The record-union., 1896-12-16
Delegates Present From Twenty-six
States and Territories.
National Chairman Moses Delivers
an Address, Showing What the
Executive Committee Had Accom-
plished During the Past Year, and
Pointing Out the Legislation Nee
essary by Congress to Reclaim
the Waste Lands.

the Waste Lands.
PHOENIX (Ariz.), Dec. 15-The fifth |
annual irrigation congress was called |
to order at II o'clock this morning by !
National Chairman E. r. Moses of
Kansas
John E. Frost of Kansas was elected |
temporary Chairman, James H. Nc |
Clintock of Arizona temporary Secre- |
tary, and A. j. Kellogg of Colorado and
l. S. Hewlett of Washington Assistant |
Secretaries.
National Chairman Moses then ad- |
dressed the congress. He said the year
1896 had been one of disaster; that the
interests of irrigation had suffered to
considerable extent, and that the con-
vening of this congress at one time
seemed impracticable, but the commit
tee had worked arduously, and great
and representative body was the re-
suit. He believed the work of previous
congresses had been imperfect, and that
this one must do better. I'VE might
disagree as to politics and religion"
he said, 'but the people of arid America
must stand together in the great work
of irrigation.
lne WOTh ldlG tONfl bS lIlc EAttu-
tive Committee for 1896 had not been
fully accomplished, nor was it as sat
isfactory to the members as it would
have been if they had not been handi-
capped in many ways in its advance
ment. Nearly every Senator and Rep
resentative in Congress had been writ
ten and explicitly told what was de-
sired and their cooperation was asked.
4 in ia Of
irrigation had been found. The press
had given valuable assistance to the
cause and the railroads had shown no
lack of interest in the work, many Of
the officials Of the railroads having
given personal attention to the work
in several ways that had been produc-
tive of great good.
Surprising as it may seem to you
of the West the East and the South
are waking up to the necessity for irri-
CATION, even in their own sections. and
In many places experimenting IN irri-
cation for the purpose of making Surer
and larger crops, which they know will
always increase the value of their
lands From this source we have been
encouraged. Not the least Interested
in this work are the water and land /
companies, emigrant and provident as
sociatons. The latter, working in con-
junction with the former, will, one day,
solve the great national question What
Shall We Do With the Unemployed?'
which is answered by the utilization
of the vast waste lands by irrigation
for the colonization of these people.
THE congress should do something
besides making speeches. 1t should
legislate. pass a bill or bills, embodying
the issues it has for years been pre-
senting to the people. The country in
general was demanding something feas-
ible, practicable and tangible. They
could not at first expect or even think
what they did would be perfect Time
and experience would reveal the i'm
perfection and give ample time to pro-
tect them.
"A bill or bills creating a National
Irrigation Commission and National
Forestry Commission should be passed.
The duty of the Irrigation Commission
should be to look after irrigation in its
every shape and form in every State and
Territory, to take charge of all irrigation
works and property and report directly
to Congress or to the Interior or Agri-
cultural Department the progress of ir
rigation. and make such suggestions as
would be for its further advancement
until every irrigable arid acre is sub
dued and the unemployed and homeless
found peace and plenty upon them.
THE necessity of q Forestry Com
mission was as important to this coun-
try as the forests, for without the for
mer we would soon have none of the lat
ter Sooner or la er we would not feel
the loss in dollars and cents so much
as we would in the use in conserving
the waters for irrigation.
The committee recommended action
upon the following subjects In the form
OF bills for presentation TO Congress at
Washington: Arid land policy. inter
state streams, international streams,
the reclamation Of arid and semi-arid
lands. pastoral lands. irrigation surveys
and appropriations for irrigation.
After the address of welcome on be-
half of the city by Mayor ]. ID. Monihan
of Phoenix, Governor Il. j. Franklin of
Arizona, on behalf of the Territory.
spoke as follows:
Ladies' and Gentlemen of the Fifth
National Irrigation Congress; Arizona
extends TO you cordial and grateful
welcome / esteem ii great honor
40 have the privilege Of greeting such a
distinguished body. assembled from
many of the great Commonwealths of
the Union for the purpose or discussing
one Of the supreme questions that now
interests not only Arizona, but all the
arid West II is certainly appropriate
for this congress TO meet on TINS soii,
where thousands of years ago irriga-
tion began.
Professor Powell, a distinguished
authority, in one of his reports TO the
Secretary of the Interior says that the
first indications OF irrigation are TO be
found in the Territory Of Arizona; in
this beautiful city, that sits like jewel
crowned Queen encircled in coronet OF
flowers in the garden Of the most mag
nificent valley on the continent; that
more than three hundred years ago.
when Coronado was seeking the seven
cities of SiboIa, he discovered the Casa
Grande ruins. They seemed TO De as
much decayed then as now. and scien-
tinc researches show that long before
Abra ham fed his fiocks on the plains or
Judea, and long before our Great Mas