Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1909-04-14


the land productive and the people
will be here, was his prediction.
Settlers were needed. People were
gregarious. Irrigated tracts of five
acres would support n family, With
larger population money rates of in
terest would constantly decline. AS
lands went up interest went down.
Geo. Ii. Shellenburg of Boise spoke
next of the possibilities OF railroad
development. People who wondered
few years ago how they could pay
$40 an acre for water now paid $40
an acre for water cheerfully. Five
years hence they would make more
money paying 500 an acre for wat
er. lie told how school house meet
ings were held in counties In Iowa
to vote five per cent taxes on their
lands for a railroad from Fort Dodge
TO Humboldt. and gave $4,000 in
cash and $4,000 acres of swamp land
to get n railroad. Lands there had
gone TO 500 an acre for corn and
dairying. In the Boise Valley they
grew $4,000 bushels of apples off
100 acres orchard eight years old.
No one could estimate the possibili-
ties OF such production. The Pay
ette-Bo project would produce
enough apples in one year to keep
railroad working 500 days at 10
trainloads a day to market them. In
1907 the worlds crop of apples was
short 27,OOO,000 barrels. There was
no such thing as overproduction in
this line. He talked hopefully on the
railroad situation.
CUT OUT HARTMAN.
In opening the second days ses-
sion Col. Hofer said he wanted this
congress to 20 on with an affirma-
tive program and cut out all retel-
ence to Mr.. Hartman. The oregon
Idaho Development Congress had 4
great task before it-of welding the
various elements OF the citizenship
of two great states into harmonl-
Gus cooperative effort 20 secure Tor
themselves the benefits of modern
transportation facilities. This CON
gress was not formed to lay a straw
i'm the way OF Mr.. Hartman, or any
other great railway magnate, or any
combination OF capitalists or syndl-
cate that might want to build rail-
roads. They had only good will for
all such enterprises and for all such
men. ..
Carl Payne. chairman OF the Idaho
committee that drafted the district
railroad bill. was introduced and de-
clared that there was nothing In the
Oregon constitution to prohibit dis
trict building OF railroads. An en-
abling aid had been passed in Idaho
TO permit the people TO do this. He
showed that the Idaho law created a
railroad district, provided for hear
ing OF the land owners, for making
estimates, for eleoting directors. ana
proceeding exactly as do the land
owners of an irrigation district. He
showed that as the land benefited by
the proposed railroad wa sto be tax
ed. and no other lands will be taxed.
He predicted that within 80 days
work would be started on district
railroads north toward Butte ana
south toward Ontario. The spirit
of cooperation entered into this
campaign.
IRRIGATION AT ONTARIO.
Placards posted all over the town
announced that reyiving the Nal
heur reelamauon project, with an eX-
nenditure OF S6,OO0,OO0 was one OF
the objects OF this congress. The
new water code enacted by the Ore
gon legislature was expOunded az one
of the sessions by Hon. +. NJ. Sax
ton OF Baker City. The great pos
abilities OF irrigated lands cropped
out all through the proceedings and
the combined power OF districts Gov
cred with bitches. and the same dis
triets served with a railroad, both
bitches and railroad owned by the
owners OF the lands, as assets OF
creating wealth are simply inealcu'
| liable.
Ontario has w newspapers. The
Argus and the Optimist, The lattei
paper published a daily edition dur
[ ing the sessions OF the congress
The Malheur project was presented
nv Walter Griffith OF Caldwell, who
reeited an the steps that had beer
taken 10 secure this great govern
ment expenditure FOR this section
1 which now seems very likely 90 b'
taken up aud competed. Petitions
I had been signed up by owners OF al
I the iAAue IN kAN AtoNAANN NNe.
OOO acres In an 10 be supplied Will
water. No project ever before IN
interior department had ever mad'
a better showing on vas more prom
ising as an engineering project
About 10000 acres was already un
der irrigation and the results wer'
going 10 be great. The construction
of this project would be the eaus'
OF building many miles OF railroad
and many new towns aud larger eit
les The two influences eomoine'
/ would result In rapid transformation
OF the whole country into moderi
lintsrRrban conditions.