Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-08-21

CONGRESS
The National Meeting Formally
Opened at Portland, Oregon,
This Morning
MUCH INTERESTSH0WN
Delegates From All Over the Cot airy
in Attendance. 10 Discuss Mat.
ters of Moment to West.

Portland, Oregon, Aug. 21.-With
delegates present from all of the west
ern and many eastern states as well.
and representing practically every
commercial organization in the great
territory included in the semi-arid and
arid region of the country, and the
state and municipal governments, the
18th annual session of the National r.
rigation Congress was formally opened
mere today. Delegates began to arrive
yesterday, and this morning Governor
Pardee, the president. and his col
leagues of the executive committee
have been busy with the preliminary
arrangements. Seen about the corri-
dors of the Lewis and Clark exposi-
tion auditorium, where the sessions
are being held, were many prominent
and influential men of Utah, Colorado,
Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma,
Arizona, Washington, Idaho, Montana
and other western states and terri
tories Among today's arrivals there
were also distinguished delegations
from Canada and Mexico, representing
their respective governments.
The sessions of the present congress
will continue until Friday, and during
that time much important action is
expected to be taken looking toward
the reclamation of the vast unsettled
territory of the west that but awaits
the touch of water to blossom as the
rose.
Not since the beginning of the move
ment looking toward government aid
in vast scheme of irrigating the arid
west has so much interest been TAX
en- in the meetings of the irrigation
congress and during the four days
session irrigation and its kindred sub
jects, forestry and colonization. will
not only be discussed but practical IL
lustrations of what irrigation is doing
for the west will be given. Among the
speakers will be United States sena-
tors and governors of half dozen
states, government experts in forestry
and irrigation and representatives OF
many commercial organizations and
colonization movements.
The work of the congress has been
so enlarged through the greatly in
creased interest in irrigation that the.
executive committee has decided to
systematic the work by dividing 1t
into five sections. Each section is to
be conducted by a chairman, who is
a recognized authority in his special
line. which insures thorough exposi-
tion of the respective subjects through
the presentation of papers, addresses
and discussion by the most eminent
men interested in forestry, irrigation,
climatology and their correlated sub
jects.
Delegates continue to pour into the
city, every train arriving this morning
bringing in hundreds interested in the
work of the congress. The program
for the day provides for addresses OF
welcome by Governor Chamberlain of
Oregon and President Goode of the
Lewis and Clark exposition.
First Session Called to Order.
Portland, Ore, Aug. 21.-The thir-
teenth annual meeting of the Nation
al Irrigation Congress, with more
than 1000 delegates present represent
ing more than four-fifths of the
states of the Union, assembled today
in the Lewis and Clark auditorium
Governor Pardee, of California, pres
dent of the Congress, called the con-
vention to order Governor Chamber
lain welcomed the delegates to Ore
gon He criticised severely the exist
ing irrigation laws which he believed
to be lacking especially in comforting
sufficient power to condemn private
property Mayor Harry Lane of Port
land, extended a cordial welcome in
haha1f Of tha CITY