Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1909-02-23
ROOSEVELT GREEIS
DELEGATES BY LETTER
The President Expresses Apr cl
alton of the Work Being
Done and Urges Great
er Progress
For It.

Cheyenne, Wyo., Feb. 23.-Wlth
more than 600 delegates present and
hundreds more due to arrive on be-
Dry Farming congress began its ses-
sions here this morning 1t will con
tinue in session three days. A blanket
of snow a foot deep greeted the dele
gates this morning.
Today's program includes an ad
dress by Gov. b. b. Brooks, of Wyo
ming, president of the congress, and
the reading of papers by delegates
from a number of states on various
phases of the problems in dry farm
ing.
A letter from President Rooseyclt
to Governor Brooks, extending greet
ing and congratulations to the con-
gress, was read at the session this
morning. The presidents letter said:
Ny Dear Governor Brooks-I wish
to extend to you greetings and con-
gratulations upon your third annual
meeting. i am deeply interested in
the progress of your work. Any or
ganization having for its purpose the
development of the agricultural re-
sources of the great semi-arid section
of the United States should have the
| hearty support of all good citizens.
am in full sympathy with the efforts
and appreciate the hardships, pri-
Nations and difficulties with which
| the pioneers among the mountains
aud on the great plains have had to
contend. Rest assured that so far as
! lies within my power, everything that
| can be done TO aid you will be done.
The reclamation of our arid lands
| through irrigation and the conserva-
| ton of our forests and other natural
resources and the development of
cur semi-arid land by such methods
as you are now advocating all tend
to insure the well being and growth
| of this country. l trust that your
| meeting will be a great success ana
will result in action that will COM
mand the confidence and support Of
the home builder the man for whom
We all are working
| THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
In his address. Governor Brooks
said in part:
"Skeptics contend that this dry
farming propaganda Is a land joo-
bing scheme, but tens Of thousands Of
charge
Under approved dry farming
methods, millions upon millions of
acres of public land can and will be
settled, and this conquest is easy as
compared with the early settlement
of New England. There the pioneer
faced a rigorous climate and was mem
aced by merciless savages There the
| ha ha az H.
brush burned. the stumps and stones
hauled away. There the soil was mis-
erly and the pumpkins on the steep
hillsidcs mad to be braced to keep
them from rolling away; but despite
adverse conditions, that New Eng
land community built solidly upon
the four corner stones of justice,
learning, liberty and law, grew and
prospered and became 50 powerful
that later on their ideas gave form 10
the national government and whole
some life to many Of the great insti-
tuti0ns Of the west
Then followed the conquest of the
middle prairie states, but mind You
present day difficulties are as nothing
compared to theirs; for during the
past twenty-five years the impulse
and pace of the world has marvellous
lily quickened the prairie schooner
has been superseded by the immi-
grant car; the messenger on horse
back has oecn replaced by the tele-
graph and the telephone, and the *
team has given away to the steam
, plow. The dry land farmer Of today
, has all the appliances and contri-
. vances of modern science and inven-
tion at his command. and on the
cheap lands Of the vest, with careful
seed selection and proper cultivation
. he can fearlesSly enter into competi-
ton with the most favored farmer on
earth As he develops his farm, the
. prospector and miner will develop the
mines and the nearby coal camp -
mining center will afford him the hCst
home market on earth.
! "Then We Will educate the plants
f to be drought resistant and as tbs
people settle mp the country an
I build permanent homes, unheard OF
: methods of reclamation will be adopt
ed. The knocker, who gleefully re-
: calls the early failures in Kansas am
Nebraska and prophesies disaster Il
going to be fooled. The people vii
not starve out and move away, FOL