Evening star., 1950-05-09

Partial tert OF President Tru-
mans speech at Casper, Wyo.,
tolloWs:
It's good to be back in Wyoming
again.
Seeing this Western country anc
talking to the people out here al.
ways reaf1rm my faith in the vigol
Of this Nation and the glowing
promise Of its future.
In this country, there have al.
ways been two PHILOSOPHERS abou
the use of natural resources. On,
philosophy is that our resources
should be exploited by privileged
few for their own benefit. Thi
hrst philosophy holds that if w
preserve or develop natural re
sources for the benefit of all th'
people. That is socialism," O.
some other form of ism"
The second philosophy hold
that our national resources are tn,
cornerstone of a strong, free de
mocracy. AS such, they must bl
used to advance the well-beine
and the prosperity Of all thu
people. -.
You know which of these philoS.
ophies I believe in. It is the same
one that the great majority of thu
American people believe in.
Sees Progress Since 1948.
I am happy to be able to say
that since I was out here in 1948
we have been making progress ir
strengthening the policy of using
our resources for the benefit of al
the people. This Congress has
been moving forward-not back
ward. :.
Not so long ago, this part OF
the country was considered way
out west" That phase meant
something more than physical
distance. Too many people
both in and out of Government
just didn't care about the future
Of this part of the country.
You know where that spend
thrift, careless philosophy led us.
Much Of the best range land was
badly damaged-some almost be-
yond recovery. -.
For II years, with one brief set
back, you have had Government
that recognizes its responsibility
for helping to preserve and de-
velop natural resources. This is
a Government that works with
you, not against you.
The contrast between the en-
lightened, democratic approach
to the use of our natural resources,
and the selfish, anti-democratic
approach. is plain here in Wyom-
ing. About so miles north of Cas-
per lies Teapot Dome. About so
miles southwest is the New Kortes
Dam.
Teapot Dome Cited.
The name Teapot Dome stands
rs an everlasting symbol of the
greed and privilege that underlay
one philosophy about the West.
It is not only a reminder that
there were selfish or misguided
individuals seeking special privi-
leges. There are always such indi-
viduals. 1t is almost a reminder
Of what can happen in your own
front yard when you have the
wrong kind of Government in
Washington.
Kortes Dam is a product of q
different philosophy about re-
sources and a different kind OF
Government. High up in noun
tain canyon on the North Platte
River, this dam is a new source
Of wealth and strength for the
people OF the West. This is an
example of the right way to use
natural resources-for the benefit
Of all the people.
y
Furthermore, Kortes Dam is a
part of the reclamation work of
the Federal Government. The dam
is built as part Of a project which
will bring more water to irrigated
lands. The income from the power
produced at Kortes will help repay
the investment in irrigation work.
The completion of Kortes Dam
is thus step toward developing
natural resources for the welfare
Of the people. But this dam has
another significance. 1t is based
upon recognition Of the fact that
water and land and forests must
. be treated together. We can make
proper use of our resources only If
we base our plans on that fact.
It has taken years for us to
organize our efforts in line with
this concept Of the interrelation-
ship Of all resources. We have met
great opposition from selfish or
shortsighted people although I am
glad to say that many have grad
ually been converted to the right
viewpoint as the soundneSS of
what we are trying to do has been
demonstrated. We still have far
to 60. But the progress we have
made in the last II years is tre-
mendous.
Irrigation Farming Expanding.
You can see the results all about
you. The city of Casper lies in
the midst of an area containing
about half a million acres of irri-
gated land. Private enterprise and
local, State and Federal govern
ments are all playing a part in
making irrigation farming more
secure and more productive. Not
the least part of the success of
irrigation farming is due to the
national investment in irrigation
and power facilities by the Federal
Government.
Here in the western part of
the Missouri Valley. we have also
been working to conserve and i'm
prove rangelands. For the long