234 



CONSERVATION 



at least share substantially in the 

 fruits? The revolving fund, on the 

 one hand, and the publicly reserved, 

 alternate sections in the Everglades on 

 the other, are well worthy of careful 

 consideration. 



j^ )^ )^ 



The North American Conservation Conference 



T N CONSERVATION for March ap- 

 1 peared the report of the North 

 American Conservation Conference at 

 Washington, participated in by Canada, 

 Newfoundland, Mexico, and the United 

 States. The proceedings of this, the 

 first body of its kind in history, were 

 harmonious, and marked by wonderful 

 unanimity. This fact affords added 

 ground for faith in the encouraging 

 declaration of Senator Smoot that the 

 success of the conservation movement 

 is now assured ; that the people who 

 formerly called the leaders dreamers 

 have seen a new light, and are now 

 firm believers in the absolute necessity 

 of saving the woods and waters. 



True, the Congress of the United 

 States does not appear, as yet, to be 

 fully in sympathy with the movement. 

 This is indicated by its failure, a year 

 ago, to create a conservation commis- 

 sion, by the declarations of Senator 

 Newlands at the recent conference that 

 the legislative branch of the Govern- 

 ment had not done so much for con- 

 servation as it should have done, and 

 that there seemed to be a feeling in 

 Congress that commissions are, in some 

 way, trying to usurp the functions of 

 Congress; by the failure of Congress 

 in its last session to provide funds for 

 the National Conservation Commission, 

 and by its disallowance of the per- 

 formance of such work by existing 

 Government employees on Government 

 time. Nevertheless, ways will be found 

 for prosecuting the work. The Con- 

 gressional inhibition does not apply to 

 the governors of the states; and to 

 these, it is understood, the commis- 

 sion will have to look, for the present 

 at least. 



For those who believe that the chief 

 function of government is to promote 

 the public good, and make the world 



more habitable, and life, for the average 

 citizen, better worth living, there is 

 much ground for congratulation in the 

 broad character of the principles enun- 

 ciated by the conference which met at 

 Washington on February 18-20 last. 

 As has so often occurred in historical 

 crises, human rights were again as- 

 serted, and were traced back to their 

 source, behind governments, laws, and 

 constitutions, to Nature itself. The 

 commissioners declare : "We agree that 

 these resources should be dcTelopc^., 

 used, and conserved for the future, in 

 the interests of mankind, whose rights 

 and duties to guard and control the 

 natural sources of life and welfare are 

 inherent, perpetual, and indefeasible." 



Strong ground is taken against 

 monopoly. The commissioners assert : 

 "We agree that those resources which 

 are necessaries of life should be re- 

 garded as public utilities ; that their 

 ownership entails specific duties to the 

 public, and that as far as possible ef- 

 fective measures should be adopted to 

 guard against monopoly." "We re- 

 gard the monopoly of waters, and es- 

 pecially the monopoly of water-power, 

 as peculiarly threatening. No rights to 

 the use of water-powers in streams 

 should hereafter be granted in perpe- 

 tuity," etc. "In the interest of the 

 homemaker, we favor regulation of 

 grazing on public land, the disposal of 

 public lands to actual settlers in areas 

 each sufficient to support a family, and 

 the subdivision of excessive holdings of 

 agricultural or grazing land, thereby 

 preventing monopoly." Speaking of 

 mineral fuels, the commissioners rec- 

 ommend that "Such fuels should here- 

 after be disposed of by lease under 

 such restrictions or regulations as will 

 prevent waste and monopolistic or spec- 

 ulative holdings, and supply the public 

 at reasonable prices." Of mineral fer- 

 tilizers, they say: "Mineral fertilizers 

 should not be monopolized by private 

 interests, but should be so controlled by 

 public authority as to prevent waste 

 and to promote their production in such 

 quantity and at such price as to make 

 them readily available for use." 



The governmental right to protect 

 the public against extortionate charges 



