The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1908-10-10
TRANS MISSISSIPPI CONGRESS
OPENS ITS SESSION AT SAN
FRANCISCO.
DELEGATES WELCOMED
MESSAGES FROM PRESIDENT
ROOSEVELT AND THE PREsI.
DENTAL CANDIDATES.


and representative delegation repre-
of the Father of Waters. the Nine
teenth Annual Trans Mississippi Com
mereial Congress opened Tuesday in
this city.
California and the city OF San Fran
cisco. joint hosts to the gathering. gave
the warmest of greetings through a
United States senator, congressman.
the governor of the state. the mayor
OF the city and the executive officers
of the two greatest commercial organ
izations on the Pacific coast.
National interest in the deliberations
Of the congress was indicated by the
messages received from the President
of the United States, the presidential
nominees of the Republican and Demo
cratic parties, The Japanese ambassa-
dor and officials closely connected
with the administration.
In the address of welcome. as well
as in the responses by delegates from
other states there was apparent a
realization of the necessity for organ
represented and belief that practical
results desired would be obtained be-
fore the day of adjournment through
the medium of harmonious delibera-
ton
Among the messages received and
read at the opening of the congress
were the following:
Dc paaCayA1f-
ly regret that it is not in my power to
attend the trans Mississippi congress.
1t is one of the bodies which can do
most for the country and am in hear
ty and warmest sympathy with its
purpose. II it were possible for me
to attend any meeting this year, |
should certainly have been present at
yours All that l can properly do as
President to further what your organ
ization is seeking to accomplish, will,
as a matter of course. be done.
Pray accept my best wishes for the
success of the congress. and convey to
those assembled my thanks for and ap-
probation of the work they are doing
for the national welfare"
From William T. Bryan: please
present my greetings to those in at
tendance at the congress and express
to them my regret that ! cannot be with
them. | remember with grateful ap-
probation the honor which the con
sress has done me, and recall with
much pleasure the meetings | have
been able to attend"
From William II. Taft: Il beg to
send my greetings and good wishes to
the trans Mississippi Commercial con,
sress and hope the meeting will be
productive of much good"
President J. b. Case in his opening
address reviewed the subjects to come
before the congress for consideration
and made recommendation as to the
government policy. He praised the
governments wonderful reclamation
service, which has awakened the sleep
ing desert, saying:
THE work as whole rivals the Pan
anna canal in the labor and expense in
volved. The employment of 10000 men
and the expenditure of 81 ,250 900 every
month are but incidents in the service
already the canals completed reach
a total OF SIS milcs-as far as from
San Francisco to Kansas City. Homes
have been made for 10000 families
where before was barren land"
President Case hoped that settle
ment of the unoccupied lands would
he encouraged by the government in
sensible ways. Transportation, he
said, is the one great problem that
oyershadows all others. He added:
We are particularly desirous that
navigation of the Missouri and lower
Arkansas rivers be improved until
there shall be a worthy advance to the
transportation of our western pro
ducts. However, only a comparatively
small portion of the Mississippi
country can be reached by navigable
streams We must depend upon the
iron rail as highway to market Ior
the greater portion of our products"