CONSERVATION 



w, gentlemen, remember that the way to 

 make the waterway improvement what it 

 !. made is at hand, and let us refuse 

 to pay heed to anything but the great corn- 

 interest. If you dissipate improve- 

 ments throughout the country on the ground 

 that each congressional district shall have 

 on would better abandon the 

 the beginning. I want you to 

 .mpn -In n-ive plan formulated by a 

 sion, because I want to see 

 that plan genuinely Xational in scope, con- 

 -pirit that will make it genuinely 

 in i- i In- U.M.- i if the whole Union. That plan 

 must consider every use of the waters and 

 ihe preparation of that plan should begin 

 at 'Mice. \\V need the plan. We need to 

 ha\<- a comprehensive plan; but that does not 

 iii'-an that we should not begin the work 

 ii"w. lie.nin the plan; but there are certain 

 of the work which we already know 

 will fit into any right plan that is produced; 

 for these pieces of work, plans have already 

 IM-CII approved. Our precious policy of pro- 

 i nation, delay and fitful and partial ac- 

 tion has borne its fruit. Our waterways 

 are deserted, and in return for our vast 

 i-xpenditiirrs we have little or no actual navi- 

 ;i to show. The people are ready for a 

 chair.." I t us have it, and let us have it 

 ai once if we can pay the cost from cur- 

 rent revenues, let us do so. If not, let us 

 bonds. I always favor paying out ai 

 the current revenue anything that we can 

 My pay. I would not on any account 

 K<> into the business of issuing bonds to pay 

 Anything that was not of a permanent 



and National good. I hope it will not be 

 necessary here; but this is a great perma- 

 nent enterprise for a permanent National good, 

 for the permanent National good of our 

 children, and if it is necessary, then it i- 

 all right to issue bonds so that the enter 

 prise may go ahead. 



The work should be begun at once. Of 

 course, there must not be the slightest reck- 

 lessness or waste of money. No work what- 

 ever should be undertaken that has not been 

 thoroughly examined and fully approved by 

 competent experts. Above all, not one cent 

 should be expended to satisfy special in- 

 terests, whether of a business or a locality, 

 or to promote any man's political fortunes. 

 This is too large a matter to be handled 

 in such a way. We must approach it from 

 the point of view of the National interest, 

 under the guidance of the wisest experts in 

 engineering, in transportation, and in all the 

 uses of our streams. 



Forests and waterways cannot be separated 

 in any successful treatment of either. For- 

 est protection and river development must go 

 hand in hand. The three things which 

 should be done without any further delay 

 are, therefore : 



First, to provide for a comprehensive plan 

 of waterway development. Second, to begin 

 at once on work already planned, that will 

 surely fit into the larger plan. Third, to 

 provide amply for forest protection against 

 fire, against reckless cutting, against wanton 

 or reckless destruction of all kinds, and to 

 secure the Appalachian and White Moun- 

 tain National Forests without delay. 



Immediately following the address 

 In the President, Governor Chamber- 

 lain, of Oregon, addressed the meet- 

 ing. While his paper dealt more par- 

 ticularly with waters and waterways 

 and the difficulties in the way of estab- 



lishing a just and equitable modus 

 vivendi in their control as between the 

 Nation and the States, the address, as 

 a whole, was one of the ablest and most 

 thoughtful contributions of the entire 

 conference. 



ADDRESS OF GOVERNOR CHAMBERLAIN 



01 I IK third day of October, 1907, the 

 Inland Waterways Commission, at a 

 merlin- ,, n hoard the steamer Col A 

 <" I'reside-nt of the United 

 1)rl -'in! presiding, it was 



11 a conference on the general 

 "iiM nation of the natural 

 Nation. The Commission 

 formal letter to the 

 ident, Diving their reasons for such con- 

 ing him, i n case of con- 

 to issue a call for 

 in a magnificent ad- 

 X him before the Deep 

 n at Memphis, the 

 ntion to call the 

 : and on the i^tli day of Novem- 



ber he issued invitations to the Governors of 

 the States and Territories to meet at the 

 White House May 13-15, 1908, the con- 

 ferees to comprise, in addition to the Gov- 

 ernors, three advisors to be selected by each, 

 the Senators and Representatives in the 

 Sixtieth Congress, the members of the In- 

 land Waterways Commission, and represen- 

 tatives of certain national organizations 

 dealing with natural resources. 



The conference was held at the appointed 

 time and place, and was largely and en- 

 thusiastically attended. Later, carrying out 

 the purposes of the conference, the Presi- 

 lent appointed a National Conservation 

 Commission, organized in four classes to 

 consider the resources of water, forests, 



