeting place. the conference
of the western governors came to an
end this afternoon.
The declaration of principles which
was presented by Governor Spry. al
though adopted unanimously, is con-
sidered victory for the radical ele-
ment 1t expressed the belief the juriS-
diction of the states should extend TO
all their territory taking the power TO
all their lands and their political pow
ers and influence be thereby secured
The governors Will convene next
year at Denver. Governor Cary of Ne
vada and Governor Ammons of Colo
RADIO We're elected president and secre-
tary respectively for the year.
Governor Oswald West of Oregon,
presented the most positive address
read before the conference. In the
paper he submitted to be read, he being
unable to attend. conservation of nat
uraI resources was defended as a ma
tional policy not only wise but neces-
sary Departmental administration OF
that policy from Washington he at
tackled as often arbitrary, stupid and
dilatory, creating an irritation among
those whom the government sought to
serve which too often redounded in the
end 10 the benefit of large aggrega-
lions of capital which had strength.
foresight and patience to seize, hold and
temporize. until rightful claimants let
90 in exhaustion.
..-T-t,y- hn
more particularly the general land
office is carrying too much dead tim
Der. 1t is loaded up with d lot of po-
litical antiques who could never hold
a position with a modern business con-
cern. Many of these departmental
clerks. while not being in touch with
conditions in the west, are permit d
to determine matter Of vast Importance
to il Red tape. unwarranted delays
and an unlawful assumption and eX-
ercise of autocratic powers have put
the interior department., particularly
the general land office. in bad odor
with the people of the west on this
assumption Governor West entitled his
address Re -forestation Of the Interior
Department"
The late F. H. Hartman was in
stanced as an executive who had the
wisdom to know what things he did not
know. and whose strength lay in his
choice of able men to whom he left the
details of their own departments. Some
such policy should apply, the governor
thought. to the department of the in
terror.
1T is impossible" he argued. 'for
the secretary of the interior or the di-
rector of the reclamation service to
grasp all of the details incident TO con-
struction and operation. He should
have on his staff a consulting engineer
of high standing, who should keep in
touch with the work of the different
projects and be his advisor on all mat
ters of a broad engineering policy. He
should also have on his staff a high
class legal assistant and an auditor or
chief accountant who could be given
full charge of the accounting and of the
service and thus relieve his chief of the
detail which attaches to this depart
ment.
''The west should be cut up into dis
tricts. each to cover say from 3 to ;
projects. Each district should have a
competent engineer as executive head
he 10 select his project engineers and
other assistants, the project engineers
to select their own subordinates. These
district heads should be given a reaS-
onab1y free hand in all administrative
matters and a fair chance to work out
their own ideas"
What would happen without conser
walton was shown by what already had
happened. Admitting the many blum
ders the government had made, Gov
ernor West did not believe the charge
that millions of acres of valuable agri-
cultural land are being bottled up in
| the federal forests. There may be
| tracts here and there" he said, suitable
for agricultural purposes, but the ac-
| reage is small. In 1901, 100000 acres
were eliminated from the Olympic ma
! tional forest in the state of Washing
ton on the ground that it was chiefly
valuable for agriculture and that the
settlement of the country was being
/ retarded
| when the lands were thrown open
| to entry. most of them were filed upon
| under the timber and stone law, which
| requires an oath that the land is val
uable chiefly for timber, but not fit
| for cultivation An investigation 10
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