The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??, 1908-10-15
MEETING OF THE NATIONAL IRRI.
CATION CONGRESS BEGINS
AT ALBUQUERQUE.
LETTERS
IMMENSE GATHERING WITH REP,
REsENTATIvEs FROM MANY
FOREIGN COUNTRIES.

albuquerque, N. Mine proceed
ings of the opening session of the Six
teenth National Irrigation Congress.
which convened Tuesday morning,
were impressive.
Addresses of welcome were made
by Mayor G. H. Lester of Albuquerque
and Governor Curry of New Mexico,
and President Goudy of Denver, in re-
Spouse, made the opening address of
the congress.
A feature was the long list of re-
sponses to the address of welcome by
delegates from foreign countries. Adj
dresses were made by delegates from
France, England. Spain, Portugal, It
ally, Cape Colony. Canada, Cuba, Porto
Rico. Brazil and several of the MeXi-
can states.
Two letters and telegram were
read TO the congress at the opening
session from President Roosevelt. The
first conveyed the Presidents greet
ing. his approval of the work of the
congress and reference to the impor-
lance of reclamation and the conserva-
ton of natural resources. The second
letter was addressed to the local board
of control. replying to an invitation on
gold plate, recently conveyed to the
President
1t was postscript at the bottom of
this letter which aroused wild enthusi-
asm among delegates and spectators
as it was read by Secretary Fowler.
The President wrote:
81 earnestly hope that this Win
ter l shall have chance to sign
bills comforting statehood on both
New Mexico and Arizona"
The 1900 delegates and the $500
spectators who crowded the galleries
were moved to repeated demonstra-
tons as the military band sent by the
government OF Mexico played THE
Star Spangled Banner" and then the
Mexican national air, for which the
officers of the congress decorated the
band leader with convention badges.
The singing of the beautiful "Irriga-
ton Ode" by chorus of 100, with
its closing series of national airs, also
brought the audience to it's feet in
prolonged demonstration.
President Roosevelt's communica-
tons to the congress in part follow:
ITO the Irrigation Congress. which
is to assemble in Albuquerque in Sep
TENDER for the sixteenth time, send
greetings and congratulations upon
the well deserved and widespread pub
lie interest in the meetings of this
congress.
There has been a notable change
of public sentiment toward irrigation
since the beginning of this work. |
attribute much of this to the discus
sions at your meetings.
Il am glad to call your attention to
the fact that the reclamation service
under the direction of Secretary Gar
field and Engineer Newell has effec-
lively continued It's work during the
past year and is now taking water to
100000 acres of land. The larger
works nearing completion will soon
bring water to an additional area of
100000 acres. Not only has much
land been irrigated, but the works
built or finished are of the most per
manent nature.
THE land owners who have settled
on the reclaimed area are already re-
returning to the treasury in small
amounts part of the investments by
the government. The success already
attained shows that with continued
good administration it will be possible
to replace in the treasury the entire
investment and to use it again in the
building of other works.
1.-THE gloomy predictions which we're
made at the outset that the cost of
the works could not be repaid by the
people will fail. We have already ad-
vanced to the point where l think it
is safe to assert that the people of the
West will repay the reclamation debt
in full. and will be able to do it out
Of the profits from the crops on the
reclaimed land"
Secretary Fowler read the following
communication from the President to
to the Board OF Control of the Con
gress:
white House, Washington, d. c.,
Sept. 23.-Gentlemen: 1 deeply appre-
ciate not merely the invitation on gold
plate which has been conveyed to me
personally by Governor Curry and Mr.
Bardshar, but even more the kind and
friendly expressions in which the let
ter is couched. wish could be pres
ent with you. AS that is impossible
I have asked the assistant secretary
Of the Department OF the Interior. him
self Western man, from Rocky
Mountain state, to represent me- There
is no one policy now before the pub
lie which seems to me of greater i'm
portance than that of irrigation, which