The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-12
FEARS IRRIGATION
MAY Be OITCHED
Fitzgerald Sees Plot in Effort
to Hold Congress in
Washington.
WOULD BRING IT HERE
ORGANIZATION MAY BE SWAMP
ED By DRAINAGE PROJECT

Western men interested in the irriga-
ton of western lands by private parties
and BY the government are returning
from the convention of the National IT.
rigation congress, held at Sacramento
last week, filled with wrath and mis-
givings.
A move is on foot to hold the next ir-
rigatiOn congress at Washington, ID. C,
and in the move the westerners see a
plan backed by Newell and Pinchot,
respectively of the government irriga-
ton and forestry departments, to run
the congress as best suited to their in
terests and to make the matter of the
drainage of the swamp lands of the south
and middle west the chief subject for
discussion by the congress, under the
plea that enough interest has been
aroused on the subject of irrigation to
insure the taking up and irrigating by
private parties of all western lands sus-
ceptible TO irrigation.
1t is openly claimed that the govern
ment is receiving so much criticism
through the medium of the irrigation
congress for the manner in which its
irrigation policy is administered that a
cessation of so much activity along ir-
rigation lines on the part of the con-
gress would be more than welcome.
That this may be accomplished, il is
charged, is the reason an attempt is be-
ing made to swing the next congress to
Washington. Western men do not want
the purposes for which the congress was
the 1903 congress held in Salt Lake IN
stead OF Washington.
FitzgeraId's Report.
T. H. Fitzgerald, one of the Com
mercial clubs Representatives at the con-
gress, yesterday turned in his report of
the sessions.
He calls attention to the move for a
meeting of the congress in Washington
and advises that Salt Lake try for the
In the course of his report Mr.. Fitz-
II feel that is is of great Importance
that the convention Of 1893 should be held
in the city of Salt Lake instead of Wash
ingtOn, d. G, as many of the represen-
tatives desire. 1t is the opinion of some
of the delegates, especially from the east
ern states. that the National Irrigation
congress has served its purpose as a
purely irrigation congress, that in the
near future this congress will be changed
and the matter OF drainage will receive
its first consideration, on the theory that
enough interest has been aroused on the
subject OF irrigation and that all of the
lands which are susceptible to irrigation
will be taken up and managed by pri-
Vate parties. and that this congress in
theh future will be used for the purpose
of draining the vast acreage of swamp
lands in the middle and southern states.
However this may be. We regard it as
important that this congress devote the
major part of its time to irrigation, that
being the purpose for which il was or
ganized. and that we, as citizens of Utah
in the midst Of this arid country, which
SO needs irrigation, should not permit
the interest in any manner to wane, and
that il is our duty, as citizens of Utah
and the intermountain country, to pre-
vent this congress from altering its orig
iral purpose and being held in the humid
districts.
"And / further recommend that every
effort should be used by all citizens and
organizations of the inteTmountain dis
- IL -,
1 Salt Lake I'm preference to Washington,
30. c.. or any other eastern city, as sug-
' Rested by some of the delegates; this be
ing the home of irrigation, and the pur-
poses of this organization, as originally
established. being for the reclamation OF
this arid district