Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-04-19
TRANS-NISSISSIPPI CONGRESS.
It Favors Statehood for the Territories
Permanent Organization,

It Favors Statehood for the Territories
Permanent ORGANIZATION.
Houston, Tex, April 19.-The commit
tee on permanent organization reported
the following nominations for officers
President, John A. C. Pitkin, New Or.
leans; first vice president, Walter
Gresham, Galveston; second vice presi
dent, l.. B. Prince, Santa Fe, N. M.
third vice president, S. o. Brooks, st
Paul; fourth vice president, George @
Cannon, Salt Lake. The report was
adopted and the officers declared elect.
ed. The selection of a secretary was left
to the delegation from the state which
secures the next congress.
The committee on resolution reported
favorably:
l. On the development Of trained
consular service.
| 2. Relating to the admission of the
existing territories as states.
8. Relating to pure food.
4. Favoring the establishment Of q
national department Of mines and min.
ing.
s. Favoring the establishment of a
department Of commerce and industry
Col. John B. Weber. g. Buffalo. N. Y,
the commissioner general Of the pan
American exposition. to be held in that
city, spoke about that enterprise.
The Hon. Charles A. Prouty, of the
Interstate commerce commission, spoke
about freight rates.
Mr.. e. B. Perkins, OF Dallas. Tex.
spoke about Statehood and the Re-
sponsibilities of Citizenship
Mr.. j. M. Lowe, Of Kansas, spoke
| about the Nicaragua canal.
NEW RESOLUTIONS.
Houston, Tex, April BIN the trans
| Mississippi congress number of new
resolutions were introduced. George J.
Cannon, of Utah, delivered brief ad-
dress on beet sugar. w. M. Springer
read an address. The committee on res
olutions reported the following addi-
tional resolutions: For a law prohibit
ing adulteration Of food; favoring i'm
provement of the Galveston harbor; of
the Brazos river; of the extension Of the
system of jetties at the mouths of the
mississippi favoring the establishment
Of deep water at Houston; favoring the
building of the Pacific cable; congress
sional assistance of the schools of
mines; favoring an appropriation for
the st. Louis exposition, and for schools
and asylums for the Indian Territory.
All sections were adopted.
Dr. G. H. Tichenor, of Louisiana,
spoke about waterways.
POPULATING THE GREAT WEST.
Mr.. Tom L. Cannon, OF Missouri.
spoke about "Populating the Great
West" saying in part:
"In the arid regions of the west, be-
tween the Mississippi river and the Pa
cific coast, there are millions Of acres
of land not producing a penny Of in
come. The soil there will not yield q
crop. 1t is arid land, valueless even for
grazing purposes. II that land were
Ihduc III " CULTIVATE ~ WouiO duu "
the wealth Of the United States an en-
pire as great as that added by Thomas
Jefferson in the purchase Of the Louisi-
ana territory.
"All that is needed to reclaim arid
America Is water. There Is an abun-
dance Of water close at hand. The
great mountains are full of snow and
it melts and flows to waste. If that wa
ter was utilized in proper reservoirs
constructed and operated by the federal
government, arid America would add
at least one-fourth to the present pro-
ductive value of the trans Mississippi
states. 1t is more valuable to the sister
hood of states than all Of the acquired
territory in our island possessions.
"If the water that goes to waste in
the mountains of the arid regions were
stored and controlled it would save to
the federal government each year, by
preventing floods in the overfowed
lands along the Mississippi river. more
than the cost of construction and oper-
alton Of reservoirs. 1t would not take
as much for the federal government to
construct all the needed reservoirs as 1t
has up to date to onduct the war with
Spain and the war with the Philip
pines. It would not cost as much to op-
crate the reservoirs necessary as 1t will
to maintain an army to keep order In
our island possessions.
"If arid America we're made humid
the crops produced would give to the
federal government revenue in the
way of increased taxation; millions Of
people would be employed; millions OF
homes be established; and the richest
country ever known to the world Of
commerce would be developed.
"If the steps were taken for the con-
struction of storage reservoirs by the
federal government for the reclamation
of arid America. the next fifty years
would show ratio of increase in popu.
lation far greater in this section thar
during the past fifty years.
II believe 1t to be. the duty of every
man who is interested in populating the
western half Of this hemisphere a:
densely as the eastern half is populated
to aid in the reclamation Of arid Amer.
lea through irrigation by means of fed.
eral storage reservoirs, to reclaim thu
arid land and to protect the overflowet
lands nearer the gulf"
The City Council
The city council met last night will
all members present except the mayor
and Alderman Akers. Solomon Spiegel