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declare  the  conviction  that  the  great  prosperity  of  our  country 
rests  upon  the  abundant  resources  of  the  land  chosen  by  our 
forefathers  for  their  homes,  and  where  they  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  this  great  nation. 
“We  look  upon  these  resources  as  a heritage  to  be  made 
use  of  in  establishing  and  promoting  the  comfort,  prosperity 
and  happiness  of  the  American  people,  but  not  to  be  wasted, 
deteriorated,  or  needlessly  destroyed. 
“We  agree  that  our  country’s  future  is  involved  in  this; 
that  the  great  natural  resources  supply  the  material  basis 
upon  which  our  civilization  must  continue  to  depend,  and 
upon  which  the  perpetuity  of  the  nation  itself  rests. 
“We  agree  in  the  light  of  the  facts  brought  to  our  knowl- 
edge and  from  information  received  from  sources  which  we 
cannot  doubt,  that  this  material  basis  is  threatened  with  ex- 
haustion. Even  as  each  succeeding  generation  from  the  birth 
of  the  nation  has  performed  its  part  in  promoting  the  progress 
and  development  of  the  Republic,  so  do  we  in  this  generation 
recognize  it  as  a high  duty  to  perform  our  part ; and  this  duty 
in  large  degree  lies  in  the  adoption  of  measures  for  the  con- 
servation of  the  natural  wealth  of  the  country. 
“We  declare  our  firm  conviction  that  this  conservation  of 
our  natural  resources  is  a subject  of  transcendent  importance 
which  should  engage  unremittingly  the  attention  of  the  nation, 
the  States,  and  the  people  in  earnest  cooperation.  These 
natural  resources  include  the  land  on  wdiich  we  live  and  which 
yields  our  food ; the  living  waters  which  fertilize  the  soil,, 
supply  power,  and  form  great  avenues  of  commerce ; the 
forests  which  yield  the  materials  for  our  homes,  prevent 
erosion  of  the  soil,  and  conserve  the  navigation  and  other  uses 
of  the  streams ; and  the  minerals  which  form  the  basis  of  our 
industrial  life,  and  supply  us  with  heat,  light,  and  power. 
“We  recommend  the  enactment  of  laws  looking  to  the  pre- 
vention of  waste  in  the  mining  and  extraction  of  coal,  oil,  gas, 
and  other  minerals  with  a view  to  their  wise  conservation  for 
the  use  of  the  people,  and  to  the  protection  of  human  life  in 
the  mines. 
“Let  us  conserve  the  foundations  of  our  prosperity.” 
From  this  great  convention  was  formed  the  National  Con- 
servation Commission,  which  in  December  last,  met  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  at  the  same  time  two  other  congresses  were  con- 
vening. At  one,  the  National  Rivers  and  Harbors  Congress,  in 
which  every  State  and  Territory  in  the  Union  was  represented, 
there  were  present  five  thousand  men.  The  other  was  The 
Woman’s  National  Rivers  and  Harbors  Congress,  holding  its 
initial  convention. 
This  organization  was  formed  in  Shreveport,  Louisiana.  The 
Hon.  Joseph  E.  Ransdell,  President  of  the  National  Rivers  and 
Harbors  Congress,  realizing  that  woman’s  enthusiasm  and 
