The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-09-08
NATIONAL congress In SESSION
AT BOISE, idaho.
s,eech of Vice President Fair
banks and Letter From Presi-
dent Roosevelt the Features of
the Opening Day-Magnificent
Exhibition of Products.

the National lrTlSdJlOu CONGRESS-, WHICH
conveued here for its fourteenth an.
unal session. The convention re-
ceiyed letter of greeting from Presi-
dent Roosevelt, which provoked hearty
applause and later by resolution of the
congress and expression of thanks was
autographed to the president at Wash
ington.
A feature of the congress is a magnifi-
cent exhibition of fruits, honey and
PRODUCTS of the garden and field, all
grown under irrigation. Idaho has the
finest exhibit, but Utah also makes
splendid showing.
Speech Of Fairbanks
The address of Vice President Fair
banks was fraught with encouragement
for the irrigationists, and that the
GOOD wishes which he expressed were
fully appreciated was evidenced by
he hearty applause which greeted his
speech He said in part:
at is impossible to exaggerate the
importance of the work in which you
are engaged. 1t is fraught with far
reaching interest, not only to the pres
ent but to the future.
"The growth of irrigation thus far
is largely due to individual and corpo-
rate enterprise. 1t has been carried
on by our people for many years in a
more or less satisfactory way, but it
has not been until recently the subject
of national consideration.
"No one can appreciate the magni-
tude and the possibilities of the re-
clamation service in which the ma
tional government is engaged and
which you are met to encourage, who
has not looked upon what irrigation
has already accomplished.
Praises Existing Law
1.-THE existing irrigation law was
put upon the statute books in 1902.
The law is founded upon an entirely
rational and defensible theory. 1t is
entirely just and equitable. None
better has been enacted by the con-
gress of the United States in recent
years.
1T provides substantially that the
money arising from the sale of public
lands shall be set apart in a special
fund, to be used exclusively for ir-
rigation purposes"
Vice President Fairbanks then re-
viewed the various projects that have
been undertaken by the government,
stating that the projects already con-
templated and authorized would bring
under cultivation a total area of at
least 8, 200, 600 acrves, and this would
undoubtedly be largely augmented by
other projects.
President Roosevelt in his letter
dwelt particularly on the questions yet
to be solved. He said in part, after
reviewing work already accomplished
and under way:
1--WE may we'll congratulate oursel-
YES upon the rapid progress already
made and rejoice that the infancy Of
the work has been safely past. But
We must not forget that there are
dangers and difficulties still ahead, and
that only unbroken vigilance eficien-
cy, integrity and good sense will suffice
to prevent disaster.
There is now no question as to
where the work shall be done, how it
shall be done, or the precise way in
which the expenditures shall be made.
All that is settled. There remains,
however the critical question of how
best to utilize the reclaimed lands by
putting them into the hands of actual
cultivators and home-makers, who will
return the original outlay in annual
lnstallments, paid back into the re-
elamation fund; the question of See
Ing that the lands are used for homes,
and not for purposes of speculation or
Tor the building up of large fortunes.
No Simple Question
This question is by no means SIM
PIE. 1t is easy to make plans and
spend money. During the time when
the government is making a great in
'estment like this the men in charge
are praised and the rapid progress is
commended. But when the time
zones for the government to demand
VT. .tne refund of the Investment under
'ne terms of the law, then the law it
sell will be put to the test and the
qusilty of its administration will APP
Pear
The pressing danger just now
spilhgs from the desire Of nearly
very man to get and hold as much
:; ;ano as he can. whether he can handle
pfohtably or not. and whether or
w IL will be for the interest Of the
community that he should have it.
. with an adequate supply Of water,
~ arm of five acres in some parts OF
n ,ue arid West. or of forty acres else
f hnere, Is as large as may be SUCCESS
thy thy titled by one family. When,
aora man attempts to hold 100
a ao,es OF land, completely irrigated by
otbel work, he is preventing
oo. from acquiring a home and Is
o ot keeping down the population
tbo speculation in lands reclaimed by
WIS ssoVernment must be checked at
cla CLEVER cost. The object of the re-
"allOn act ia not to maize monov