The herald., 1893-02-10
THAT IRRIGATION CONGRESS,
An Outline of Its Intents and
Purposes.
Some Idea of the Importance of the
Meeting to Be Held Here.
Editor smythe Talks About the Char
actsr of the Congress, the Prob
lens 1t Will Consider and
Its Importance.

| W. E. Smythe, secretary of the Nation
al Irrigation Congress and editor of the
Irrigation Age, was in the city yesterday.
He was instrumental in having Los An
geles selected by the national irrigation
executive committee as the place for
holding the national irrigation congress
this year. He was seen at the Hollen-
beck hotel by a HERALD reporter in the
afternoon, and outlined briefly the ma
ture of the assemblage.
"About the character Of the coming
irrigation congress-" said Mr.. Smythe,
"there should not be the slightest mis-
understanding. 1t will be in no sense q
local affair. 1t is called by national
committee appointed by q convention
which consisted of representatives of the
II states and territories of the arid
west, and therefore the congress at Los
Angeles will be, in the broadcast sense
of the term, representative of the irri-
cation interests of the United States.
More than that, it will have an inter-
national significance, because it is ex-
pected that the president of the United
States will invite various foreign govern
ments interested in irrigation to send
their representatives.
| 81 believe there has been some talk of
a state irrigation congress in California
| ternational congress earnestly hope that
any effort looking to a smaller and
merely local convention will be aban-
doned when it becomes generally under
stood that the national executive COM
mittee has conferred upon q California
city the honor of holding the greatest
convention ever undertaken in the in
terest of irrigatian. The international
congress- will be an event of such dignity
and Importance as to appeal to the pride
and public spirit of California as q
whole, and If the plans of the national
committee are realized, no important
work of irrigation or interesting agricul-
| tural or horticultural district artifcially
watered will be missed by the delegates
and visitors. 1t was because Southern
California is admitted to contain the
highest types of modern irrigation on
this continent that the national com
mittee chose it from among number OF
competitors as the place to hold the
congress. 1t was high compliment to
California that the representatives OF
localities as far removed as Kansas, Col
orado and Wyoming voted and worked
for this state, as against other cities
much nearer. There need be no anx-
iety, therefore, about the men who will
visit the congress. They* will be the
brightest men in the United States in
terested in the subject, and many of the
brightest minds from other countries
will doubtless be included"
"What will be the principal objects Of
| 4 L lh4 10.
subjects discussed?" asked the re-
porter.
"The details of the matter, as we'll as
the precise date of the convention re-
main to be settled by conference OF
members of the national committee
with the Los Angeles chamber of COM
merce," was the reply. "But the OBJ
jects of the congress may be briefly de-
scribed under two heads. First, the
object is to put before the American
people the tremendous proportions OF
their great irrigation problem; second,
to assist the states that are practically
engaged in the development of irrigs-
ton in solving large number OF ques-
tionH having elements of interest COM
mon to all the states and territories.
"Think for q moment of the first OBJ
ject I have named. The march of SET
tiers to the west has been steady and
unhagging ever since the first colony
was planted on Massachusetts bay. Dur
ing the past 10 years an average of 20, 900
souls month crossed the Missouri river
looking for new homes. There is every
reason to expect that this tide will con-
tinue to flow to the west, and yet nearly
the last acre of land in the rain belt has
been settled. The settlement of the fu-
ture must be in arid America and that
means that the American people must
soon give attention to irrigation and re-
clamation as problem of the first i'm
portance. We hope to do more through
the medium of this irrigation congress-
in bringing the subject to the
thoughtful attention of our coun-
by any and all other means.
We hope to bring here representatives.
of both the investing and the home
seeking elements, who, in cooperation
with western enterprise, must help us
work out an ideal civilization in the
western half of this continent hereafter.
It Is expected that the railroads will
heartily assist US in giving the Los An.
geles congress great advertisement al
the worlds fair, and that as q result
several large excursions will be organ.
lied to accompany the delegates and
take advantage Of most unusual oppor.
tunity to study the irrigation problem Of
various states and attend the session ol
the congress in this city. As result Of
this programme 1t is expected that
various cities along the route will
arrange to extend hospitalities. In
Kansas, in Colorado, in New Mexico
and in Arizona the people will take
pride in exhibiting the works and pro
ducts of irrigation and presenting the
advantages of their soil and climate. So
it will be in Southern California during
the period covered by the congress, and
so it will be when the delegates and Wis
itors complete their excursion by way
of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah
and Montana. If the event is properly
planned and well advertised, host o.
people will take advantage of this mar
, velous opportunity to learn what irriga-
ton is, what it has done and what II
means to the people of the United States
Magazines and newspapers will have 9
great deal to say about the event after
n "a HM%A GMTN n IAaHA