The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-08-24
RANK FAILURE OF
THE CONVENTION
Little Interest Taken by Delegates
to Irrigation Congress.
SECTIONAL PLAN UNWISE
EVEN GOVERNMENT SHARPS
DISCOURAGED.

tIOht I<ANDi Gre, aug "a. nat lAAN
plan of holding the deliberations
of the National Irrigation congress
in sections. initiated at the instance of
Secretary OF Agriculture Wilson, is
failure. seems 10 be the consensus of
opinion among the delegates to the con-
gress which is now in session in Port
land. and in this view some of the gov
eminent officials who have come here
to address the sections. coincide
Few Delegates Attend.
notwithstanding that there are in
Portland about 1900 accredited dele
Gates TO the congress. not more than
fifty or seventy-fiVe all tOlo have At
tended the sectional meetings either
yesterday or today.
The work of the congress Il being
done by the resolutions committee and
the only interest that has been eX-
cited since the general session on the
opening day is over the arguments
which have taken place during us
meetings. This committee has been at
tended by about fifty more delegates.
and the 1000 others are spending their
time IN viewing the fair or visiting
different points of interest about the
city.
Pronounced Failure
Answering a question Of the repre-
sentative of the Associated Press as 70
what he thought OF the Dlau. former
Governor L. b. Prince of New Mexico
chry staIlized the sentiment which pre-
walls by saying:
Think about it; it requires no
thought: it speaks for itself; it is
failure
Another prominent delegate said:
The congresses at FL PasO and Port
land have both been fizzles- But what
can we do, We cannot afford to an
for without its support We cannot exist,
and II the present arrangement con-
tinues, I don's believe We will be able
to exist much longer with IT,"
Little or No Interest.
Interesting papers were read in the
different sections before groups run
ming from five to twenty-five; but with
such sparse attendance, il is hard for
the speakers to do themselves justice
and discussion is at minimum
The resolutions committee whose ses-
sions have been marked by mUcn
stormy talk. held three sessions today
Two hours and half were consumed
at the morning session III acrimonious
disputes as to the merits OF a TeSOlu-
ton which tended to do away with an
alleged confusion in the minds OF
eastern people. who are il is stated.
unaware that the National Irrigation
congress and National Irriga ton as
ations Before the resolution was
adopted the debate at times grew eX-
ceedingly heated and a one period II
resolved itself into a personal attack
upon some Of the officials of the irri-
CATION association
Few Resolutions.
But few resolutions have been
adopted in committee so far the princi-
pal ones being the endorsement OF
separate statehood for Oklahoma. New
Mexico and Arizona and one which de-
clares that the government should not
interfere with or prevent private en-
terprise from constructing reservoirs
for reclamation purposes on the Rio
Grande river in New Mexico and Colo
RADIO above FL Paso.
The committee on nomina tIons named
the following officers for the ensuing
=raa-:
Governor George &. Pardee. Of Cali
fornia, GncumbenD. president. /, w
Shurtliff, of Utah first vice Dre.si lent.
Congressman ]. H. Stevens. - Texas
second vice president; f. L. Smith ON
cumbent), of Oregon, third vice prrsi-
dent; H b MaXOn. Of Nevada. secre-
tarv-
The committee did not consiIer lie
subject of the next meeting place. 'e..v-
ing that to be fought out on tf,e floor
of the convention tomorrow. The rival
candidates for the distinctions are Den
Yer. Colo, and Boise Ida.