consumer rights, which before Roosevelt, had been virtually ignored. Part of his policy of protecting the public welfare included conservation, an idea that was previously not given much attention. Americans had always used their natural resources without regard for the future, yet President Roosevelt managed to awaken public interest in conservation, spur Congress to action and convince Federal and state governments to adopt new policies. He withdrew from public sale 150 acres of forest lands, coal and phosphate lands, and potential water-power sites. At his urging, Congress created wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. The Newlands Reclamation Act provided money from the sale of public lands in 16 Western states and territories to build irrigation projects to make wastelands suitable for farming. Two of these are the Shoshone Dam in Wyoming and Arizona's Roosevelt Dam. Additionally, he created the Inland Waterways Commission, and held the White House Conference of 1908, which succeeded in establishing state conservation agencies in 41 states and established the National Conservation Commission to study the nation's mineral, water, forest and soil resources. Roosevelt's conservation policy established a strong foundation for a solid conservation program for the future.Roosevelt accomplished just as much with his foreign policies as he did with his domestic policies. He believed in the value and importance of actively using American power abroad, giving him the slogan "Big Stick Diplomacy". He felt that America, as a civilized society, had the right and duty to intervene in the affairs of an uncivilized nation to preserve order and stability for both nations. Roosevelt considered the "Open Door" vital for maintaining trade in the Pacific and for preventing any single nation from achieving dominance there. The "Open Door" policy was created as a response to the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95. In September 1899, John Hay, Secretary of S...
