The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-09-17

! ALBUQUERQUE, N. NJ, Sept. 16.-The
| fourth national irrigation congress OPEN
ed here today with a large attendance,
Kansas Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma,
! Colorado, Utah, California and Arizona
! being represented. Delegates are also
! present from Mexico and Canada. William
| E. Smythe, chairman of the executive
| committee, addressed the convention as
! follows:
[ congratulate you, gentlemen, upon
| the record of a most momentous year in
! the history of irrigation. as a moral and
! intellectual movement. 1t is record
| frightened by favorable legislation OF
! several states, where Indifference had for
| nerly defeated every progressive asplra-
ton, marked by significant action of the
I executive departments at Washington
/ and crowned by the dawning recognition
| of the eastern public sentiment.
Means New States.
/ Since we last assembled, the irrigation
movement in Kansas, Nebraska and Tex
| as has triumphed in effective legislation
It means a new Kansas, new Nebraska
! and new Texas.
OF the remaining states OF the plains
| South Dakota has preceded her sisters
! in provision of irrigation laws, while
| North Dakota and Oklahoma have each
a we'll organized public sentiment look
| ing to similar results The passage by
| Congress in August 1Se4, of a law grant
| ing a million acres OF the public LANDS 10
J each of the desert states called for the
| enactment of supplementary legislation
! and furnished the occasion for a vigorous
campaign before the legislatures of eight
states. Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Mon
tana, Washington and Nevada, accepted
the grant of q million. acres each, and all,
except Nevada, provided appropriations
and administrative machinery to render
the grant Immediately operative In Ore
! gon a vigorous effort was made to the
same end, but was defeated narrowly in
the closing hours of the legislative ses-
sion.
The Carey Grant.
Laws enacted accepting the Carey grant
mark new era in our western states
manship. Without exception they recog-
nize the right and duty of the state to
| supervise and control the reclamation OF
public lands and use public waters. With
out exception they fix the maximum of
| prices at which such lands and attaching
water rights shall be sold, and without
exception they provide for the ultimate
ownership by the people OF irrigation
works built in connection with these
principles in the laws of five different
! states is another event which renders the
past year remarkable in the history OF
! the irrigation movement. But IN spite
of all that has been accomplished, diff
| culties have arisen in the practical ap-
! plication of the Carey law. Grave differ
ences of opinion as to its meaning have
| developed between state officials and Off
GERS of the interior department at Wash
ington. While il was evidently the desire
of Congress to have these lands reclaim
ed and settled under state auspices, the
law has apparently failed to confer the
necessary power upon the states. One Of
the most encouraging developments of the
past year was the action of Secretary
Smith of the interior, and Secretary Nor
ton, Of the agricultural department, IN
! countenancing the formation on the par
of a number Of specialists in their res
pective bureaus of the body known as tbs
board. of irrigat ton, executive depart:
the matter is the evidence it affords of q
growing recognition in official circles Of
Irrigation as a national question.
The Most Conspicuous.
The most conspicuous irrigation statute
IN the United States is the district law
law there has recently occurred an even
OF far-reaching Importance TO both tht
economics and practice of irrigation.
refer to the decision of Judge Ross II
the United States district court of 10!
Angeles to the effect that the Wright law
is Unconstitutional and that millions upor
millions of securities issued IN compli
ance with its provisions are Invalid. j.
this decision be accepted in its full mean
ing, it is a calaroity of the largest pro
portions. 1t would destroy in breath
the usefulness of the great system Of
canals wholly or partially constructed
trial machinery Of large ard thickly set
tied districts, and would give TO irriga
ton in general a bad repute IN financia
circles, scarcely to be outlived in a. gen
Grafton. It remains to be seen whether
the United States Supreme Court vii
confirm the astounding decision of Judg
Ross. The best legal opinion, apparently
believes it will.
believe [ express the sentiments no
only of this Congress- but Of men of art
America throughout it's length an
breadth when I say the holders of TIL
aforesaid security need not fear any los
on their investment, whatever Will b.
their legal status
Is Growing.
Since the adjournment Of the Denver
convention, the cause of irrigation ha'
been Systematically presented to infiuen
tiaI men and newspapers, and the publi
at large in the great eastern centers
EVERYWHERE we have found four of tn
most potential elements of eastern hft
ready to cooperate with us on any broat
line of action which has for it's obiec
the relief of the pressure upon the grea
cities in the east. and the expansion o
the national greatness in the west. Thes
four elements are first, the press; second
the clergy, third the college ana fourth
organized labor The time is ripe for
vast movement of the population from tn
crowded centers throughout the world
Colonization is the watchword OF tn
hour, not only here, but everywhere. 'loi
onization from all old countries to nev
;s the price of domestic tranquility ant
national expansion. In the United State
this movement will flow either TO TIL
south or to the arid region of the west
We cannot disguise the fact that tht
south today is our aggressive competito
in the matter of attracting new popuia
tion With its superb enterprise and op
n0rtunity it is pushing for people, but tn
Anglo-Saxon still tends naturally to th'
west and the claims of irrigation are So
preme. -,
manent organization was effected:
President, Colonel John z. Frost, o.
Kansas. AZ
Secretary, Fred L. Allies, Of Lo'
|. Angeles.
Cannon, of Salt Lake, and one distric
vice-president from each state ant
territory represented.
Colonel Carr of Illinois, then pre-
scented a resolution that the provisions
: of the Geary act be extended to tn
territories and that Congress BE urget
to expedite matters.
This evening Colonel Clark e. Carr
of Illinois, and Ex-Governor L. A. Shel
don, of Southern California, made ad
dresses.
At the close Of Mr.. Smythe's address
routine committees were selected Al
resolutions were referred to the com
mittee on resolutions without debate.
This afternoon Governor Thornton de
liyered the address of welcome to III
delegates on behalf of the people of Ne1
Mexico it being one of the most com
prehensive and interesting addresses eve
de in Tho cnuUfrV on the SuDiecr of ifr