104 
lands  were  becoming  very  scarce  and  that  in  order  to  provide 
homes  for  settlers,  expensive  irrigation  works  would  have  to 
be  constructed  for  developing  the  dry  or  arid  lands.  They 
found  that  the  forests  were  being  wasted  so  fast  that  it  would 
be  necessary  to  do  something  in  order  not  only  to  supply  the 
nation  timber  but  to  regulate  the  water  supply.  In  those 
streams  which  were  desired  for  purposes  of  navigation,  at  times 
there  would  be  great  floods  doing  great  damage ; at  other  times 
there  was  very  little  water.  If  the  forests  were  depleted,  this 
condition  would  become  even  worse,  while  if  they  were  pre- 
served and  extended,  there  would  be  an  even  flow  of  water  for 
purposes  of  navigation.  And  they  found  too  that  on  account 
of  the  destruction  of  the  forests,  the  soil  was  being  washed 
away  into  the  sea,  the  most  fertile  portions  of  the  soil,  thus 
destroying  the  land  for  purposes  of  production,  and  at  the 
same  time  fouling  the  streams  for  purposes  of  domestic  use. 
They  found  that  the  iron  and  the  coal  mines  were  becoming 
exhausted  and  that  there  was  need  of  increased  navigation  by 
water  so  that  the  railroads  would  not  have  to  draw  upon  those 
mines  so  much  for  furnishing  transportation  by  land;  they 
found  also  that  both  the  national  government  and  the  state 
governments  had  to  do  with  most  of  these  matters  and  that 
they  must  cooperate  in  order  to  accomplish  the  best  results. 
Accordingly,  they  advised  the  President  to  call  a general  meet- 
ing at  which  all  the  States  as  well  as  the  nation  should  be  rep- 
resented, to  consider  the  whole  subject  in  all  its  phases.  Such 
a meeting  was  called  known  as  the  Conference  of  Governors, 
which  was  held  at  the  White  House  last  May. 
The  President  opened  the  meeting  with  a stirring  address. 
There  were  present  the  Governors  of  nearly  all  of  the  States 
and  Territories ; also  the  members  of  the  President’s  cabinet 
and  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  and  the  Senators 
and  Representatives  of  Congress.  Each  Governor  brought 
three  conferees.  There  were  invited  also  representatives  of 
about  seventy  of  the  great  professional,  scientific  and  industrial 
organizations  of  the  nation,  and  other  distinguished  citizens, 
such  as  Mr.  Bryan  and  Mr.  Carnegie.  For  three  days  there 
were  addresses  by  the  most  eminent  men  in  the  country  upon 
all  the  different  phases  of  this  subject.  It  was  a most  impres- 
sive conference.  One  of  its  best  results  was  the  removal  in 
large  measure  of  the  feeling,  which  had  previously  existed  on 
the  part  of  many,  of  jealousv  against  the  encroachment  of  the 
national  government  upon  the  functions  of  the  state  govern- 
ments. It  was  found  that  the  national  government  on  the  one 
side  and  the  state  governments  on  the  other  each  had  their 
own  peculiar  functions,  but  that  in  order  to  accomplish  the 
necessary  results  they  had  to  cooperate,  and  that  there  was  no 
desire  on  the  part  of  either  to  encroach  upon  the  functions  of 
the  other,  except  in  so  far  as  the  other  desired. 
