The herald., 1893-09-17
THE IRRIGATION CONGRESS.

<Ah6OtCli0n eaO ASW HcttAAH ehoAAAoCt v 90
in readiness for the National Irrigation
congress, which will assemble in this
city on the 10th of October. All the in
dications point to the fact that it will be
unusually well attended, both from its
numbers and the distinction of its
members. There is no question of the
fact that this will be the most memoir
able convocation representing the inter-
ests of our arid lands that has ever as
sembled in the United States. There
was something very appropriate in des-
ignating Los Angeles "a the point of as
semblage, as unquestionsbly the hap
piest results ever attained by irrigation
on the American continent have been
achieved in the Los Angeles, San Ber-
nardino and other adjoining valleys, of
which Los Angeles is the center.
The first session of an American Irri-
CATION congress was held in Salt Lake
City, in September, 1891. Speaking of
that, and the coming session, the ''Irri-
cation Age," published in Chicago, says;
The first session of the irrigation con-
kIObb, nclQ III Dhlt 4hkO Oltys III DoptCln-
ber, 1891, dealt exclusively with the
public land question. By deliberate de-
sign the Los Angeles congress will take
a much broader range. Much time and
thought have been expended upon the
preparation OF the comprehensive pro-
gramme, and some of the brightest
minds in the west are now engaged upon
the papers and addresses which will
open the discussion on various days.
While it is not proposed to have cut
snd-dried programme in any sense of the
word, and while the fullest scope will be
given to discussion, it was clearly seen
to be necessary to have well-defined
plan in order that the many important
phases OF the subject should be satisfac-
torily dealt with in the five days allotted
to the congress, and definite results ar
rived at. Not only that, but it was also
important that gentlemen especially
fitted to speak on certain branches OF
the irrigation subject should have ample
notice OF the fact that they would be
depended upon to present their SUBJ
jects.
That the body which will convene in
Los Angeles the 10th day of October
will be unusually interesting and event
full there can be no doubt. The people
of the United States are a-ousing them
selves both to the momentous i'm
portance of irrigation and to the highly
poetical and interesting attendants OF
making the desert blossom as the rose.
The scenes on the border OF the
Cherokee strip yesterday, and for
week before, show how insatiate is the
appetite Of the people of the United
States for land. No government has
ever been more profigats in throwing
away its imperial acreage than the great
Republic of the North American con-
tinent. The cue seems to have been
to scatter everything broadcast The
most royal domain could scarcely stand
such unstinted diminutions. To what
extent Uncle Sans patrimony has
shrunk is shown by the scenes enacted
on the Cherokee strip for some weeks
past. 1t is really melancholy to re-
member what small parcel our uncle
has still left to distribute to his
nephews and nieces. Time was when
the whole boundless continent was his,
and when an imperial largess OF splen-
did acres was forthcoming at the re-
quest of any one, male and female, nota
bly, in the case of the partition of the
prolific acres in Oregon, where sex cut
no figure. That time is bravely past,
and with the swapping up OF the Chero-
kee strip about the last of these royal
partitions has been recorded.
The unseemly eagerness in devouring
the last portion of the public domain, as
exemplifed in the Cherokee strip rush,
suggests the wisdom of the policy on the
part of the United States, OF creating
another public domain from the arid
lands of the United States, immense in
extent and incalculable in value. In
this great expanse Of apparently sterile
lands capital properly applied can create
another domain even more pregnant of
results than the old, which has been go
lavishly squandered. 1t is true it will
be necessary TO the fruition Of the devel-
opment of the new domain to develop
water. But that is where capital comes
in. By an expenditure which is really
immaterial compared to the results to
be accomplished things can be achieved
that are really incredible to any one
who has not familiarized himself with
the wonders that have been accom-
plished in Spain, in Italy, in the south
of France and in India. and in other
Asiatic countries by the intelligent de-
velopment of water, to apply to other
wise arid and unproductive lands. In
many cases, given the application OF
water in intelligent methods to these go
called arid lands they will exceed hun
dred .old, in variety and value of pro.
duction, the lands for which boomers
have scrambled go insanely in OKLA
homa and in the Cherokee strip.
That the Irrigation Congress will
mark a new departure as to our arid
lands let no man doubt. The intelli-
gence and enterprise OF our people in all
sections of the United States have been
concentrated upon the necessity of pre-
serving and developing this new domain.
That the efforts OF Angelenos in this