Arizona republican., 1896-12-18
CLOSE OF THE SESSION.
The Afternoon Devoted to Argument
 on the Carey Bill.

on the Carey Bill.
 The congress got down to business promptly after dinner. Arizona having failed to respond for the election of a national committeeman at the morn ing session, her delegates immediately upon reconvening announced that they had agreed upon the reelection of James H. McClintock. Commendatory speeches were made upon his efforts for the success of the congress.
 Buckley O'Neill was recognized by the chair and took the stage to present bill which he urged should be brought before the congress of the United States.
 MT. O'Neill said that the congress just closing had been prolific in wind, but had accomplished little on the water question: Some definite plan should be adopted for the reclamation of the arid lands through the assist ance of the government The ten dency of water in the west is constant diminution because of the denudation of the forests. There is less water in the west now than there was twenty years ago. There are two solutions to this question-private ownership and government assistance. Private cap- ital has been unable to cope with the question. There is no reason why the United States government should not extend the same assistance to the arid regions as it aoes to other sec tions. Last year $fsz 100000 had been granted for the improvement of rivers and harbors. If the government can build canals for commerce it can con- struct reservoirs and appropriate money for canals for agriculture Eighty per cent of the people of the country are engaged in agriculture. Destroy our agriculture and you de- stroy our commerce.
 MT. O'Neill's bill calls for the ad- vancement by the government of S1 900, ,000 annually to each arid state and territory for ten years, the same to be repaid by the sale of the lands, the deficit, if there should be any to be made up by levying a tax upon the land Each state, by the provisions of the bill, would administer it's own affairs. The land would be laid out in irrigation districts. and be under state or territorial rules, subject to the supervision of the general govern ment.
 The arid country is represented in congress by over sixty members and they could force a bill through con- gress if properly urged A million do11arc todou u,o,,1d doub1o +bo uo1,,o of the irrigation industries of the coun- try. This congress should not become the creature of resolutions that go to | Washington and are entombed in ! pigeon-holes.
 1 MT. O'Neill's bill was accepted by the convention.
 1 MT. Brainerd of Connecticut, who was elected national treasurer at the morning session, while he was absent resigned the office because he thought 1 his home was too remote from the auditing committee for practical anG prompt work. The convention accept ed MT. Brainerd's resignation, bu, didn't do much better, as to distance in the selection of Mr. Uttley of Provi dence, R. I.
 MT. Frost of Minneapolis reported for the committee on resolutions. Int resolutions embodied various recon mendations on the arid lands and for est questions, and the report wa. adopted. They extended thanks tt the citizens of the Salt River valle, for their unbounded hospitality, to tn, officers, to the Santa Fe, Prescott S
 Phoenix, Southern Pacific and Mari
 cOpa & Phoenix railroads for lov rates.
 A resolution on the Wright law re cited that in the practical operation o
 the law irregularities and hardship
 had arisen. These, the resolution
 suggested, could be avoided by tn creation of state board of control t,
 correct abuses. The resolution il
 brief recommended that the Wrigh
 law be properly modified by resolu
 tions.
 The Butte reservoir resolution intro
 duced by Charles D. Reppy of Flor
 ence was also accepted. Prolonge,
 and vigorous discussion arose over tn
 resolutions on the cession of the ari
 lands and the Carey act. Sectionalisn
 on the irrigation question came to tn surface and whole reservoirs of bent up eloquence overflowed and sprea the contagion of argument all over tn
 hall. Marcus A. Smith started the en thusiasm in an eloquent speech He said he was unequivocall opposed to the Carey act. l
 was a direct break in the progres of the irrigation movement. The onl
 way in which these arid lands wi
 ever be developed will be by the giv ing to states and territories fe : simple If the states can't develo them the federal government neve will. MT. Smith said he spoke wit
 a knOMledge of Ariznna h,4 l.