The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1897-10-01
THE | ARID LAND QUESTION
Considered by the National
Irrigation Congress.
A GATHERING OF ENTHUSIASTS
Delegates From Thirteen States in At
tendance-Address of Chairman e.
r.. Moses-Its Sixth Meeting.


tendance-Address of Chairman e.
r.. Moses-Its Sixth Meeting.
Lincoln, Neb., Sept. 3O.-Aside from
the disappointment over slightly
smaller attendance from outside states
than was expected. the conditions for
the opening of the sixth national irri-
CATION congress were most auspicious.
Delegates from Is states were present
this morning. Irrigation topics were
discussed with animation by we'll
known authorities.
E. r. Moses, chairman of the nation
al executive committee, said in part:
''The. people of the United States
must know of their country in order to
judge intelligently of the wants and
needs of any part of it, and they must
have love of country go strong in their
hearts that they forget self, section,
birthplace and state in their great de-
sire to build up America, the land of
the free and the home of the brave.
When this is done there will be no
longer a Haunting of the bloody shirt
at every opportunity, and in every
spread-eagle speech no constant repeti-
tion of a solid South, 'grasping
East, 'frigid North, and wild and
woolly West The time has come
when this nation must ever be alert in
making due and ample preparation for
the comfort and happiness of her peo-
pie.
"The people living in this section
are happy, while many of the 2,000, 900
or more idle and homeless people in
the crowded cities of the East are look
ing for the time when these Western
lands are made available for settlement.
and humanitarians see
the great opportunity for solving one OF
the most vital and serious questions of
the times-the settling of the worthy
unemployed and homeless upon these
lands-whiie politicians and statesmen
realize the fact, if they do not carry 1t
into practice, that the safety and per-
petuitv of this government lies in hav-
ing homes for it's worthy homeless citi-
zens.
'.The. time has come to the minds of
all who fully know the conditions OF
the East and the West, that this coun-
try can no longer remain half settled
any moze than it could have remained
half free and half slave. Individual
and cooperative efforts have gone as
far as they can go. Uncle Sam owns
this unsettled land, and it has now
come to the parting of the ways; either
the government must open these lands
for settlement, or turn them over in fee
simple to the states and territories in
which they lie that they may open
them for settlement.
''The settlement of the West means
only that the products of the soil go
East for the products of the factory.
Settlement of the surplus population
in the West relieves the East of finan-
cial burden, which gives only tempor-
ary relief. The opening of the West
will not only give homes to the present
homeless, but to future thousands, in
stead of forcing them abroad, like Eng.
land, France and Germany do Their
homeless people for want Of territory.
If any bill is passed for the reclaim
alton of arid lands it must first be
drafted by this body of the people OF
the West. The last irrigation congress
passed upon bill-a very good one fo1
a starter-known as the public land
commission bill. 1t was introduced in
the house of representatives near the
close Of the session and awaits resur-
rection. 1t has some firm supporters
in both houses, and with proper efforts
on the part of this congress could be.
come law.
''More acres are under cultivation by
means of irrigation than ever before,
and perhaps more miles of irrigatine
bitches have been built in the last few
years than in all previous years.
Through these annual congresses an inn
petus has been given another line of in
dustry that has worked night and day
to perfect pumps and machines tosdraw
water from the bowels of the earth at
such a minimum cost as to make ii
profitable to irrigate in this way. The
ingenious mind has been set to work to
conserve the storm waters that run in
torrents to the sea. Even the East and
South have been awakened to the fact
that they can ditch, drain and employ
the water at proper times and receive
their results.
'Irrigationists are satisfied that con.
gress will have TO adopt the plan OF
preventing the overflow of large streams
by the storage of the waters near the
heads of such streams in such man
ner as to feed the streams at times of
low water and other times to be used
in irrigation, navigation and manufac-
turing industries; and in this way the
damage to life and property now caused
by overfows will be prevented and
large tracts ofsAarid lands can be re-
claimed by these waters and opened for
find it paying Investment if congress
would apply the appropriations annual
ly made to prevent foods. temporary
to the storage of the wa
tiers, as we'll as for the use of agricul-
ture and horticulture.
Following in the wake of irrigation
and closley allied to it is colonization.
The people of the West do not want
these lands made tillable unless they
can TEEN with life and are settled with
the best brain, and Drawn of the old and
the young, the rich and the poor, who
desire homes in this sunset land of
America"
The jubilee visit of the colonial pre-.
miers has led to the discovery that the
Prince of Wales pronounces premier as
in French, premi-ay.
Epworth League Anniversary.
Canton, ILL.,, Sept. 30.-The Epworth