86 
"We  believe  that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  governments,  National 
and  State,  and  every  individual,  to  cooperate  in  the  following 
out  of  some  comprehensive  plan,  outlined  by  experts  and  ap- 
proved by  the  National  Government. 
"And  we  urge  all  who  believe  in  this  policy  to  join  with  us 
in  a demand  to  the  Federal  Government  for  laws  and  appro- 
priations for  this  great  work,  which  when  accomplished  will 
place  our  Nation  in  her  rightful  position  among  the  nations 
of  the  earth,  and  will  secure  to  all  future  generations  their 
lawful  heritage  of  water,  forests  and  soil. 
"To  accomplish  this  necessary  development  of  our  Nation’s 
waterways  and  harbors,  we  ask  that  the  Federal  Government 
make  an  annual  appropriation  of  not  less  than  $50,000,000.00, 
and  that  such  other  appropriation  shall  be  annually  made  as 
shall  provide  adequately  for  the  extension  of  our  Nation’s 
forests.” 
Since  the  convening  of  these  two  Congresses  in  Washington, 
which  express  the  intense  interest  nationally  in  this  great 
movement,  President  Roosevelt  has  extended  his  influence 
along  this  line  of  work  into  Canada  and  Mexico,  making  the 
work  now  continental. 
Mr.  Pinchot,  the  last  of  December,  carried  the  gospel  of 
Conservation  to  the  Governor  General  of  Canada  and  the 
President  of  Mexico,  the  result  being  an  international  con- 
servation congress  with  delegates  from  these  two  govern- 
ments together  with  a large  gathering  of  diplomats,  statesmen 
and  other  leaders  of  our  own  country,  convening  February  18. 
In  regard  to  this  comprehensive  policy  of  the  President 
allow  me  to  quote  from  one  of  our  daily  papers : 
"When  it  comes  time  to  write  of  the  man  now  at  the  White 
House  and  define  his  place  in  history,  it  will  be  found  that 
his  persistent  work  in  awakening  the  national  conscience  and 
the  national  spirit  will  have  first  rank  among  his  public  under- 
takings. Most  of  us  are  too  near  sighted  to  begin  to  appre- 
ciate what  he  has  accomplished  already  in  bringing  the  people 
to  an  understanding  of  the  waste  and  profligacy  that  have  been 
permitted  in  the  nation  and  the  failure  to  take  advantage  of 
the  blessings  provided  by  nature.  Roosevelt  has  been  prophet 
and  patriot  and  practical  politician.  He  has  been  exhorting, 
warning  and  demanding. 
"There  are  manv  today  who  regard  the  President’s  efforts  to 
arouse  the  country  on  the  conservation  of  natural  resources 
as  the  greatest  act  of  real  statemanship  of  the  past  decade  and 
the  crowning  work  of  his  administration.  As  time  passes 
more  and  more  will  so  regard  it,  while  the  enlistment  of 
Ganada  and  Mexico  in  the  great  work  makes  Theodore  Roose- 
velt an  American  leader  in  the  broadest  geographical  sense.” 
We  here  in  Hawaii  occupy  a unique  position  not  only  in 
the  nation’s,  but  the  world’s  work,  geographically,  and  hence 
