The San Francisco call., 1904-11-17
GREETING FROM
WHITE HOUSE
Irrigation Congress Hears
From Roosevelt , on the
Questions Before Them
WORK OF WIDE RANGE
Senator Newlands and Par
dee Spoken OF for the Next
Head of the Organization

Ell PASO, Tex, Nov. 1.-THE Ma
tional Irrigation Congress was to-day
divided into five sections and each
section met in a different hall They
will gather again tomorrow in general
session and report results of their work
and any conclusions arrived at
The executive committee in accord
ance with the instructions given last
year, day reported number of sug-
gested amendments to the constitution,
but none of them is of material i'm
portance.
A paper on the subject of Rural Set
Elements" by Commander Booth Tuck
er was presented to the congress.
Aside from the technical information
brought out at the convention to-day,
it was devoid of unusual interest. The
Mexican delegates are enthusiastic over
the prospect of being officially recog-
nized by the convention. 1t is under
stood that they will return to organize
a congress for Mexico but they want
affiliation with this congress also.
Among the resolutions introduced and
referred was one asking that congress
include Texas in the list of States that
may benefit from the national funds;
one urging legislation appropriating
funds for the creation of additional
forest reserves and another repeating
and emphasizing the resolutions of pre-
vious congresses in favor of consolidat-
ing all Government forestry work in
the Department of Agriculture.
PRESIDENTS GREETINGS.
The following letter from President
Roosevelt was read and aroused much
enthusiasm:
WASHINGTON. D. c., Nov. 10. 1904
To the National Irrigation Congress: 1t is
as President OF the United States and as a
man who has lived in the West ana Is eager
for its prosperity Whatever any man Ir DOIy =,
of men may believe as to any question III
political controversy, we may unite IN the
great duty of international Improvement me
duty of making every foot OF SOL, every
stream and every other resource of natural
or human origin contribute TO the very ut-
NEST to the permanent prosperity of our coun-
try / congratulate YOU because you are no
longer striving for what once seeiheu q us
tant hope: you are longer engaged In
campaign OF education for the passage OF
reclamation act On the contrary. your hrst
great object is achieved You have yer 10
being done under that act by the reclamation
service. 20 consider means to give II us
largest and widest results and 10 discuss tns
broad problems Of irrigation methods ana
practices. ,,,.. go,
IL was through your sl4oIts Gnu nIpii IiAS 80
that the people OF the United States as a ma
tion undertook 10 attack the desert and TO DO
away with it, not only 80 far as there is
water now for that purpose but TO the fuhest
extent for which water may be developed
hereafter. Such attack can be successful
only when based accurate knowledge When
the reclamation act was passed the essential
facts as TO stream flow had been ascertained
in many parts of the United States. and the
scientific basis for a national reclamation
which otherwise would have taken years TO
accumulate, was already in a large part at
hand The fact that much progress has
already been made in the reclamation service
is a striking example of the advantage of sci
entific investigation by the general Govern
ment II may be true that. TO the man
whose interest is limited by immediate re-
suits the admirable work OF the reclamation
service at times seems slow, but we are
building for great future, and II Is far
more important that the works built should
be permanent and successful than that they
should be completed in haste. There will be
unwise hurry: neither viii there be any
unnecessary delay.