The record-union., 1891-11-13

anu ludt TeldIeS 10 tne SeHtleileH VINO
lnaugurated and who have carried this
work to completion. / have heard the
story of their trials. / have heard the
laudations Of their heroism. / have had
proof presented to ME of their fidelity,
and / believe the people of this county,
when all the benefciencies of this great
work are upon them, will find that these
men were their highest benefactors.
'tAll great enterprises have had small
beginnings. All great enterprises have
originated in the mind of some one man.
In this instance Mr.. Beckwith is the
originator of this great scheme. There
has never been great enterprise that
was not prosecuted through difficulties,
and this has been no exception to the
rule"
The speaker went on to say that it was
easy to look upon any great work after
its completion and forget all the difficult
ties that had been encountered in its con-
struction. The visitor to Rome might
look upon st. Peters and imagine that it
had been spoken into existence, but if
they would read its history they would
find that its construction was q source of
contention for centuries. They were
about to inaugurate q great industrial en-
terprise for the fertilization of their val
ley and the development of its material
resources, and he wanted to couple the
name of B. d. Beckwith with the under
taking in such a way that they would re-
member the sacrifices he had made, the
toll he had endured and the patience and
perseverance he had manifested. The
greatest enterprises Of earth were often
originated by men who afterward sleep
in forgotten graves. He recited the first
verse of Edward Everett Hale's poem,
written in celebration of the na!neleSs
heroes of great achievements, Il Do Not
Know His Name" and expressed the hope
that such would not be the case with Mr.
Beckwitb. He then delegated Mr.. Beck
with to raise the gate and turn the water
into the canal.
Mr.. Beckwith stepped forward, and as
the cannon doomed and the crowd ap-
plauded he raised the headgate and the
water flowed into the canal in a great
stream.
Mr.. Morrissey led the crowd in three
cheers for the Woodbridge Canal, and
three more for Mr.. Beclwith, and the
ceremonies at the gate were over.
After watching the flowing water for a
short time, the vast concourse of people
returned to the main street of the town
and assembled in front of a temporary
platform, on header wagon, to listen to
the address by Mr.. Mills.
Judge SWinnerton again called them to
order and read a letter from 5. d. Woods,
President Of the Day, expressing his re-
ing been detained in Stockton by the trial
of an important case, which was on trial
before Judge w. G. Van Fleet, Superior
Judge of Sacramento County. He con-
graduated the audience upon the pleasure
they would have III listening to the ad-
dress of Mr.. Mills which was to follow
He said that the grandest monuments of
antiquity were built for the distribution
Of water. In all ages and in all times
mankind had instinctively felt that upon
the union OF land and water depended its
highest and most permanent interests.
He then introduced w. Fl. Mills, whose
appearance was greeted with applause.
MIR. MILLS ADDRESS
Was listened to with marked attention
by the immense crowd and was fire.
quently interrupted by bursts ofapplause
Though the people were compelled to
stand in the open street, they were too
deeply interested to feel weariness, and
gave the speaker their undivided atten-
ton throughout the whole address.
The speaker started out by saying that
when he accepted the invitation to deliver
an address upon this occasion it had been
with the distinct understanding that it
was to be delivered in q hall. There was
no hall in the town that would hold a
quarter of the crowd that had assembled.
and the committee had been compelled to
change that part of the programme. His
address would therefore be of different
character than he had intended, as a line
which would be appropriate to an audi
ence comfortably seated would not be
pleasing TO crowd which was compelled
to stand.
because Of the deep and abiding interest
he felt in everything pertaining to the
interests of our beloved State. 1t was a
maxim of the Romans that the greatest
work of man was the building Of States.
They had inaugurated a work to-day
which he believed would be fraught with
great good to the county and the State.
What they did for their county they did
for the State, and what they did for the
State they did for the nation. He said he
was proud Of the platform from which he
was speaking. 1t was an implement of
industry, and while he was not Farm
ers' Alliance member he would be if he
was farmer.
The speaker said that when he first saw
that beautiful dam he was impressed with
the faith that had inspired the work. The
miners and pioneers who first visited
that section did not think it was worth
dam, but his audience evidently differed
with them, as they appreciated the value
of the structure. The work just in
augurated was of vast importance to that
section of the State. One hundred and
tributary and subject to the waters which
would flow through the canal. Investi-
eating the industrial and commercial
value of such schemes, he had made esti-
mates between the farming commonly
practiced in this country and the farm
ing made possible by irrigation. Califor-
MIA had the advantage over other States
that it has twelve months of productive
ness in the. year. There are twelve
months in the year when forage is grown
and beef and wool and mutton produced,
and the difference between our State and
other States is as twelve months are to
five. With water every month in the
year is productive here.
In the dry land farming of California it
requires four men to the 1000 acres, pro-
Yided the practice Of Summer-falloW is
adopted. In Colusa, Tehama and Yolo
Counties the industry ofone man, with the
gang-ploW, the seeder and the combined
harvester, is equal to the common farm
ing Of $50 acres of land. Under the sys-
tenn of irrigated land ten acres Of land
are sufficient to employ the diligence Of a
single cultivator of the soil-that is, one
twenty-tifth Of the acreage. The number
of men to be employed is twenty-five
times that which the dry land farming
will give you. Then what have YOU done
by irrigation? You have added twenty
five times of area to the country, on the
basis OF employment, which are profit
able to men who follow the tilling Of the
soil. So that when you irrigate 100, 900
acres of land you produce capacity
equal to 100000 acres. The unit of value
is not the acreage, but the productiveness
of the soil.
The soil they were about to irrigate
was unusually fertile; it was better than
most of the land that has been placed
under irrigation in other portions of the
State. About 80 per cent. of it would
stand the test Of the highest irrigability.
You cannot irrigate country unless it is
properly drained. Men had an idea that
irrigation was practiced simply to supply
moisture and nothing else. This was a