The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-11-25

Chicago, Nov. 24.-Ihe ninth Nation
al Irrigation congress today decided to /
hold two congresses next year, the first /
at Colorado Springs, Colo, either just .
before or Just after the Trans Nissis- /
sippi congress at Cripple Greek, and the /
second at Buffalo in October, during /
the Pan-Ameriean exposition in that
city. Thomas F. Walsh of Colorado, |
the new president, made an address, in I
which he urged that the size of farms /
be reduced and that the workingmen
be given opportunity to obtain homes. /
The principal address of the evening
was made by W. H Dayton of the
United States geological survey, who
spoke on The Water Supply of the
Great Plains"
Congressman Newlands of Nevada
spoke on Possibilities of Irrigation,
and George H. Maxwell, executive
chairman of the National Irrigation
congress, talked Of Labor, Land and
Water"
The congress was late in coming to
order today. owing TO the DISCUSSIONS
in the committee on resolutions. While
waiting for the committee to report
, the convention listened to Colonel John
5. Cooper of Chicago, president of the
National Park association, who read an
| extensive paper on THE Proposed Ma
tiOnal Minnesota Park
Ask Congress to Act.
When Colonel Cooper had concluded
/ the committee on resolutions reported
/ the following;
I'VE hail with satisfaction that both
/ of the great political parties of the
/ nation in their platforms in the last
| campaign declared in favor of the re-
cfamatiOn of arid America, in order
/ that settlers might build homes on the
public domain. ana to that end we urge
/ upon congress that national appropria-
lions commensurate with the magni-
tude of the problem should be made for
: the preservation of the forest and-the
re-fOreStratiOn of the denudated area
I as natural storage reservoirs, and for
g the construction by the national gov
/ eminent as q part Of its policy of in
/ ternal storage reservoirs and other
works for flood projections and to save
for use in aid Of navigation and lTrl-
{ cation the waters which now run TO
! waste, and for the development of ar
tesian and sUbteTranean sources of wa
! ter supplies. The water Of all streams
/ should forever remain subject to the
/ public control and he right 10 the use
/ of water FOR irrigation should fnhere
/ in the land irrigated, and beneficial use
/ be the basis, the measure and the limit
( of the right.
we commend the efficient work of
( the various bureaus of the national
! government in the investigation of the
3
/ conditions relating to irrigation and in
promoting the adoption of more effect
i've laws, customs and methods OF n
rigated agriculture, and urge upon
congress the necessity of providing
liberal appropriations for this import
ant work
THE work of building the reservoirs
necessary TO store the floods should be
done directly by the government under
| existing statutes relating to the en-
Ts.T.e q n of r-faHaAF
and under laws that viii give to all
American citizens d fair and equal OPP
J portunfty to get, first, employment, and
/ then a home on the land
Cannon and Others Talk.
The afternoon session was devoted tc
addresses Those who spoke we're Ton
/ L. Cannon, secretary of the 81. LOUIS
; / Manufacturers association. Charles
Truax. Elliott Durand and 3. c. Chan
der. the latter three discussing the
/ industrial and Commercial import
! ance of Irrigation
l Mr. Cannon said in part:
THE reclamation of arid America il
a question of such importance as 10 o'
! paSsed by the minimizing or ap
preached with fear by the timid- We
might as well face a proposition fairly
as men and not evade any OF II
phases.
]
he spent in the irrigation of arid lands
of the United States. This sum at frs
glance seems a tremendous outlay upoI
what is considered an experiment 10
day, .ooo ~,
at 3 per cent means an increased tai
on the people of the United State
] amounting to 5000, 900 annually Thi
2 appears gigantic, and again vast per
centage of the people of the Unlte'
I States oppose any KIND OF increased
no state one side of a proposition
as a debt incurred by the nation AM
not to state the credits to set oppoSlt
that debt. is an Unthinking way, though
frequently adopted
, States owns the arid land of America
/ If that land was irrigated 1t would CIV
/ homes to $4,000 coo people, and II IN
/ enormous sum of $500, OOOUUO so spen
was never paid it would simply cos
! us not quite S33.53-10 year 10 CIV
f homes to our people
How Money Would Come Back
1.-THE average loss by floods, cause
{ / largely by the thaWing Of the snow
t J in the mountains HliIng the creeks an
< ( smaller rivers, then the larger river
to the gulf or the ocean, causes tn
i people of the United States to lose nor
q / than SIS. coo GOO a year.
The loss of deep water for tranSpOI
tation in the navigable streams of I'll
limited States. because Of the lack {
: wafer in the dry season, costs the pee
DIe OF the United States in freigf
rates through lack of competition moi
than $4,000, coo d year in excess
what those rates would be if We Ia
= water competition
.'Tt is unfair to claim that these ben,
= fits are local to the water courses an
that the tax is general. The san
* claim can be made by every improve
> ment in the United States the 1ocaIit
a received the benefit, the people in ger
eraI nav the cost. All federal intern.
ar improvements bear the exact relate
r to taxation that this improvemel
J. does.
, ..The land reclaimed and put into Gu
: fivation increases the productive Ct
+ Dacitv of the United States annual
n more than the entire cost of the col
struction OF the storage reservoirs f
10 irrigation purposes. The land reclaim,
through irrigation would produce al
70 nuaIly to the people of the Unit,
II States a profit equal to the interest
Z the entire amount Of $500. 000 900.
ssThe consumptive capacity Of tho
1T people thus given homes through irI