The conference of governors was held at the white house in 1908, and it was led by president Theodore Roosevelt. The focus of the conference was the natural resources and their right use.
The president began the conference with the speech "Conservation as a National Duty". From this speech, we can quote "So great and so rapid has been our material growth that there has been a tendency to lag behind in spiritual and moral growth"; these words support the inference that Roosevelt believes that the focus on industrialization and accumulation has negatively affected the character of American citizens.