The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1906-09-07
Delegates Own Boise City
Homes of City Thrown Open that Wis
itors may be Accommodated

Boise City, Sept. 5.-Boise, the
center of one of the greatest irrigation
districts in the world, situated as it
is in the heart of the justly celebrated
Snake river valley, is crowded with
delegates who come to attend the 14th
National Irrigation Congress. Promi-
nent men from every part of the Unit
ed States are here to take part iu the
proceedings of the congress. In fact
every one of any consequence what
ever in the work of irrigation (in-
cluding Tom Richardson and Vice
President Fairbanks) is here, except
Wood.
His absence, of course, was noted at
once when the proceedings of organiz-
alton took place Monday forenoon. To
smooth over the balled up condition in
which the convention found itself the
Press man explained to the deigni6ed
chairman and the illustrious conven-
tion body that the Colonel was un-
avoidably detained at his Gardena
ranch, where he was harvesting his
potato crop. The explanation was re-
ceived with applause and tabled. At
least, that is the supposition. Any
way the organization of the conven-
tion proceeded and has been running
all right since.
There are hundreds of delegates
here. The city is crowded, the hotels
and lodging houses are inadequate to
handle the visitors, but the committee
having the arrangements in charge
have been ASST sted by the citizens,
who have thrown open their homes
in that true western spirit of hospit-
ality which is so pronounced that it
attracts open comment from the East
erner.
Everything is irrigation here. You
hear it talked in the convent IN; you
hear it in the hotel lobby, on the
streets and in the home. You smell
it in the bitches that run on both sides
of every street in the town. The Cali
fornian who came here in his special
car, tells how it is done in the Golden
Gate state, aud the fellow from New
Mexico can be seen "irrigating'' with
the Texan, who wears a badge sur
mounted with miniature straw hat.
The Californians are the most pro-
miscuous of any delegation attending
the convention. Their badge, which
is yellow ribbon, should have on it
an emblamatic AK with a dull edge,
for they surely have one to grind.
They are out after the next annual
irrigation congress. They want it
next year at Sacramento, and as they
are good mixers" the way the wind
now blows they will get the plum.
They have already won over many
members of other delegations, Oregon
in praticular, and the orange and the
green is seen on the coat laples of no
small number.
Umatilla county is represented by
over twenty delegates and has the dis
tinction of having a congressman, a
supreme judge, a representative and
an ex-governor on its list of delegates.
At the afternoon session today Hon.
Stephen A. Lowell of Pendleton, read
paper taking for his subject
Social Phases of Irrigation Move
ment. y Mr.. Lowell is we'll known in
Boise as an orator, and that he was on
the program was sufficient to bring
out large audience. His hundreds
Of linsteners were interested and de-
lighted with his subject so masterfnl-
ly delivered.
Oregon's delegation as whole,
ranks we'll up in front, both in point
Of numbers aud having in its enroll
ment men of prominence. Governor
Chamberlain, of course, heads the
delegation, and at the opening exer-
cises in his speech in response to sever
al addresses of welcome, the applause
given Oregon's popular governor was
second only to that given Vice-Presi-
dent Fairbanks.
Walla Walla has the largest delega-
ton of Washington, With large