The San Francisco call., 1898-09-03
GOOD WORK NOW UNDER WAY
SECRETARIES BLISS AND WILL
 SON ARE IN ACCORD.
Senator Warren Says That Much Aid May Be Received From Con- gress in the
 Future.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

CHEYENNE Wyo., Sept. 2.-At the session of the Irrigation Congress to- day Senator F. E. Warren spoke upon what the congress is doing in aid of irrigation. Senator Warren confessed at the start that the discussion of what the congress had not done in aid of ir- rigation offered much wider field than that confined to what had been done.
 The desert land law was the first evil dence of Congressional interest in re- clamation of arid lands by irrigation. This act was followed by repressiv1 legislation, but during the past five years a marked change had occurred. The Carey act was an evidence of this change, but this act had been altered by subsequent legislation.
 However, there was a hopeful side shown by the spirit and temper of the last Congress. The upper house had given much time to debate in favor of national construction of reservoirs and the larger canals. Senator Warren said the time for investigation was past The field was now ready for actual work and liberal appropriations to per feet this work must be secured. The progress made in preserving the forests was step ahead and the Department of Agriculture with a Western man at the head had made a good beginning. Senator Warren believed the Govern ment should water the lands.
 Hon. E. F. Best of the Interior De- partment then read a paper upon '"The National Forest Reserves and the Re- lationShip of Forestry and Irrigation" ," Judge Best said the whole heart of the Secretary of the Interior was in this problem of preserving the forests. He said the preservation of the water sup ply was the most important factor in the problem. This was, in many in stances, the sole motive for the estab- lishment of reservations. Judge Best spoke of the intimate relations between the forest and the flowing stream. the latter always being at the maximum when the former was undisturbed.
 A very earnest debate followed, dur ing which President Carey spoke in high terms of the work of Secretary Bliss as the head of the Interior De- partment.
 State Engineer Mead of Wyoming, in an able address. spoke on "The Obsta- cles to Settlement inS the Arid Region and the Best Means of Overcoming Them" and Judge Emery of Kansas led the discussion on the topic, "The Storage of Water" obstacles to Set clement in the Arid Region" was ably handled by J. A. Johnston, Superintend- ent of Water Division No. 1 in Wyom- ing.
 Tn the debate upon this topic MT. Mead graphically portrayed the obsta- cles to settlement as experience had shown them Capital was needed to make settlement by the poor man pos sible and he believed that an easy way to get 1t was to cede the grazing lands to the State and let them lease them. thus securing S4,000,000 a year to pro- mote irrigation. Mir Maitland of Utah also spoke upon this topic, remarking that the congress was losing sight of the purpose for which 1t waSorganized, viz: the disposition of the arid lands.
 At o'clock the congress selected Montana as the State in which to hold the next annual meeting. The city will be selected by the executive committee hereafter Adjournment was then had until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.
 The following were made members of the executive committee of lne congress for the ensuing year: H. L. Kellogg, Colorado; S. M. Knox. illinois; J. H. Churchill. Kansas; R. W.. Sylvester, Maryland; Thomas Knight. Missouri: J. D. O'Donnell. Montana; M. M. Mo- Cutcheon, Michigan; T. c. Frost, Mime sota; M. Dougherty,- Nebraska; H. B.. kota H. McClintock. Arizona; Judge GhIIrtIiff