The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-19
TO MEET IN FL PASO
TEXAS TOWN GETS NEXT IRRIa-
 ATuoN CONGRESS.
Warm Fight Over Proposition to Re- peal Certain Laws Now on the Starute Books-a Comprom-
 ise Resolution,

Ogden, Utah. Sept. ls.-The eleventh National Irrigation Congress came to an end late this afternoon. It reelected Senator Clark of Montana, President, de- cidsd to hold the Congress of 1904 in Fl Paso and adopted a platform which re- quested Congress to make needed modi- fications of the existing land laws in or der that speculation and monopoly of public domain be prevented. Over the adoption or rejection of the clauses of the majority report requesting that Con- gress repeal the desert land act, the tin1- Der and stone act and the communication clause of the homestead act. occurred a debate of four hours duration.
 Although the closing session was sched- uled for this evening, not half of the work mapped out for consideration by the body had been disposed of. Today be- aides the reading of the most interesting papers before the Congress. those of the Government experts on forestry and irri- gation, there was scheduled the report of the Committee on Resolutions, and the fight sure to result over the adoption or rejection of the majority report, com ! hitting the body of irrigators for or against the national land laws. was ex- pected to be a protracted one.
 A large number of papers by the heads 1 of bureaus of the Agricultural Depart ment which were to have been heard yesterday, were on the program for this l morning, but on the suggestion of Chief Engineer Newell and the Government en- gineers only three of the addresses on the program were delivered in order to giv0 more time for discussion on the land | laws question.
 Lengthy speeches were cut of by a | time limit of five minutes put on nom- mating speeches. Boise, Idaho, St. Jo-
 
 | namde and seconded for the place of hold ing the next annual meeting. The roll was then called. The first ballot resulted: El Paso, 2O6; Boise, 1<7; St. Joseph, s. The Boise delegation moved to make the | selection of El Paso unanimous and 1t was carried with cheers.
 The Committee on Permanent Organi- zation then made it's report, recommend ing the selection of officers as follows:
 President, W. A. Clark. Montana; First Vce-President, L. W. Shurtliffe, Utah: Second Vice-President, W. c. Johnson, Denver; Third Vice-President. John Hall, Texas; Secretary. II. B. Maxon, Nevada, and the following Executive Committee men: Arizona, B. A. Fowler; California, c. B. Booth; Colorado, Gilbert McClurg; Idaho, E. B. Reeb; Illinois. E. O. Tap ping; Iowa, H. c. Wallace; Kansas, c. A. Schneider; Minnesota, Thomas; Mis- souri, J. W. Gregory; Montana, Herbert Strain: New Mexico. c. A. Richardson; North Dakota, D. F. Willard; Oregon. M. A. Wordy; Pennsylvania, J. A. Light ner; South Dakota, W. Stuart; Texas, J. A. Smith; Utah, Fred J. Keisel; Wash ington. O. A. Fletcher; Wisconsin, Clarke Capen; Wyoming. F. Chatteron
 The report of the Committee on Resolu- ttons was made special order for 2 o'clock and recess was taken.
 The majority report urged the immedi- af nd al aR kk~ act, the communication clause of the home- stead act, the timber and stone act and the lien land provision of the forest re- serve act, and the purchase or condemn ation of private lands within forest res- ervations It advocated the extension of the forest reserve act and that the forest work be concentrated in the hands of the bureau of forestry of the Agricultu- ral Department. The report urged the conservation of the fioodwaters of the Co., lumbia. Sacramento, Colorado, Rio Grande. Arkansas and Missouri Rivers and their tributaries. and the subsequent extension of the vast irrigatio nprojects
 It recommended the appointment of committee by the President to investi- gate and report such further amendments or extensions of the land laws as may promote the actual settlement and de- velopment of the public domain It fur ther declared that the Government should supplement its present policy of levee construction by comprehensive reser- voir system and favored the allotment of Indian land. In conclusion, 1t took positive stand against contract coolie labor in connection with the beet sugar industry and in favor of statehood for New Mexico, Arizona and Oklahoma
 The minority report struck out all ref erence in the majority report to the de- sert land act, timber and stone act and the communication clause of the home stead act. ;:
 A recommendation that Congress appro- priate $250,000 for a Lewis and Clark me- morial building at Portland. Ore, was also made. the repeal of the land law as provided by the minority report and was followed by Attorney General Donovan of Mon tana in favor of the majority report Congressman Mondell of Wyoming fol- lowed in the negative, and William E. Smith of Los Angeles in the affirmative John P. Irish, against the report and George H. Maxwell of Chicago in its favor, closed the debates.
 After a sharp informal debate Con gressman Needham of California, offered a substitute for both reports as follows
 Whereas, The timber and stone act | desert land law and the communication clause of the homestead act have, in | many instances, in their administrations | been found to result in speculation and | in monopoly of the public land to the | exclusion of actual home building, there- | fore be 1t
 Resolved, That we request the Con- gress of the United States to make such | notifications in said laws as will save settlers who will found homes and livt | upon said lands.'
 Amid much confusion the roll was call | ed and resulted in the adoption of the | Needham substitute by a vote of PIP to | 14S.
 Mrs. Gilbert McClurg of Colorado | Springs, offered a resolution favoring h. | dian corn as the national floral emblem | of America. Adopted.
 After the usual vote of thanks had been | passed, the convention adjourned and the | eleventh national irrigation congress