The Forrest City times., 1894-09-07
MORTON'S UlTIMATUM.

He VIII Not send Department Repro. sentative to the Irrigation Convention and Declines with Emphasis to Add Any thing to or Take Anything from Ills on. cial Reasons for Declining to Do So. WASHINGTON, Sept. 5.-Secretary Morton, seated at his desk at the agri- cultural department yesterday. was shown telegrams from the west stat ing that much irritation had been caused by his letters addressed to the members of the Interstate Irrigating association, which Monday adjourned from Denver to Greeley. in the same state. The secretary. with emphasis, declined to add anything to or take anything from his official letters which formed the basis of controversy, say ing that they expressed all he had to say on the subject. But, inasmuch as only portions of the correspondence appeared to have been made public, he furnished the United Press with the full text of the letters which the con- vention ordered laid on the table. They are as follows:
 LETTER NO. 1.
 July 26. 1894. 10 Thomas Knight, Esq, Member Of Ms Interstate Irrigation Association, Kan- sos City, Mo-:
 DEAR SIR-Your letter of date the 9th inst, requesting me to send a rep resentative of the department of agri- culture to the forthcoming Agricul- tural Irrigating convention, which is to meet in Denver in September next, has been duly received.
 The irrigations conventions hereto fore assembled have always considered the question of memorials to congress, asking that the public lands now in- cluded within the so-called arid re- gions shall be donated by the govern ment to the states and territories found within those regions, and also the question of granting to those states the ownership and absolute control of all waters which are or can be made use of for the purpose of irrigation.
 The questions considered by these irrigation conventions have nothing to do with practical irrigation. They amount simply to the coming together of body of citizens for the purpose of asking congress for grants of lands and a cession of whatever control or ownerhip the general government may have of the waters in the arid regions. Ordinarily. it is not proper that de- partment of the government should take part in such proceedings, where it would be to some extent placed in the position of responsibility for the acts of citizens, and be found petition ing another branch of the government. Furthermore, this department is charged by law, with the duty of in- quiring into the practical workings of irrigations, with a view of assisting those who are engaged in irrigation farming, by bringing forward the best methods and appliances in use and calling their attention to them that they may profit thereby. It is also charged, through the medium of re- ports furnished to allswho desire them, to give the best plans for the develop ment of farms by means of irrigation to the end that settlers may go into the arid regions with some practical knowledge of the manner in which a home may be established and a family maintained in those regions. These conventions do not deal with the subjects which this department is charged by law to consider.
 For this and for other reasons given. it has no right to representation in the deliberations of your convention.
 Very respectfully.
 J. STERLING MORTON,
 Secretary. This explicit statement of the secre- tary's views called out remonstrance from Mir. Knight, to whom the further reply was addressed:
 LETTER NO. ?.
 Aug. II, 1894. To 7nomas KnigAt, Member ef the Inter state Irrigotion Association, haRsds Guy. No,
 DEAR SIR:-Your letter of the 30th ult is at hand. In it you still press request that a representative of the department of agriculture be desig- hated by myself to attend the forth coming meeting of your association at Denver.
 I have noted carefully what you have to say on the subject, and can see no substantial reason why should change my decision not to send representa- tive of this department to your conven- tion.
 Such action would rightfully be crit cized, for any such attemptof the gov ernment to dictate to the citizens their policy upon. to them, very important questions, which they should de eide for themselves, untrammeled by gov ernmaut araueiaS