THE CONFERENCE PROPER 



35 



power, which certainly is something which 

 has been produced by divine Providence. The 

 idea to me is entirely abhorrent that there is 

 any legislative body that by itself, by its ipsi 

 dixit, by the passage of a law, can make it 

 possible for me to go and file in some county 

 clerk's office and thereby acquire that water 

 power forever and ever, and after me my 

 children and their children, to own it forever 

 and ever. I say that it takes an egotism, and 

 .such a depth of egotism that we do not often 

 see, to accept that as a legal proposition or as 

 a fundamental fact, or as a thing that is 

 right; such an egotism that I, at least, have 

 not reached yet. 



I do not mean by that to say that these 

 powers should not be used. I would like the 

 freest kind of use of them. But it should 

 always be a beneficial use. There never should 

 be any such thing as a monopoly of the pow- 

 ers of a great State in that direction or in 

 any other direction, if I had the power. 



in fact it is a good deal like resolutions that 

 we pass. We believe in honest men and vir- 

 tuous women, of course we do. We believe 

 in the conservation of the natural resources. 

 Of course we do. But how are we going to get 

 at them ? I believe that, before this conven- 



tion adjourns, there ought to be some practi- 

 cal scheme devised, some basis upon which 

 we could rest hereafter. And I have a basis. 

 Many others may have other bases better than 

 mine, but still I have one that I would like to 

 suggest. I believe there should be a resolu- 

 tion passed, offered by some Governor — not 

 by the representative of some Governor, but 

 by some Governor — first, that the National 

 Conservation Commission should be made a 

 legalized body resting upon exactly the same 

 basis of legality and right to exist as any 

 other great department of the Government, 

 with sufficient funds to enable it to carry on 

 its work properly. 



I believe that there should be the closest 

 relationship between the States and the gen- 

 eral government. I believe that the States 

 should, through their Governors, make the 

 connecting link between the National Con- 

 servation Commission and the State Conser- 

 vation Commissions. I believe that the State's 

 powers and the United States' powers should 

 be coordinate, should work together. 



If we do that, we will have a consciousness, 

 anyway, of doing everything we can, of pass- 

 ing down to the future unimpaired the trust 

 which has been placed in our hands. 



Following talks by G. E. Condra, of the Pennsylvania State Conservation 



the University of Nebraska, acting as Commission, and one or two others, the 



representative of the Governor of that Conference adjourned until ten o'clock 



State ; Doctor Rothrock, chairman of Thursday morning. 



