The herald., 1896-12-16


| rior or agricultural departments the
progress of irrigation, and make such
| suggestions as would be for its further
advancement, until every irrigable arid
| acre Is subdued and the unemployed and
| homeless found peace and plenty upon
| them.
The necessity of forestry commits
sion was as important to this country as
| the forest, for without the former we
| would soon have none Of the latter. Soon
| er or later we would would not feel the
| loss in dollars and cents so much as we
would in the use in conserving the
| waters from irrigation.
| The committee recommended action
| upon the following subjects in the form
| of bills for presentation to congress at
| Washington:
Arid land policy, interstate streams,
| International streams, the reclamation
of arid and semi-arid lands, pastoral
LANDS, irrigation surveys and appropria-
tions for irrigation.
| National Lecturer j. S. Emory of Kan
sas presented report showing the SUBJ
| stantial progress made during the year
in the promotion of irrigation inter-
ests.
| c. NJ Heintz of California, national
secretary, submitted the annual report
| concerning the work of his Office.
Local Observer Blythe of the weather
bureau presented a communication from
Willis H. Moore, chief of the weather
bureau. transmitting data relative to
weather conditions on the western plains
| Judge Emory F. Best, assistant COM
| missioner Of the land office, read a
| paper In support of his contention that
the states should be owners Of the arid
lands, as they are now in control of the
water, without which such lands are
| valueless.
| A committee on resolutions was ap-
| pointed and one of the first documents
presented to them was the following,
which is stated to be the unanimous
voice of the California delegation in
respect to the Wright act:
Whereas. the constitutionality of the
| irrigation district law of Californa,
| known as the Wright act has been
| finally established by decision of the
| United States supreme court, and the
| power of the states to construct public
| systems of irrigation either by general
| taxation or creation Of local improve
| ment districts, and to make the use of
water for irrigation public Use, has thus
| been established beyond question for
| all time: and
| Whereas, all who are interested in the
| development by irrigation of the arid
lands of this country recognize the i'm
portance and affirm the underlying prin-
| ciple of the Wright act, that laws should
| be enacted which will enable the own
ers of land to own and control the water
required for its irrigation, so that the
land and water should go inseparably
| together forever; and,
Whereas, where the provisions of the
Wright act have been followed and equit-
ably and honestly administered, it has
| accomplished the result hoped from IL
and districts SO organized and operated
have given to the land owner a ben
| ef1t commensurate to the burdens i'm
posed, and to the investors an assured
security. But
Whereas. in the practical operation of
the law irregularities entailing compli-
cations and hardships have arisen which
have impaired the beneficial results
which the law proposed to accomplish;
| and,
| Whereas, we believe that these irreg-
ularities and complications and the
| hardships which have arisen under them
may be avoided In the future by the Gre
| alton of state board of control to su-
pervise the organization and operations
of irrigation districts, and by wise and
| conservative policy amend the statute
| by embodying in its provisions checks
and safeguards which shall give the full
| est protection to both land owner and
bond holder; and,
| Whereas, it is impossible that the
benefits which may be obtained under
! the law should be fully realized until the
| experiences which have come from its
practical operation in California shall
have been thoroughly investigated and
understood and the defects that have
| developed shall have been remedied by
/, careful and thorough legislation: and
| Whereas, We believe that it is impos-
| sible for the members of the legislature
| in the brief time allotted to them for
| the discharge of their duties and the
| haste and pressure under which they
must labor to acquire the necessary IA
| miliarity with the many intricate and
difficult legal, financial and engineering
| problems to be overcome. Now, there
fore, be it
! Resolved, that all obstacles which now
stand in the way of successful operation
| of the irrigation district system can
| best be removed in those states where it
| is desired, by operation under the law
of California, especially by delegating
| the whole subject to a state commission
for sufficient length of time to enable
| them to give to the matter the most
! thorough investigation of existing con-
| ditions and afford the fullest opportun-
| ity for suggestions and objections so the
| statute may be so amended that we
may get the full benefit of the light of
| the experiences of ten years of practical
| operation, light which was not before
the original trainers of the law who were
| pioneering in a new field, and that the
! law may be 30 modified that it will un-
| ite as far as possible all the people of
| the districts and of the state in an earn
est and united effort to achieve the pur-
pose of the law and enjoy it's fruits and
to give the fullest protection to individ-
| ual property rights and the most abso-
Lutte security to investors. And we would
| further recommend that in California
| and in any other state where it may
| be necessary, there should be q consti-
| tutional amendment under which all
voting in irrigation districts may be
| limited to actual landowners and the
assessment be made and collected by
| the county assessors and tax collectors
| and the proceeds of bond sales be de-
posted in the state treasury until dis
bursed by the district
| O'Neill of Arizona moved committee
of seven on organization, to the end that
| the body take upon itself more than an
existence of three or four days in the
year. AS such committee were appoint
| ed Chairman E. r. Moses of the national
executive committee; c. M. Heintz, ma
tional secretary w. o. O'Neill, j. AFort,
| Nebraska; G. w. Watson, Kansas; l.. G.
Brainard, Connecticut, and C. G. Hud-
son, Illinois.
The committee is in session this even
| ing and will report in the morning.
Every delegate present seems in favor
| of the plan and 1t is probable the con-
gress will assume many features new
| to it.
F. H. Newell. chief of the photographic