Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-07-08
CONSERVATION !.
PLAN PRAISED
Calls Ignite Coal Project Ap-
plication of Fundamental
Conservation Principle"

Harry A. Slattery, whose tribute to
the essential soundness of the Nom
partisan Leagues policy with refer
ence to state development of natural
resources is printed below, is one Of
the most potent individuals in Ameri-
can public life. For ten years and
more he has stood between the land
grabbers, the, coal-grabbers and the
power-grabbers on the one hand and
the people of the United States on
the other, fighting a daily battle to
protect some $5O,OOO,O 200, 600 Of public
resources from the marauding attacks
OF these special privilege interests.
For ten years, as secretary of the Ma
tional Conservation association, Of
which Clifford Pinchot is president,
Mr.. Slattery has met the special-in-
terest senator's and congressman and
cabinet officials and ordinary lobbyists
in Washington, and has, by pure moral
force and effective presentation of the
facts, driven the robbers off.
During the past year, however, he
has seen the Wilson administration
silence the conservationists within it's
own ranks, and unite with the Smoot-
Lodge-Warren element of despoihers
on the n hand and the Myers
Thomas-king organization of enemies
Of the public domain on the Demo-
cratic side of congress-, to vote away
to private lease the water powers, the
mineral deposits and even partial con-
troll of the national forest resources.
In spite of q heroic resistance led by
Senator LaFollette, the chance for a
clean-cut program of federal develop
ment of natural has passed.
Yet even here, the fight of the
National Conservation association has
forced a compromise which enables
the people, when in the future they
win control of their Federal Govern
ment, to apply conservation principles
such as the State of North Dakota is
to apply to it's Ignite resources.
Mr.. Slattery writes:
1.-The conservation movement inaug-
urated a new viewpoint in America
relative to u natural The
essence Of that viewpoint was con-
tanned in the statement that the nat
ural resources belong to all the people
and should be developed, protected
and perpetuated directly for the bene.
fit of all the people and not for the
profit of q few. Conservation princi
pies, voiced in glittering g%eneralities
without specifying who the resources
were to be conserved for, became stock
phrases. Every m%onopolistic corpora.
ton in the country Joined in the lip.
service to the %shibboleth conservation
of Americans natural resources fol
the American people.
Famine Draws Nearer.
But the truth is that few special in.
terests have practiced it, SO that today
we are ten years nearer a famine in
lumber, oil, potash, %phosphates, and
other necessary resources. And the
remaining are largely in the
hands of a few large corporations,
who charge on their raw materials
what the traffic will bear-which, as
always, the ultimate consumer pays.
Out of a fog of promises on conser.
walton, has come the clear-cut prac.
teal plan of the Nonpartisan League,
first in their state program, to develop
the Ignite fields of coal for and in
the interest of the consuming public,
And likewise with this plan goes hand
in hand the conservation of this re.
source from waste and destruction
This is the use of for the
benefit of all and not for the profit OF
a few-the fundamental conservation
principle"
HARRY A. SLATTERY.
of Washington, D. c.,
- Cy,a..o4..r AInAsazal ~.