no 



CONSERVATION 



for ofificial recognition. The President 

 asks that the Conservation Commission 

 be legahzed, and that a fund be pro- 

 vided for its maintenance and the con- 

 tinuance of its work, hitherto conduct- 

 ed at private expense. The sum needed 

 is $50,000, less than one-tenth the 

 amount added to the national expendi- 

 ture by the private pension bills enacted 

 at the first session of this Congress as 

 a perquisite of membership in either 

 House. Let the thoughtful citizen 

 judge whether the Roosevelt policy of 

 conservation is less worthy of consid- 

 eration and of a moderate tax on the 

 public Treasury than the Congression- 

 al policy of grinding out private pen- 

 sion bills to help out the folks in "my 

 district." The one is a national policy 

 and the other parochial, and the differ- 

 ence between the two illustrates the dia- 

 metrically opposite angles of the Ex- 

 ecutive and the Congressional view- 

 points. 



In his message of transmittal, Mr. 

 Roosevelt refers to the Conservation 



Commission's report as "in a peculiar 

 sense representative of the whole Nation 

 and all its parts." If this is true, will 

 it not be singular if Congress, supposed 

 to be similarly representative of the 

 whole Nation and all its parts should be 

 unresponsive to the eloquent appeal of 

 the Chief Executive in behalf of a fun- 

 damental task upon which he believes 

 the Nation should at once enter, and 

 enter with the guidance and assistance 

 of the commission that has formulated 

 in detail the policy of conservation? In 

 no way, as the President says, will the 

 appropriation of so small a sum prove 

 of such benefit to the Nation as by its 

 employment in elaborating means for 

 the development and preservation of 

 our material resources in mine and for- 

 est, in soil and waterways. And no act 

 would be more creditable to this expir- 

 ing Congress than that of giving form 

 and permanence to the policy of nation- 

 al conservation of those material ele- 

 ments which are the foundation of 

 national greatness. 



HOPE FOR FORESTRY LEGISLATION 



IT IS with extreme gratification that 

 Conservation is able to present to 

 its readers the hopeful outlook for 

 legislation at this session of Congress 

 on the important forest reserve measure 

 looking toward the establishment of na- 

 tional forests on the watersheds of 

 navigable rivers. 



The Weeks bill — a substitute for the 

 Brandegee bill passed by the Senate at 

 the la.st session, amended and materially 

 strengthened into what is the best 

 measure yet presented — has been re- 

 ported out of the House Committee on 

 Agriculture by a vote of 11 to 6, and 

 is now on the calendar of the House for 

 debate and action. 



This bill provides for protection from 

 forest fires ; for the appointment of a 



strong Forestry Commission ; for the 

 acquisition by purchase of forest areas 

 at the head of navigable streams, where 

 this Commission finds them necessary ; 

 it utilizes the receipts of the Forest 

 Service therefor to the extent of 

 $1,000,000 during the fiscal year begin- 

 ning July I, 1909, and $2,000,000 

 yearly thereafter for nine years. 



It is an excellent measure, framed on 

 broad and correct principles, meriting 

 and receiving our strong endorsement. 



It seems to meet the approval of the 

 Speaker of the House, and in the 

 opinion of its advocates, will, if other 

 important legislation will permit, be 

 considered by the House within the 

 next ten days, and be finally passed and 

 enacted into law at this session. 



