The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-09-23
NOT ENOUGH KANSAS.
The Big Irrigation Convention at
Albuquerque
Observation-Disclosures

of Kansas. Where There Can be- No
Ditches-What Kansas DLd at the
Convention.
Fred c. Slater has returned from the
fourth national Irrigation convention at
Albuquerque, New Mexico. John E
Frost. the only other Topeka man who
attended, is expected home in a day, or
two. After the convention adjourned
number of excursions were run from
Albuquerque to surrounding points and
Mr.. Frost remained to take charge of one
to Phe Xix, Arizona, over the Santa Fee.
This will return 10 albuquerque tomor-
row. Mir Frost was elected temporary
chairman and presided most of the time
at the meetings
This is Mr. Skaters first convention.
He has returned more ebthused than
ever over irrigation. "One can't attend
the conventions without getting greatly
interested said he to a reporter.
There were ten of us from Kansas and
two from Topeka. Mr. Hinckley was
unable TO attend and he sent his
paper which he was to have read. Mr..
Frost read paper, "The Coloniz alton of
Arid Lands which was very interesting
indeed. He dealt with the history and adj
vance of Irrigation, rather than any sys-
tenn or way.
Il gained few Dew ideas on irrigation
in Kansas, because all of the papers that
were read referred to irrigating by ditch
es or by windInills in the valleys. What
we want to know in Kansas is whether
the underfow is inexhaustible. II it is.
then the arid uplands of the western part
of the state can be irrigated just us sue
cessfully by the windmill process as
the valleys are by ditch or
windmill. One man read paper on
Irrigation in the Arkansas Valley to
which / listened atteu1ively. buG he
stayed in Colorado and didn't get into
Kansas at al. Very few of the papers
which had been prepared were read, on
account of lack of time.
"As was returning l counted nine
windmI!ls and as many irrigbting plants
on one side of the train at Garden City
The state convention will be held there
next month. 1t is in what might be
called the semi-arid belt and seems to be
the irrigating center of Kansas.
There were two principal fights il
the convention. OGe was over the cleo
ton of the chairman and the other &C.
CURED when the selection of the place
for holding the next convention came up.
'EA r. Moses of Great Bend WAS the
candidate of the Kansas people for chair
man. As soon as he was nominated the
Lincoln and Nebraska people jumped in
against US. They had a lot of good
speakers, and had it arranged with dele
gates from other states to make speeches
for them. and for awhile until these set
speeches ran out, everything seemed to be
going their way. They kept kicking at
Kansas all the time, and saying we were
getting everything. When the vote was
taken, however, Mr.. Moses got 100 votes
10 their 10 or %.
81 tell you | admired those Lincoln
fellows When the light for next years
convention was on, they came out and
shook inducements at those people that
made my head swim. They offered
transportation to the delegates, ents r
tainment while in the city, and all such
things as that. They represented tie
commercial club of Lincoln. and were
backed by men with means That's just
the trouble with Kansas. When she
tries to secure a convention her delegates
don't have the capital behind them and
can't push ahead and offer inducements
that will bring the meeting to her cities
But Lincoln didn't get the con-
veution after all There are no
irrlgatiug plants there and when
the Phoenix, Ariz, people got up
and said 'cUne to Phoenix, where
you can lie down on the banks of the ir-
rigating bitches and discuss irrigation.
that settled it
"Canada-had two re representatives. pres
emf, and Mexico sent one, as usual Don
Ramon de Y barrola re presented the Mex
lean government. He was a fine look
ing general, and it rested my eyes to
look at him. de wore n gray goatee,
and his stiff gray moustache stuck out on
each side like tooth picks. In the even
ing the general appeared in full dress,
and during the day he changed his
clothes to suit the hour.
"He had a fine sense of International
courtesy. and every treaty was at his
tongues end. A delegate who had never
seen a Mexican went up to him ond said,
why, you aren't Mexican. They are
d copper colored aud semi civilized race
The general couldn't get over that. and
he kept talking about AIexicans being
semi civilized.
Il saw alfalfa all through Kansas and
clear down into New Mexico. I tell you
there was a difference between the
farms which had alfalfa on them aud
those which didn't. 1 he stock, build
ings and everything on them betokened
prosperity, while farms right next to
them showed just the opposite"
MIR. Slater has brought back innumer
able pamphlets and treatises on irriga-
lion. Among his souvenirs is the badge
of the convention. It is a long. broad
piece of the heavy Navajo blanket and
upon this the delegates pinned their
state badges.
REFORM SCHOOL SERVICES.