DECLARATION OF GOVERNORS FOR CONSERVATION OF 

 NATURAL RESOURCES. 



INTRODTJCTION. 



The Declaration of Governors contained in this bulletin was 

 adopted by the conference of governors of the States and Terri- 

 tories called by the President to consider the conservation of our 

 natural resources, and which met at the White House May 13, 14, 

 and 15, 1908. Besides the governors there were invited to the 

 conference the members of the Cabinet, the justices of the Supreme 

 Court, the members of both Houses of Congress, representatives of 

 the great national organizations, the Inland Waterways Commis- 

 sion, and, as special guests, Hon. William Jennings Bryan, Mr. James 

 J. Hill, Mr. Andrew Carnegie, and Mr. John Mitchell. The late ex- 

 President Grover Cleveland was also invited as a special guest, but 

 illness prevented him from attending. At the request of the Presi- 

 dent each governor brought with him to the conference three citi- 

 zens from his State or Territory to act as assistants or advisers. 



The object of the conference was stated by the President in his 

 letter of invitation to the governors, in which he said: 



It seems to me time for the country to take account of its natural resources, and 

 to inquire how long Uiey are likely to last. We are prosperous now; we should not 

 forget that it will be just as important to our descendants to be prosperous in their 

 time. 



Papers which discussed the present state of our various natural 

 resources were read by experts and speciahsts in each respective 

 hne, and these were followed by an open discussion among the gov- 

 ernors of the points brought out. 



The conference then appointed a committee to draft a declara- 

 tion, consisting of th« following: Governor Newton C. Blanchaed, 

 of Louisiana; Governor John Franklin Fort, of New Jersey; Gov- 

 ernor J. O. Davidson, of Wisconsin; Governor John C. Cutler, of 

 Utah; and Governor Martin F. Ansel, of South Carolina. 



This committee prepared and submitted the declaration which 

 follows, and it was unanimously adopted by the conference of gov- 

 ernors as embodying their conclusions on the question of conserva- 

 tion. 



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