The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-11-12
Progress Offrrlgati0n.

On September Is, a notable gathering
of notable men took place at Salt Lake
City, being the first meeting of the 1rri-
CATION Congress. The membership COM
prised many eminent pernsons, chiefly
from States west Of the Mississippi, their
object for meeting being the interchange
of views and discussion ofthe best meth.
DDS OF redeemiDg to useful purposes the
millions ofacres of arid lands which now
lie drear and abandoned in various Sec
tions Of the great West.
Of the success of irrigation wherever
it has been properly carried out, all the
speakers bore enthusiastic testimony.
The driest lands are made to blossom as
the rose, and wherever the blessed water
spreads there is soon bound contented,
happy and prosperous people.
The place selected for the assembly
was especially appropriate, Salt Lake
City being tue first and perhaps the
noblest example to be found in the
country of the wonderful results gained
by irrigation. Here in the midst of
verdure and the music Of running wa
ter in every street the congress began its
sessions. Among the speakers was Will.
ford Woodruff, President of the Mormons.
He said:
"Fifty-one years ago the 9th of last
July, 1 entered this valley with 413 en-
igrants, or in other words. pioneers. We
were led by President Young. This
country that we arrived upon was call
ed the Great American Desert, and Ger.
tainl7 as far as ne could see it did not
deviate from that in the least. We
found barren desert here. There was
no mark of the Ango-Sazon race, no
mark of the white man-everything was
barren, dry and desert.
"We pitched our camp little to the
southeast from here about II o'clock in
the day. Whe had desire to try the
soil to know what it could produce. Oh
course all this company-nearly the
whole of us-were born and raised in
the New England States, Vermont,
Maine, Massachusetts, Come cticut-had
no experience in irrigation.
"You gentlemen came here to-day ;
you sec the city, you 90 through the
country. Here are thousand miles, I
might say, through these mountains, fill
ed with cities, towns, villages, gardens,
and orchards, and the produce of the
earth that sustains the people. Without
this water, this irrigation for which you
have met here to-day, this country would
be as barren as we found it.
He was followed by President Cannon
one of the early settlers, wio said: 81
took my frat lessons in irrigation when
a boy, in 1S4S. I have had but compar'
atively little practical experience in the
business since then. buu it has become
very familiar to ua. We have not had
much time to theoriae upon 1t, but prac-
tically we have carried out this system
throughout the length and breadth of our
Territory.
"There is one point that 1 think Of
great importance, and I think it worthy
the consideration ofthis body. We nave
refrained. was going to say, religiously
from forming great corporations to take
possession Of the water; we have not been
taxed for our water in Utah, but settle
ments have combined together and by
their own labor have taken the water
out and have contributed by their labor
in forming dams and digging bitches te
obtain the necessary supply for theil
acreage. | think this is very impor-
tsut feature in this Territory. We have
not had to pay for our water; poor men
could lake land and obtain water by their
own labor.
"Another feature of our system has been
that we have had small holdings
When we settled this city, the lots were
divided out; each lot was an acre and q
quarter. The lots were laid outi in such
a way that th sfront of one lot faced the
side of another. 1t was designed to be
city Of villas and to have plenty ol
room. You see the breadth of our streets
and the amplitude Of our lots this was
the original design. Then, next to oul
city, tier of fye-acre lots were laid
out, then tier of ten acre lots, then @
tier oftwenty.acre lots. There were no
lots laid out of larger extent than twen-
ty acres. That there might be perfect
fairness, we cast lots for these. The me-
chanics were expected to want FIVE acres;
those who are in better condition it was
thought would require ten acres, while
the farmers received twenty acres.
My distinguished friend, President
Woodruff, lived and sustained bis fami'
ly upon twenty acres of land, and I may
say to his credit there is no better farm
or iu this country than he has been.
He has been noted throughout all our
community for his indsfatigable indus
try.
"We have kept from monopoliziug the
land and been willing to have it distrib.
uted in small holdings, 80 that every
man might have foothold. | believe
that 1 do not overstate the truth when 1
say that in no part of the United States
is there population containing SO many
people living on their own lands and
owning their own houses as in Utah
Territory.
81 believe in the srtesian system. ]
have been believer iu it always and
for d great many years. 1 believe that
we can get large supplies Of water from
subterranean sources. l have expert
mented with this, and l believe I have
the honor of being the first person tc
own an artesian we'll in this valley or in