The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-04-24
INTERESTS OF THE WEST
They Viii! Be Looked After by the
Trans Mississippi Congress
at Ogden. 3
At Least 500 Delegates Ara Ex-
pected to Be In Attend
ance There.
Irrigation, Arid and Public Lands. silver
Harbors and other Questions to
le Looked After.

Oopry, Utah, April 2S..-The congress OF
western states and territories which con-
yenes here TO- morrow is known ns the
Trans-Mississippi onRress and is made up
of delegations from each of the Twenty-Five
states and territories lying west of the
Mississippi river. The coming session ID
expected to last five days and will be at
tended BY at least 500 delegates. amonc
whom will be governors and congressman
from these states, as we'll ns men of affairs.
prominent in eveEy LIME Of commercial en-
~terprise. Over fifty of the 1872 congressman
that represent the transmissiepi states in
the national congress write that they will
be here, and all express themselves in
hearty sympathy with the movement. Gov.
Richards, of Montana, intended to be here
with his full delegation. but was called east
suddenly. Gov. Mcdonnell. OF Idaho, WILL
come, and the delegation from that state
promises to be Il very large one. Gov.
Waite, of Colorado, and Gov. Prince. of
New Mexico, will both arrive in a special
train from the east. The number of gov
ernors that will be present will be between
ten and twelve. Two special trains will
come from Colorado, and Denver alone
promises $50 delegates, the mayor and COM
mercial bodies having appointed their full
quota of thirty delegates eaoh.
kilograms from Texas indicate thirty
delegates from that state. The commercial
bodies of New Orleans are active in the
matter and a telegram from the Merchants
exchange of 81. Louis says there will be a
delegation from there. Gov. stones dele
pntes of Missouri will be here also. All of
A.. huvn arroinfaH daIaonkoa
and the chairman of the executive commit
tee says he is satisfied that all the twenty
two states snd territories will be repre-
scented.
The object of the Trans-Mississippi con
gress is to consider questions of national
Importance which particularly affect the
west and to bring these questions promi-
pentlv before the United States congress,
and in the name of the west demand legls-
lation upon them. The territory repre-.
sented by these twenty-five states com
prises almost three-fourths of the area OF
the country, YET questions wnlon are o,
special ~interest and tho enactment Of laws
which would be of particular advantage te
this vass section. do not command the at.
tention Of tho general congress which they
merit, and 1t is only within recent years, IN
response to the united demands Of the
W6Sb rs r6pI6Sous0N al IL
sippi congress-, that satisfactory Legislation
has been attempted by the government.
Fou. sessions OF the congress have beer
held before. In Galvs ston, Omaha. Denvel
and New Orleans. Ihe first meeting o
the congress at Galveston took up the mat
ter of a deep water harbor on tho gul
coast, and az q result &c. 00, 900 was appro
priated for the improvement of Galveston
harbor. The congresses of later years hav'
paid particular attention to the improve
ment Of the Mississippi river, and the Mic.
aragua canal has assumed al Importance
since ii has been ~chanpioned by this or
eanization which it never possessed before
Irrigation, arid lands, public lands. silver
the deepening of harbors and the dredging
of rivers. are questions of vital import 4
every western state. INC it is to the furth
erance OF these interests that the comint
congress at Ogden will address itself.
The weather to-day was rainy and cold,
but the prospects for tomorrow are excel
lently bright. The reception committee
this morning boarded trains from the east
the west. tho north and the south. to mee
the various delegations.