The Elbert County tribune., 1906-09-06
BOISE CONGRESS-
NATIONAL GATHERING IN INTER
EST OF IRRIGATION.
PRESIDENTS LETTER READ
Recounts Operations Under the Re-
cIamation Act-Wouid Save Land
for the People-Necessity of Pre-
venting Speculation.

| cIamation Act-Wouid Save Land
for the Peopie-Necessity of Pre-
venting Speculation.
| Boise. Idaho.-The meeting of the
Irrigation congress is pronounced by
| far the most successful ever held in
| the history of the organization. There
are between 500 and 600 delegates
Idaho contributed probably as many
more.
States represented besides Idaho
| are: Washington, Oregon, California,
| New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Nevada,
| Utah, Colorado. Wyoming, Montana,
| North Dakota, South Dakota, Mime
| sofa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Virginia. Kan
| sas, Nebraska and District of Colum-
bia.
The congress received a letter of
| greeting from President Roosevelt
which provoked hearty applause, and
later by resolution of the congress an
| expression of thanks was telegraphed
to the President.
Vice President Fairbanks address
| was fraught with encouragement for
| the irrgationists and the good wishes
|
| The delegates were welcomed by
Mayor James Pinney of Boise, Gov.
Frank r. Gooding and Senator Du-
| Bois. Speeches in response were de-
| livered by United States Senator
Thomas H. Carter of Montana, Gov.
George E. Chamberlain of Ore
gon, and Cyrus Happy of Spokane,
| Washington.
The Presidents letter to the CON
gress was as follows:
| Operations under the reclamation
| act which / signed on June II, 1902,
| have been carried on energetically dur
ing the four years since that date.
The reclamation service, consisting of
over 400 skilled engineers and experts
in various lines, has been organized.
and it is now handling the work with
| rapidity and effectiveness. Construc-
ton is already well advanced on twen-
| ty-three great enterprises in the arid
| states and territories. Over 100000
acres of land have been laid out for ir-
| riSation. and of this 100000 acres are
now under ditch; 500 miles of canals
| and bitches and 10000 feet of tunnel
have been completed; and 16,000,000
| cubic yards of earth and 100000
| cubic yards of rock have been moved.
| Detailed topographic surveys have
| been extended over 10000 square miles
of country within which the reclama-
ton work is located, and 10000 miles
| of level lines have been run. Three
hundred buildings, including Offices
and sleeping quarters for workmen.
ha - been erected by the reclamation
\ service, and about an equal number by
tne contractors. over 10000 men and
| about 5000 horses are at present en-
| ployed.
Eve may well congratulate ourselves
upon the rapid progress already made,
and rejoice that the infancy OF the
work has been safely passed. But we
must not forget that there are dangers
and difficulties still ahead, and that
| only unbroken vigilance, efficiency, in
| tegrity and good sense will suffice to
| prevent disaster There is now no
| question as to where the work shall be
Gone. how it shall be done, or the pre-
else way in which the expenditures
shall be made. All that is settled.
There remains, however, the critical
| question of how best to utilize the re-
| claimed lands by putting them into the
hands of actual cultivators and home
makers, who will return the original
| outlay in annual installments paid back
] into the reclamation fund; the ques-
| tion of seeing that the lands are used
| for homes, and not for purposes of
| speculation or for the building up of
| large fortunes.
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
| vestment like this, the men in charge
are praised and the rapid progress is
| commended. But when the time comes
| for the government to denNnd the re-
| fund of the investment under the terms
| of the law, then the law itself will be
| put to the test and the quality of its
administration will appear.
| "The pressing danger Just now
| springs from the desire of nearly every
man to Get hold of ss mech land as he
can, whether he can handle it profit
| ably or not, and whether or not it is for
| the interest of the community that he
| should have it. The prosperity of the
present irrigated areas comes from the
| subdivision of the land and the conse-
\ quent extensive cultivation. With an
| adequate supply of water, farm of
| five acres in some parts of the arid
| West, or of forty acres elsewhere, is
as large as may be successfully titled
| by one family. When. therefore,
| man attempts to hold 100 acres of land
completely irrigated by government
| work, he is preventing others from ac-
| quiring a home, and is actually keep
| ing down the population of the state.
Speculation in lands reclaimed by
| the government must be checked at
whatever cost. The object of the rec
lamation act is not to make money, but
| to make homes. Therefore, the re-
| quirements of the reclamation act that
| the size of the farm unit shall be linn
| tied in each region to the area which
| will comfortable support one family
must be enforced in letter and in
| spirit"