A feature of New Mexico that is much understood and misrepresented is the character of our native population. We have practically none of the peon class and a very large number of our native citizens own their own farms and ranches, which have been in the same family for generations. They are scrupulously honest and a courteous, peaceful, law-abiding people, and much better fitted to enjoy full citizenship than many of the imported denizens of the slums. of our great cities. It is true the native population does not at this time predominate in this Territory, but it would be far from a calamity if it did. Some of those present may have had the pleasure of meeting such representative New Mexicans as the Hon. Miguel A. Otero, for two full terms Governor of the Territory of New Mexico, or the Hon. Solomon Luna, for twelve years our National Republican Committeeman and the President of the New Mexico Conservation Commission, and I should like to know whether men like these-and they are both of them representative native-born citizens of New Mexico-are not capable of self-government. And I wish to ask this Congress, before it adjourns, to spread upon its minutes a resolution demanding of the Congress of the United States the enactment of a measure that shall enable the only two remaining Territories to adopt each its own constitution and become sovereign States of the Union. New Mexico has the people. We have today a population of nearly 400,000 souls; and we have the resources to support our own State government. Away from home as I am, I have not the data and actual figures before me, but what I state can be verified by reference to the report of the Governor to the Secretary of the Interior. We have more proven coal than the State of Pennsylvania, and our iron and metal mines are being rapidly developed with an annually increasing output. We have vast forests of pine and other timber, now fortunately for the greater part included within the National Forests, which fact insures its conservation and proper use. In this connection let me add that the people of the Territory of New Mexico have no grievance against the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture; but we are more than satisfied with the able and fair manner in which the forests are being administered and these great natural resources conserved under the direction of this most useful branch of the Government. Neither have we any complaint to make as to the administration of the public lands, not included within the National Forests, by the officials of the Department of the Interior. We have vast areas of irrigable land, and with our 347 days of sunshine in every year and the most equable climate in the world, we can and do produce every crop in abundance that can be produced in any latitude. Our alfalfa fields cut from four to six crops in a single season running from eight to ten tons to the acre. The Reclamation Service is engaged in constructing in the Rio Grande Valley one of its largest projects at a cost of upwards of $8,000,000. The reservoir, when completed, will store a four years' supply of water and will reclaim 210,000 acres of land, 140,000 acres in New Mexico, 30,000 acres in the State of Texas, and 40,000 acres in the Republic of Mexico, the whole cost to be repaid by the owners of the lands. To come to the question of practical conservation in the Territory of New Mexico, the 39th Legislative Assembly in March last enacted legislation creating the Territorial Conservation Commission, consisting of three members to be appointed by the Governor, with the Governor and the Territorial Geologist as ex-officio members. The act provides that some of the first work to be undertaken by the Commission shall be the making of a complete survey of the resources of the Territory, and when that is completed and we are advised as to just what we have, as nearly as it is possible to ascertain, the Commission shall determine upon such means as may be found expedient and advisable for its conservation. HON. A. B. FARQUHAR, PENNSYLVANIA. Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: I will only detain you a few moments now, as I have twenty minutes on your programme tomorrow afternoon. I cannot do justice to Pennsylvania and its mighty resources. We mine more coal than all the rest of the United States put together and we might go on and state the vast extent of our resources so that we have more reason to be interested in this great cause of conservation of natural resources than any other State. But, as I said before, you will have my address tomorrow and I wish to give time to those who will follow. All you have to do is to add all that has been said by those who have preceded me and that will be said by those who will follow me, and that is my speech about Pennsylvania. PROF. LOUIS R. CARPENTER, COLORADO. Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: It affords me great pleasure to bring to you the greetings of Colorado from the Governor and all those whom he rep resents. Colorado has established a Conservation Commission. But long before that time, though it did not perhaps establish the principle of conservation, it followed that principle in many respects. Our State has long represented the enterprising spirit of the American people; it has attempted to develop and to utilize its resources, believing it is best to use the materials that we have. Of these resources in the use and conservation of which we have, perhaps, set an example for the Eastern States, the chief has been our water resources. We have already developed the largest area of irrigated land of any State. We are now going extensively into the storage of water on a large scale, and though we have not as large reservoirs as some of the other countries, notably India, yet already we possess reservoirs built with dams six miles in length and covering thousands of acres. Thus we have been able to utilize water supplies where but a few years ago it was thought that none existed. There has also been a development of our method of taking care of such resources, and many other resources may be mentioned. I am glad to see upon this programme, for one of the later days, a reference to another resource not so often spoken of as a natural resource and that is the life of the children or the youth of our nation. We consider that the greatest of all our resources; in fact, we could dispense with almost any other resource. With the development of energy and American life partial loss of almost any other resource may be made up. Our American life makes resources. Whatever may be the difficulties or disadvantages, this American spirit, the spirit of the West, takes these and builds upon them. We have also found in our experiences in the State that some of these problems are progressive especially in developing a system of laws. We have been able to forsee problems entirely. They have changed from year to year, or from decade to decade, so we have had to build a new series of laws to fit the new conditions, and that is the problem of the whole West. Now, if the young people who are to come are properly trained or have the proper energy, the proper intelligence, and the proper spirit, they are going to solve many of these problems as they come and will frame their laws to meet them. These are only some of the respects in which all the West is united, and the East also. If it were not for the modesty of Colorado or the Colorado people I might speak at length of our resources the same as Pennsylvania has been spoken of. We should be pleased to have those of you who are here from the East stop and visit Colorado as you go through, in order that you may see her resources. HON. BERNARD N. BAKER, MARYLAND. Members of this Great First National Conservation Congress: It gives me a great deal of pleasure today to present these greetings from the Governor of our State: Members of this Great First National Conservation Congress: EXECUTIVE Department, August 16, 1969. Mr. President and Gentlemen of the First National Conservation Congress of the United States: Maryland joins with her sister States of the West in the great movement for the conservation of the country's natural resources. Our people send greetings to the First National Conservation Congress and offer our heartiest assurances of support in its efforts to concentrate the forces which are being marshalled to the defence of the wealth which a lavish nature has placed in our hands. As Governor of Maryland I am individually grateful for the privilege of expressing my sentiments on this great national policy, even in this brief form, and have furthermore responded to your invitation for Maryland representation by commissioning delegates to your body from among our most representative citizens. Marylanders have not been unmindful of the duty they owe to the nation and to the unborn generations with respect to the great "crime of waste and extravagance" of our resources. Our enlightened people have not been slow to grasp the seriousness of the situation and have em |