El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1896-12-15
IRRIGATION CONGRESS-.
The Fifth Session Begins Today nj
Phoenix, AriZ.

The fifth national irrigation congress
meets at Phoenix, A. T., Dec. Is, II
and Il. The delegates will 60 int
"the enemy's country for Arizona i:
notoriously arid.
The four irrigation congresses pre-
ceding the one to meet in Phoeniz
| were held at Salt Lake City, Los An
geles, Denver and Albuquerque, all ot
them in territory which abounds in
illustrations of the possibilities and
accomplishments of irrigation. 1t as
been the business of these congresses
| to agitate with a view to awakenln g
public interest in the irrigation ques-
tion and obtaining legislation. there
| is more active interest in the subject
now than there ever has been, and the
| initial steps have been taken by con-
gress to assist in the reclamation of
the arid lands of the west.
Among the principal speakers are
F. H. Newell, chief of the Hydrograph-
ic Survey at Washington, u. c., who
will discuss "Irrigation in Humid
American Professor Willis L. Moore,
chief of the Weather Bureau at Wash
ngton, on Sensible Climate" and
Agriculture University of California
on "Soils." Not the least interesting
feature of the congress will be the
discussion of international Irrigation
Questions, by delegates from Canada.
Mexico and attaches of the foreign
legations at Washington. Not the
least prominent among the delegates
will be Elwood Mead, of Cheyenne,
Wyo., whose work in behalf of irrlga
tioh is widely known throughout the
country.
The delegates to the congress will
be all members of the national ex
ecutive committee: all members of
state and territorial irrigation commits
sions: five delegates at large appointed
by their respective governors, for each
of the following states and territories |
Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho,
Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, |
New Mexico, North Dakota, Okla |
homa, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas,
Utah, Washington and Wyoming: !
three delegates at large for each other
and bs appointed by the the
District of Columbia by the president:
one delegate each from regularly or
ganized irrigation, agricultural and
irrigation companies, agrl-
cultural colleges and commercial
bodies, such as boards of trade, cham
'ers of commerce, etc: duly accredited
representatives of any foreign nation
'r colony each member of the United
States senate and house of representa-
ives, and each governor of state or
erritory, who will be admitted as
honorary mem bers.
Phoenix, where the congress will
neet. is a progressive city of 12 1000
mia bitants, the capital of Ariz. Its
Ocal committee of arrangements head J
d by Walter Talbot has made every
arrangement for the comfort of the
elegates, who will number several
undred. The chief virtue of Phoe-
tx as a place of meeting lies in the
act that it is in the richest irrigated
alley in America-that of the Salt I
iver, where irrigation works of the t
reatest magnitude can be seen and v
tudied by the delegates to the con- r
reSs. Ii
Some of the states have gone into v
ne solution of the irrigation question T
cry earnestly. Idaho made arrange i
lents, Immediately after the passage
the law granting arid lands to the v
,ates, to esta blish colonies of eastern C
ettlers on irrigable land. This had u
cen done in California nearly % years :
efJre and had proved successful. AT /
riverside, California, where utter des- n
latiou once prevailed, there are now b
20, 900 acres of orange groves, and the O
olony ships ST 2o0, 900 worth of oranges e
very year. If Idaho succeeds in doing .
we'll dS CdllIOr0ld WlGQ ucr aria | I
md, she will have no difficulty getting {
n additional grant of million acres {
,r further development. (
The question Of federal legislation I
as become less important to the
lends of irrigation, but state legisla f
on has gained in Importance in pro- 5
ortion, and legislation will be the d
hief subject of discussion in the U
0ngress at Phoenix. Many technical l
ddresses will be delivered, but the (
nief discussion will be on the subject Y
legislation. 7