Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-09-02
IRRIGATION CON.
GRESS OPENS
Fairbanks Outlines
Plans of Govern
ment
IN INTERESTING ADDRESS
Delegates Gather at Sacra.
mento From All Parts of
West and South.

Sacramento, Calf, Sept. q
Many governors, Senators and Con-
gressmen and other distinguished
men of the West and South and hun
dreds of less famous delegates are
assembled in this city to attend the
sessions of the Fifteenth National r.
rigation Congress which opened here
today. The guests were welcomed to
the city by Governor Gillette and May
or Beard and will be entertained in an
elaborate manner during the week.
Vice President Charles Warren Fair
banks was the principal speaker at
the first days session. His address
had to do with irrigation, the work of
the Reclamation Service and the pres
ervation of the forests of the United
States. Mr.. Fairbanks said in part:
"The suggestion that the government
should participate in the work of ir-
rigaton awakened some opposition
among those who had given lttle
thought to it and who failed to real
ize its tremendous possibilities.
look upon no incident of my public
service with more satisfaction than
the support which / gave to the re-
clamation act upon the statute books.
The measure now speaks fer itself.
It's critics have become its supporters
and the marvel of it all is that its
virtues were not earlier foreseen and
such a measure sooner enacted. The
work of development under it may
sometimes seem to be slow. The re-
suits, however, are sure. Those who
are familiar with what has been done
by the government will agree that
much progress has been made and
that the faithful execution of the law
will result in bringing under high
state of cultivation many millions OF
acres of land which are now unpro-
ductive.
Wonderful Results Of irrigation.
"The effect of irrigation in this
western country can be appreciated
only by those who are familiar with
it from personal observation. The
change made in the conversion of al
arid waste into fruitful fields seems
almost incredible There is no more
radical transformation to be found
anywhere than in the parched valleys
and plains which have been irrigat-
ed and which prior thereto produced
nothing but sage brush. The most
unproductive land has become the
most fertile. From the worst, it
takes rank as the best. 1t is hard
to find anywhere more apparently un
productive land than that which is
occupied by sage brush, and no more
bountiful harvests are gathered thar
those which this same forbidding land
produce when touched by the vitaliz
ing influence of irrigation. There
are promising fields today where
there was no sign of habitation be
fore we entered upon the present re
clamation policy, and what is being
done is but prophetic Of what we shal
accomplish if we faithfully adhere tt
the policy upon which we have en-
tered and carry it out to the limit.
of it's possibilities.
"We have long since passed thu
experimental stage and 1t only re
mains to push the work wherever
feasible with the utmost vigor. Th'
reclamation of every ten or twenty
acres of land means the creation o
homestead which will comfortabl.
support family of Industrious, intel
ligent and patriotic American citi
zens.
"The development of irrigation b.
the national government must hav
profound and far-reaching influenc
upon the general subject of irrigation
throughout the country. 1t will ten
powerfully to the extension of irrigs
ton into portions of the countr
which have hitherto relied largely ur
on rainfall in the cultivation an
growing of crops There is no NOR
important subject for the considers
ton Of farmers in many of the humi
and semi-humid regions than that o
so-called supplemental irrigation. w
must prepare more and more for TIL
increased demand upon our food SUI
ply which comes with the multiplyin
millions of our population. Therefor
the development Of the subject of il
rigation is of interest, not only to tn
farmers of these great western n
gions but to the farmers and consun
ers everywhere.
Forests Must Be Saved.
Closely related to the subject Q
irrigation Is the work Of forestry pres
ervation. The two subjects 60 han
In hand. We have pursued some