Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-16
IRRIGATIONISTS MEET
NATIONAL CONGRESS IN SESSION AT
PHOENIX, a. t.
KANSAS WELL REPRESENTED.
c. b. BOOTH. OF CALIFORNIA, ELECT
ED PRESIDENT.
Dominant Idea of the Convention Is
the Reclamation of Arid Lands
Through Federal and State
Afd-Congress to Be
RcOrganiZed.

Phoenix, A. T., Dec 15.-(special) Kan
sas shows up strong in the national iIri-
cation congress that convened this morn
ing in fifth annual session in the opera
house at Phoenix. the leading lights being
John E. Frost. of Topeka, president of the
last congress at Albuquerque: Z. R. Moses,
of Great Bend, chairman of the national
executive committee: National Lecturer j.
s. Emery of Lawrence, and John A.
Churchill. of Dodge City.
Nebraska is also present in force, among
her delegates being A. G. Wofenberger
and L. Arnett, of Lincoln, and l. A. Fort,
of North Platte. Twenty-seven states and
territories are represented, and the con-
gress is considered the most general as
sembly of its nature ever held. The domi-
nant idea is legislation favorable to the re-
clamation of desert lands by either the
general or state governments. To better
force this idea before congress and the
state legislatures there is no doubt the
congress will organize tomorrow into a
permanent body with paid membership and
paid officers.
The congress has brought to Phoenix
interested in water storage and its distri-
button, and representing twenty seven
states The first days session was effect
i've, and plans are now maturing for the
organization of the congress on new lines
better suited to the work of legislation. A
committee on reorganization is in session
and its report will be presented to the body
tomorrow.
The committee on credentials reported
delegates present from the states and ter
ritories of Arizona, California, Colorado,
Connecticut. Idaho Illinois. Iowa, Indiana,
Kansas Minnesota, Montana, Missouri,
Michigan. Nebraska, New York. New Mex
leo. North Dakota, Nevada, Ohio. Okla
homa, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Wash
ington, Wyoming, Wisconsin and the Dis
trict of Columbia.
Permanent organization was effected by
the selection of c. B. Booth. of California,
to be president Governor-elect Frank H.
Briggs, of North Dakota, vice president;
James H. McClintock, of Arizona; A. L.
| Kellogg. of Colorado and L. S. Hewlett, of
Washington. TO be secretaries.
In accepting the chair President Booth
stated he considered the honor due to the
great state of California, that he had been
chcsen to preside over congress embrac-
| ing delegates from the valley of Connecti-
| cut, the home of Mark Twain, who
voUched for at least nine kinds of weather
| IN Il single Cay, 10 Ine sun Kissed ldnQS OF
| the Golden West, where the sun seemed
| forever to shine a convention meeting in
the metropolis of Arizona Territory. (which
we hope in the near future will assume a
place amid the other stars on the flag
National Lecturer ]. S. Emery. of Kan
sas. presented a report showing the sub
stantial progress made during the year in
the promotion of irrigation interests.
c. NJ. Heintz. of California, national sec
rotary. submitted an annual report con-
cerning the work of his office. The local
observer. Blythe. of the weather bureau,
III esented a communication from Willis
H Moore, chief of the weather bureau,
transmitting data relative to weather con-
diticns on the Western plains.
Judge Emory F. Best, 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 measure looking towards this
has already been introduced. +. H. New
ell, of the United States Topographic sur
vey, and others, combat this, favoring
rather the establishment of a national COM
mission of five to have general charge of
water storage and forestry.
E. R. Moses of Great Bend, Kas., chair
man of the executive committee, submitted
the annual report of the committee. The
report said that the work laid out by the
executive committee for 1896 had not been
fully accomplished, nor was it as salts
factory to the members as it would have
been if they had not been handicapped
in many ways in its advancement. Nearly
every senator and representative in con-
gress had been written to and explicitly
told what was desired and their co-opera-
ton was asked. very strong sentiment
in favor of irrigation had been found. The
press had given valuable assistance to the
cause and the railroads have shown no
lack of interest in the work, many of the
officials of the railroads having given per-
sonal attention to the work in several
ways that had been productive of great
good
Surprising as it may seem to you of the
West" says the report, the East and the
South are waking up tc the necessity of
irrigation. even in their own sections. and
in many places are experimenting in irri-
CATION for the purpose of making surer and
larger crops which they know will al
ways increase the value of their land.
From this source we have been encouraged
Not the least interested in this work are
the water and land companies. emigrant
and provident associations. The latter,
working in conjunction with the former,
will one day solve the great national ques-
ton, what shall we do with the unem-
ployed which is answered by the utiliza-
tion of the vast lands by irrigation for
the colonization of these people
The committee recommended action upon
the following subjects in the form of bills
for presentation at Washington: Arid land
policy; interstate streams; international
streams: the reclamation of arid and semi
arid lands: restored lands; irrigation sur
veys and appropriations for irrigation.
A committee on resolutions was appoint
ed and one of the first documents present
ed to them was a set of resolutions stating
the unanimous voice of the California del
egation indorsing the Wright act and sug-
gesting some improvements in it.
O'Nefu. of Arizona, moved committee
of seven of the organization to the end
that the body take upon itself more than
an existence of three or four days in
year. As such committee Chairman f. r.
Moses of the national executive committee
appointed c. NJ. Heintz, W. o. O'Neill. J.
A. Fort. G. w. Watson, 1. G. Brainard and
c. G. Hudson.
F. H. Newell. chief of photographic sur
vey closed the programme with a paper
| on Irrigation in Humid America"
His Way of Telling Horses Age.
| A well know Portland man, who is the
owner of fine young horse. has a pet