The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-10-10
LAND AND WATER
International Irrigation
Congress.
MANY DELEGATES ARRIVE
Important Subjects to Be Considered
by Distinguished Representatives
of Three Continents.

Los ANGELES, Oct. 9.-The Interna-
tional Irrigation Congress will assemble In
this city tomorrow morning. All OF the
foreign and trans Mississippi delegates
have arrived, and every incoming train Is
bringing its quota of Western lrrigatlon-
lists. Over 200 delegates are here already,
and the claim of the National Executive
Committee-that the attendance will reach
300 accredited OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES not
exaggerated.
Three continents - North and South
America and Europe-send delegates, ana
the representation from the West ana
middle Western States is good. All goes
to show that in character the convention
will be representative; even more 80 tnan
the one held at Utah two years ago
Though pre-eminently great American
problem, the irrigation question is rapidly
assuming worldwide Importance. France
recognizes this. and has sent delegatlon
Of the most learned upon the subject.
Leon Phillips, Director of the Department
of Agriculture; Rene Lefebvre. Director
General of the Irrigation Engineering De-
partment, and Under Secretary l.. Mont
golfer make up the delegation.
Russia sends Count Constantine Comod-
zinsky and David Golovneen.
Mexico sends Don Jose Ramon de Ibar-
ollar.
Austria, Hungary and Ecuador are rep
resented.
The British Government bespoke seats
for delegates from its colonies. but none
of these have yet arrived. No really prom
inent American irrigationists are absent.
~ %I,o&c h1rA fhron
best known are c. c. Wright Of Modesto.
chiefly famous as being the author of the
district irrigation law, r. j. Hinton and
William E. Sinythe. Any one who knows
anything about irrigation knows that Mr..
Hinton is one of its ablest opponents with
the pen, and those who know of the exist
ence of a national executive committee
know that Mr.. Smythe is its secretary.
he will call the congress 10 order to-mor
row morning and then pass the gavel to
Judge Gregory of Kansas, who will in all
robability be the temporary chairman.
Beyond this all is uncertain. There is
no slate and there will be no caucus to
make one. Two great questions will be
discussed by the congress. The first Of
these is the district irrigation law of Cali
fornia. Its enactment was distinct step
toward the Nationalist belief in the pub
lie ownership and operation of public
works. Has il been SUGGEST?
Those who believe in the private owner
ship of water rights and works will con-
tend for the negative side Of the question,
but these are few and far between at this
congress. 1t looks now as though the con-
vention would indorse the public owner
ship plan and offer suggestions for the
more rigid State supervision and control
of public water rights.
What will be done with the arid lands?
They are the only remaining heritage of
the American settler. The question PROM
ises to be holly discussed by this congress.
th ough there seems to be but little doubt
that the plan for desert Ian commission,
composed of representatives from every
State and Territory in the arid districts
will be Endorsed by the convention.
The last irrigation congress declared
almost unanimously in favor of the Fed
aral Government ceding all remaining
lands to the States in which they lie, for
development and reclamation. This has
been opposed upon the ground that ii
would result in the State Legislatures
jobblng them out to corporations.
Now both the friends and opponents of
the cession policy are trying to get on
common ground and the result will doubt
less be this arid land commission. 1t will
be elected by this congress and instructed
to formulate a plan for disposng of the
question in an equitable manner to the
nation, the State, to capital and TO the set
tiers interes ed the same to be reported
to the next congress. Mr.. Smythe will
start this discussion by reading paper
entitled, what Shall Be Done With the
Peoples deritage?"
The other papers to be read are as fol-
lows: F. 81. Newell, Department of In
terror. Irrigation Investigations by the
Interior Department." c. r. lockwood.
Conservatism in the Development of
Irrigation Enterprises; Elwood Mead,
Wyoming, Interstate Division of Water,
or Land System for the Arid Region;
C. c. Wright of Modesto, Irrigation Leg
islation"; j. W. Gregory, Garden City,
Kans., 1.-THE Significance Of Irrigation
With Respect to the Great Plain Region of
the United States; G. F. Weeks, Bakers
field. CAL, "Colonizlng Irrigated Lands;
j. K. Doolittle. Phoenix, Ariz.. 1.-The
Common Law of Water in Arid America"
DIR. Joseph Jarvis, Riverside, "Irrigati on
as Applied to horticulture; S. M. Wood
bridge. Relation of Irrigation to Fertil-
ization"; Count Constantine Comodzinsky
of Russia, Irrigation in Russia; c. W.
Cross of San Francisco, Ethical and
Social Effects of Irrigation"
After Mr.. Smythe has pounded the
gavel Tomorrow morning in the gayly
decorated Grand Opera-house, Governor
Markham will say something cheerful by
way of formally welcoming the visitors.
The convention will last for five days
and at its conclusion there will be the
usual excursions and entertainments,
preparations for which the hospitable Los