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THE IKEIGATION AGE. 



Politicians in Control at St. Paul 



Second Conservation Congress Adopts the Demands of Federal 

 Hysterical Enthusiasts and Ignores States Rights 



THE second National Conservation Congress held at 

 St. Paul, September 6th, was simply another mani- 

 festation of the purpose of the federal crowd of politicians 

 to dominate as far as possible all public utterances regard- 

 ing federation matters. 



The congress was in control of the politicians from 

 beginning to end, and the friends of real conservation and 

 states' rights, foreseeing on the first day that they were 

 powerless to bring the congress to a proper sense of its 

 duty to the public in a sane and reasonable discussion of 

 conservation matters, quietly sat by and allowed the fed- 

 eral crowd of bureaucrats and politicians to continue their 

 narrow and dictatorial policy, practically unopposed. 



There was, however, a decided stand made by Presi- 

 dent Taft's friends in the 

 Committee on Resolutions 

 when they forced the ma- 

 jority to cut out the name 

 of Theodore Roosevelt 

 and his name did not ap- 

 pear in the resolutions as 

 presented to the congress. 

 Henry Hardtner, of Louis- 

 iana, declared that the 

 conservation principles fa- 

 vored by the Congress 

 were no more those of 

 Roosevelt's than Taft's. 

 He declared that the meet- 

 ing was much less of a 

 conservation movement 

 than a state political meet- 

 ing which had for its pur- 

 pose the exaltation of 

 Theodore Roosevelt at 

 the expense of President 

 Taft. 



The Congress adjourned 

 on Thursday evening after 

 the election of the follow- 

 ing officers: 



President, Henry Wal- 

 lace, of Des Moines, edi- 

 tor of Wallace's Fanner, 

 and a member of the 

 Country Life Commission, 

 mointed by Roosevelt, 

 when he Was president. 

 Secretary Thomas Shipp, 

 re-elected; treasurer, Dr. 

 Austin Latchaw of Kan- 

 sas City. 



The name of Gifford 

 Pinchot and J. B. White, 

 chairmen of the executive 

 committee, had both been 

 mentioned for the presi- 

 dency but both declined, 

 Pinchot stating that he did not think his election would 

 be in the interest of harmony. Pinchot asked that Cap- 

 tain White be retained as chairman of the executive com- 

 mittee and this was done. If the slate as first proposed 

 had gone through with White as president, Alfred L. 

 Baker of Chicago, would have been elected chairman of 

 the committee as he had been promised the support of a 

 number of state delegations. 



The congress was opened by President Taft whose 

 speech was one of the most notable and dignified declara- 

 tions defining his policy in all matters pertaining to con- 

 servation. President Taft urged a spirit of conciliation 

 and progress and declared that he should do everything 

 in his power to help the people realize a great national 

 ambition. 



President Taft's Views on Conservation 



In these days there is a disposition to look too much to 

 the federal government for everything. I ant liberal in the 

 construction of the constitntion with reference to federal 

 power; but I am firmly convinced that the only safe course 

 for us to pursue is to hold fast to the limitations of the con- 

 stitution and to regard as sacred the powers of the states. 



It needed some one to bring home the crying need for a 

 remedy of this evil so as to impress itself on the public mind 

 and lead to the formation of public opinion and action by the 

 representatives of the people. I prize my high opportunity 

 to do all that an executive can do to help a great people realize 

 a great national ambition. 



Real conservation involves wise, non-wasteful use in the 

 present generation, with every possible means of preservation 

 for succeeding generations; and though the problem to secure 

 this end may be difficult, the burden is on the present genera- 

 tion promptly to solve and not to run away from it as cowards, 

 lest in the attempt to meet it we make some mistake. 



I beg you, therefore, when men come forward to suggest 

 evils that the promotion of conservation is to remedy, that 

 you invite them to point out the specific evils and the specific 

 remedies ; that you invite them to come down to details in 

 order that their discussions may flow into channels that shall 

 be useful rather than into periods that shall be eloquent and 

 entertaining without shedding real light on the subject. 



We must steer away from this idea of conserving for 

 future generations only. We must take care of the present 

 as well. 



I am bound to say that the time has come for a halt in 

 general rhapsodies over conservation, making the word mean 

 every known good in the world; for, after the public attention 

 has been roused, such appeals are of doubtful utility and do 

 not direct the public to the specific course that the people 

 should take, or have their legislators take, in order to pro- 

 moto the cause of conservation. 



The rousing of emotions on a subject like this, which has 

 only dim outlines in the minds of the people affected, after 

 a while ceases to be useful, and the whole movement will, if 

 promoted on these lines, die for want of practical directions 

 and of demonstration to the people that practical reforms are 

 intended. 



Roosevelt Opposes Taft's Policy. 



Theodore Roosevelt was the principal speaker on 

 Wednesday. He, of course, opposed President Taft's poli- 

 cies and declared unequivocally for Federal control of all 

 natural resources. He made an attack on certain dele- 

 gates to the congress without naming them, intimating 

 that they were the paid agents of special interests. He 

 claimed that there is a distinct tendency on the part of 

 his opponents to cloud the issue by raising the question 

 of State as against Federal rights and vigorously asserted 

 that he was ready to 'meet that issue if it was forced 

 upon him. 



Gifford Pinchot declared in a somewhat offensive 



manner that the Federal 

 crowd was now in full 

 power and that the con- 

 trol would not be lost. He 

 praised Roosevelt in the 

 most fulsome manner and 

 declared that he was re- 

 sponsible for the entire 

 conservation movement. 

 James A. Garfield fol- 

 lowed in a more temperate 

 strain but his speech was 

 along the same line. 



A great deal of excite- 

 ment was caused at one 

 stage of the proceedings 

 by the announcement that 

 President B. N. Baker had 

 appointed Edward Hines, 

 the Chicago lumberman, 

 to the chairmanship of the 

 Committee on Credentials. 

 When this became known 

 the Illinois delegation at- 

 tempted to have President 

 Baker reverse his action 

 and a resolution declaring 

 that Hines ought not be 

 permitted to act in that 

 capacity was act ually 

 adopted by the delegation. 

 This created a tremendous 

 row and Hines announced 

 that he would not with- 

 draw his name but would 

 fight to retain the chair- 

 manship. 



The Illinois men who 

 had repudiated Hines were 

 taken off their feet by the 

 announcement that the re- 

 port of the Credential 

 Committee had been 

 adopted and before they 

 had an opportunity to present their resolution to the con- 

 gress. President Baker then explained that it was all a 

 mistake, that Hines had never been appointed chairman 

 of the Credentials Committee and was not even a member 

 of it. Some one had handed President Baker a paper on 

 which Mr. Hines' name appeared at the top. President 

 Baker however paid no attention to this and appointed 

 G. E. Condra of Nebraska. 



James J. Hill, president of the Great Northern Rail- 

 way, made a vigorous speech in favor of state's rights 

 and declared that the "need of the hour is to conserve 

 conservation." He said the time is ripe to distinguish be- 

 tween real and fanciful conservation. The national ma- 

 chine is top big, distinct, slow, cumbersome and costly 

 and irrigation would have been more cheaply done if 





