ROOSEVELT THE CONSERVATIONIST 



Theodore Roosevelt is dead, but his spirit, bis example, live after 

 national life. We have lost a great leader in a crisis in the nation's 

 others, a leader who defended his country, arms in band in war, 

 tried to do. His death at this time is a national calamity, depriving 

 leadership, which feared nothing so much as wrong or failure to do 

 an Inspiration to those who see in service to humanity, in unselfls 



His voice is silent, but his influence for good lives on. His 

 strengthen our righteous efforts. 



True patriot, model citizen, devoted husband and father, wise 

 can ill spare him.— Leonard Wood. 



him, and will ever be a strong Influence for better individual and 

 life, a leader who always placed the people's Interests before all 



freely offering his life, as have his sons in this war and as he himself 

 the nation of his wise counsel, his conscientious and courageous 



bis duty. His life, his ideals, his accomplishments will always be 



h endeavor and in duty done, life's best reward. 



spirit will march in the van of our armies in war, and In peace it will 



leader, best type of American, such was Theodore Rooseyelt— the world 



CO N S E R VATION 

 never had a truer 

 friend, a more hearty 

 advocate and a stronger 

 supporter than Theodore 

 Roosevelt. It was he who 

 gave the movement the 

 great impelling force which 

 placed it in the forefront 

 of the nation's big prob- 

 lems. Through his wise 

 foresight in recognizing 

 the vital importance of this 

 subject and his energy in 

 furthering discussion of 

 the question, conservation 

 became what it deserved to 

 be, one of the leading 

 thoughts in the mind of 

 the entire nation. 



It was through the first 

 historic Conference of 

 Governors called by Presi- 

 dent Roosevelt in May, 

 1908, that there was 

 brought into existence the 

 first concentrated and na- 

 tion-wide effort to place 

 the conservation movement 

 in the important position 

 which it has occupied ever 

 since. This conference 

 gave dynamic and concrete 

 being and national life to 

 a topic which had been 

 discussed for some years 

 previously. The powerful 

 personality of President 

 Roosevelt and his strong 

 endorsement and virile 

 utterances gave to the con- 

 servation movement a firm 

 place among the problems 

 with which the nation had 

 to grapple. 



In his address at the 

 opening of the First Con- 

 ference of Governors, President Roosevelt said: "The 

 prosperity of our people depends directly on the 

 energy and intelligence with which our natural resources 

 are used. It is equally clear that these resources are the 

 final basis of national power and perpetuity. Finally, it 

 is ominously evident that these resources are in the 

 course of rapid exhaustion." Further he said: "Flood 

 prevention, water power development, preservation of 



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We shall recall him as "that tower of strength 

 That stood four-square to all the winds that blew." 



the soil and improvement 

 of navigable rivers are all 

 promoted by a pohcy of 

 forest conservation." Again 

 expressing himself on this 

 vital theme, he said: "The 

 preservation of the forests 

 is vital to the welfare of 

 every country. China and 

 the Mediterranean coun- 

 tries offer examples of the 

 terrible effect of defor- 

 estation." In numerous 

 speeches and in messages 

 to Congress he did not fail 

 to impress strongly upon 

 the people of the United 

 States the need for the 

 future prosperity and well- 

 being of the country of 

 adopting measures looking 

 to proper saving along 

 with proper utilization of 

 all natural resources. 



It is eminently fitting, 

 therefore, not only that 

 the memory of what Mr. 

 Roosevelt has done in 

 arousing the thought of the 

 country on this subject 

 should be honored, but 

 that there should be some 

 concrete and lasting evi- 

 dence expressive of the 

 nation's gratitude for his 

 services to mankind in this 

 direction. It has been pro- 

 posed by the American 

 Forestry Association of 

 which organization Mr. 

 Roosevelt was formerly 

 vice-president, that this 

 take the form of nation- 

 wide planting of memorial 

 trees and the naming of a 

 great national highway in 

 honor of Theodore Roose- 

 velt. He did more than any 

 other man to perpetuate the forests of America. In 

 speaking of this tribute to the great conservationist, 

 Charles Lathrop Pack, president of the Association, said: 

 "No finer tribute can be paid the man who did so 

 much to awaken the country to the value of our national 

 resources. Knowing him as I did, I know he would 

 approve most heartily of the planting of memorial trees 

 — a living lesson of that which he sought to teach." 



