The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1906-10-20
DISCUSS MINING
OF INTERNATIONAL
MINING CONGRESS.
FIRST DAYS PROCEEDINGS
Governor and Mayor Welcome Dell
gates to Colorado and Oenver-Ao-
dress Of President Richarde-Read-
ina Of Papers.

Tuesday was an active day with the
delegates OF the American Mining
Congress now holding session in Den
YER. While not as well attended as ex-
pected. the quality of the attendance
| is beyond cavil. Great men, masters
Of the mining profession, with great
ideas for the government and welfare
of the people, are found among the
dele gates. II is convention repre-
senting untold millions of wealth
turned fresh from the virgin soil; 1t
is a convention that will aid in bring
| ing forth still more millions.
The congress met Tuesday morning
at the Broadway theater. After the
rap of the gavel which opened the
meeting Rev. Father William Organ
delivered the invocation. President
Richards then introduced Gov. Jesse
F. Mcdonald
1T was with more than usual pleas
ure that | find myself called upon to
welcome this gathering to our state"
| said the governor at the beginning Of
/ his address. for mining is the only
business which pretend to know any
thing about. Colorado being pre-emi-
nentlv n mining state. l can assure
you that you have her hesrtiest wei
come to this gathering and her best
wishes for the successful carrying out
| OF whatever measures this body
| aa opts."
The governor went on to cite a
| ndmber OF reasons why he considered
Denver the only place for the head
quarters of the American Mining Con
gress and the proper site for the pro
posed mining temple. He followed TINS
! with few concise figures on Colo
| y,ipnral MI and closed with
reiteration of his original assertion
that Colorado stands ready to back the
Mining Congress in all its actions and
takes the greatest pleasure In Its
present opportunity to play host to
the men who compose that body.
Mayor Robert NJ. Speer, speaking
In behalf Of the city, said in part:
cit Is hardly necessary for me to ex-
| tend a welcome to this body in the
name of the city of Denver. The foun-
| dations of the city itself were laid by
| the fifty miners who came here In
! search of gold. and from that time to
| this great portion of Denver's wealth
and much of its prosperous growth has
been due TO the golden streams poured
| in here from the surrounding hills.
"Thercfore, this body of mining mer
| is as welcome to this city as any
father or mother to the home of low
| ing child"
President Richards. who responded
| to the welcoming addresses in behalf
| OF the Mining Congress. said:
| Il am grateful to Governor McDon-
| aid and Mayor Speer for the welcome
to the paternal home of the American
Mining Congress. which they have just
| extended" he began. This organiza-
ton was founded many years ago, and
| after wandering in many far countries
| like the prodigal son, and | fear spend
| ing some of its time in riotous living,
| 1t has at last returned to the paterna1
| home and been made welcome.
"'That there is no occasion for the
killing of the fatted calf or the break.
ing of the cask of wine, | am well
| aware, and | am not surprised at the
small repre- sentatiOn OF Denver Citl-
zens which is here this morning. Up
| to date | feel that this congress has
not yet demonstrated its value to the
| community which gave it birth. and
until it does so we can expect no out.
| pouring of citizens to attend its meet
| ings 1t is my sincere hope, however,
| that by the next time the congress
| meets here Denver viii have felt the
effects Of the work which we have in
hand and will turn out to greet us at
| our opening session"
On a very high plane of thought
President Richards continued his ad
| dress, taking the position that the
greatest value of states precious
metals, and the wealth it produced was
in the great men and women that such
prosperity developed. "Colorado's best
| asset is the characters its material
wealth has produced" said he, "and
the lasting good of its mineral deposits
is in the great men and worien whom
those minerals bring to the front"
After calling atte ntion to the fact
that COlorados future agrit - ural re-
sources might, under the dry farming
system, become her securest bulwark
in case of another hour of trial, PresI-
dent Richards closed his re marks with
an endorsement of Denver as the To-
cation for the Mining tenn le, and then
introduced Gov. George G. Pardee of
California.
Governor Pardee opened his five-min-
ute response by drawing a comparison
between California and Colorado.
"California was founded by the forty
Miners" said he, "and Colorado by the
fifty-niners. Our state has now out
grown its golden stage of develop
ment and has an almost limitless va.
riety of resources. Colorado is enter.
ing on the same process of develop
ment. Soon by irrigation and scientific
soil culture the arid regions in this
state will change from a desert to a
garden, and the mines which brought
the state its population will no longer
have to support it."
During the afternoon session numer-
Gus interesting and instructive papers
were read.
John Dern of Salt Lake City read a
concise paper on Mining and Mineral
Resources of Utah. In this he went
over the new fields in that state, in
2luding the Park City Alta, Tintic dis
trict. Beaver county, Mercur and Bing.