The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-09-11
THE CONGRESS,
How the Work Before 1t Is Viewed in the
East,

East.
The ST. Louis Globs- Democrat contains
the following telegram from Washington
u. c.: The irrigation congress meets in
Salt Lake City next week.
II understand" said Colonel Hinton, the
| Chief OF the government irrigation bureau
| to-day, that eleven or twelve governors
have appointed dele gates. So far as now
know these include Kansas, Nebraska
Colorado Idaho. Montana, Washington,
Arizona, California, Nevada, Wyoming,
Utah and New Mexico. l have no info rm-
auon about the two Dakotas, though 1 ex-
| pect they Will be represented. Prof. Hill
and other gentlemen will urge the governor
OF Texas to appoint delegates from that
state. L presume Oregon will act also,
| though no word has been received. The
IDEA OF this congress was preached last
winter at Lincoln, Neb., and Topeka, Kan
1t was the result then of activity created
oy our activity in artesisn and under flow
lnVes LEGATION. The calling of the proposed
congress was postponed on account Of the
meeting OF the TransMississippi conven-
ton at Denver in June last. Governor
Thomas, Of Utah, was then induced
| to issue q call, which, at the time,
declared the main purpose of the
proposed congress to be the support of
Dill introduced in the last congress pro-
posing the transfer, practically in bulk, of
| all the public lands embraced within the
seml-artd and arid regions of the west.
Ihls proposition has been endorsed with
out discussion by the Mississippi
congress, although there was great deal
OF feeling about it. 1t was supported most
actively by Senator Warren, Of Wyoming,
who introduced the bill. The first time it
was preached as public policy was before
Senata m if.ricr t1n, ~,
at Cheyenne. The state engineer Elwood
! Meade, read an elaborate paper in favor
OF the plan. AS q matter of TACT, it has not
been actively supported anywhere outside
| OF the three Rocky Mountain states that
would be most largely benefited, if at all.
by such policy. The discussion that has
arisen during the past summer has evil
IDENTIFY changed the minds of many of the
active promoters Of the congress. This
is evident from the language in
which the call for the congress Is now
| couched The invitation says. The sole
purpose of calling this congress is to induce
the national and state governments to en-
| act laws whereby these arid lands can be
best and quickest brought into the market.
settled and developed. Without Offering
any suggestion whatever,as to the plan to be
| pursued or the legislation to be suggested,
each delegate is requested to form his own
! Ideas as TO the most beneficial and feasible
legislation calculated to bring about the de-
velopment and upbuilding of the agricul-
tural lands of the western states and terri
| tories.''
posed transfer, Colonel Hinton said
1.-The objections which have been urged
! against the wholesale transference of the
| public lands to aid irrigation development
| have been: First. thatit would entirely sur
render the control of the main Interstate
streams to three states-Colorado, Wyoming
and Montana. Within these three states on
the east are found all of the sources and
| branches of the Missouri system, south
those OF the Rio Grande, and west those of
the Rio Columbia and RIO Colorado. There
are n other important Interstate waters
within the arid region except Lake Tahoe
A second objection is the improbability OF
the states and territories being able to
properly administer and continue the
punl1c surveys over their shares of the
! 1000, GOO CT more acres of land that would
be divided among them. In the third place
Is the certainty that such a gift would
| create an enormous speculative activity
/ and OF necessity induce legislative corrup-
| ton. 1t would do so in the eastern states
and our western friends are as human as
our eastern. Fourth, it would create an
! undue promotion and booming of irrigation,
and practically preclude anything like
methods and systems which even as yet are
! practically experimental in character 1t
! would certainly prevent the passage of any
reasonable irrigation legislation by Con-
| gress. If ali of the public lands were trans
ferred to the states there would be no rea-
son why Congress should legislate or ap-
propriate for any such matter. Another
fact worth consideration is, that such
action would prevent the policy of forest
reservation, and thereby shut the people
on from the opportunities now afforded by
law to secure as such forest reservations
the headwaters of all important interstate
ana state waters remaining as part of the
/ public domain. AS matter of fact, it is
also Ger tain that such policy as that of
the public land trans ference in bulk will be
opposed by all of the great land colonies
and water corporations that have land to
| DISPOSE OF. Irrigation is developing fast
/ enough for them. Without any interest
from their standpoint, L agree with them
as to the fact that development is proceed
ing with reasonable and proper rapidity. -
me department. of agriculture has re-
celved considerable information as to the
composition and probable work of the con-
gress.
ut will be an able body" Colonel Hin
ton SAID. THE delegation from Colorado
will be headed by Professor Louis G. Car
penter, the ablest young photographer In
tue west. Mr.. Lagrange, Of Greeley, prob
ably the ablest practical irrigationist in the
| state, Will be member There are other
prominent and able men on the Colorado
delegation. j. w. Gregory, of Garden
City, Kan, and Judge Henry, of Lawrence,
han., are among the delegates from that
state Mr. Gregory Is the special agent of
the department OF agriculture for the arid
plains region. New Mexico will send
among others, Governor Prince and Colonel
4 ~ al al
Las Cruces, and NJ. M. Pels, OF Ration.
The Arizona delegation is a very strong
one; SO also are the delegations from
Montana, Washington and Idaho. The
| California delegation will include Mr. Mas
In, the president of the state board of
trade; &C. Wright, author of the sIrrigation
Dlstrlct Laws" Theodore Van Dyke, of
San Diego, and M. M. Holt, of San Ber-
nardino. The latter is considered the bes.
informed man in California on irrigation.
senator Stewart is expected from Nevada.
General Jones, state surveyor general, Mr..
fulton, secretary state board of trade, and
eX- United States Surveyor General Irish
VIII be among the Nevada delegation.
a very important part of the work that
VIII be done at Salt Lake will arise from an
exchange CT views in regard to state legis-
ietlon and regulation. 1t is more than
! likely that some general plan based on the
CallIornla district system will be COM
mehoed by the congress TO the attention of
states and territories. The committees in
charge nave asked the department of agri-
culture Tor representation of its experts.
anu nave also urgently requested the sec
Rotary himself to be the guest of the con-
| gress.
Stuart Siephenson's Residence.
Messrs Hanson g. Nichols, architects,
| nave awarded a contract to Mr. Snelson