566 



CONSERVATION 



The real issue is the age-long issue 

 of "mine" and "thine." It is this ancient 

 question in its most modern aspect : that, 

 namely, of the interests against the 

 people. 



■ The public domain belongs to the 

 people. The interests want it and are 

 resolved to have it. 



In this domain are lands, forests, 

 mineral deposits and water-powers of 

 priceless worth. 



By accident, in an age of rampant yet 

 discredited "individualism," a president 

 came into power who cared for the in- 

 terests of the common people. 



For once, furthermore, in our nation- 

 al history, the country had a president 

 who knew the great West. 



Again, a case too rare among admin- 

 istrators and rulers, this president list- 

 ened to a wise counsellor. 



He recognized that, with a popula- 

 tion such as ours is and is to become, 

 the people would need, and need soon, 

 every foot of this public domain and 

 every dollar's worth of the value repre- 

 sented thereby. 



He was brought to see, however, that, 

 by fair means and foul, and with rapid- 

 ity inconceivable, this vast estate was 

 passing into the hands of the few. 



He realized that the time had come 

 to act, and he acted. 



He launched the "Roosevelt policies," 

 including the vast enlargement of the 

 National Forest area, the passage of 

 the Reclamation law, the appointment of 

 the Inland Waterways Commission, fol- 

 lowed by the National Conservation 

 Commission, the calling of the White 

 House Conference of Governors, and 

 of the North American Conservation 

 Conference, at which meeting was pro- 

 mulgated the never-to-be-forgotten call 

 for the World's Conservation Congress 

 at The Hague. 



Men say, "But these things everybody 

 believes in." Hold, not so fast. 



Plenty of people are willing that 

 natural resources shall be conserved 

 provided this process does not interfere 

 with their own private interests. But 

 can conservation be carried far with- 

 out clashing with the private interests 

 of somebody? 



Look, for example, at coal. Till yes- 

 terday coal lands, according to their dis- 

 tance from a railroad, sold at ?io or $20 

 per acre. Now the Geological Survey 

 is placing upon them a value approxi- 

 mating their market value. 



These values range up to $100, $300, 

 even $500 per acre. 



A single unbroken coal vein eighty- 

 four feet in thickness, the lands over 

 which, until Secretary Garfield's time, 

 were held at $20 per acre, now repre- 

 sents millions to the Government. 



A single township which, under the 

 old practise, would have sold at less than 

 half a million dollars, is now held at 

 $8,000,000. 



Here we have the modern revised ver- 

 sion of "the ratio of 16 to i." Will 

 the business man, intent on bargains 

 in coal lands, approve this kind of con- 

 servation ? 



In like manner, immensely valuable 

 forest lands in Government possession 

 have been frittered away. The National 

 Forest policy checks this process. How 

 many timber-land speculators may be 

 expected to approve such conservation? 

 But national irrigation, it may be 

 argued, will interfere with no man's 

 private gains. Be careful. Here again 

 we may jump at conclusions. 



In his address of welcome at the 

 Spokane meeting. Mayor Nelson S. 

 Pratt said : 



"And yet, I am not unmindful of the 

 fact that an effort to enlist the aid of 

 the General Government to the extent 

 that the reclamation proposition shall be 

 undertaken by the United States gov- 

 ernment generally, will be met by the 

 most strenuous opposition from some 

 of our money centers, by men who in 

 the past have been able, as it appears, 

 to wield a powerful influence in national 

 legislation." 



On August 14 The Wall Street 

 Journal said editorially: 



"There are vast areas of public land 

 whose value the Government has not 

 had time to determine. * * * Many of 

 these tracts are known to private inter- 

 ests to contain enormously valuable de- 

 posits of minerals. Other areas will af- 

 ford splendid opportunity for irrigation 



