New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1912-02-17
NATIONAL IRRIGATION.

NATIONAL lRklGAI1ON.
New Orleans, Feb. l'th-Geo
II. Maxwell, the man who organ
lied the people of the dry west III
their successful campaign to Sc
cure national irrigation, has tax
en- charge of the work OF organ
ling the people Of the wet delta
for their fight for drainage. Ills
object is to make The National
Drainage Congress, which is to be
held in New Orleans April l0-l5
bic enough success to attract
the attention OF the country at
large to the cheaper cost of Nv
inc side to the drainage OF the
75.OOO.000 acres of wet lands III
40 states in so forceful and poten-
tial a manner as to bring Congress
into close touch with the drainage
problems of the United States.
Mr.. Maxwell has organized the
merchants and business men OF
New Orleans under 100 chairman ;
the railroads; the hotel men; the
land men and other branches OF
civic life, all pledged to put their
shoulders to the wheel and turn
the machinery of their business
to account in a coordinate plan to
draw minimum of 10000 dele
gates to the National Drainage
Congress, New Orleans April 10th
to 18th.
He is also organizing a nation
al movement. with general head
quarters in Chicago and division
Headquarters in New Orleans,
Pittsburg and Los Angeles to sus-
tain and carry out the work that
will be done by The National
Drainage Congress. This organ
ization is to be known as The Ma
tional Reclamation Association. A
minimum membership of 1000 will
be secured 10 the Mississippi Val
ley, which will report to New Or
leans; 1000 in the East, which will
report to Pittstburg; 1000 in the
West. which will report to Los
Angeles.
In this way The Newland's Riv-
err Regulation bill, which stores
the floods at the headwaters Of
the rivers, supplying water for
irrigation where needed and food
prevention in the lower rivers,
will be pushed through Congress.
Other necessary Legislation will
be dtyised and it's passage urged
upon the federal Congress and
State legislatures, and the full
scope Of the movement will be
placed before the people of the
country in it's true meaning.
In discussing his plans to-day,
Mr.. Maxwell said:
,
Irrigation has made immense
areas in the West prosperous
Drainage will provide homes for
more than 100000 farmer fam
lilies increase the food supply of
the country and decrease the
general cost Of living. River reg
ulation will render dry lands as
well as wet lands habitable AMI
cultivable. Democratic votes in
the South got IRRIGATION for the
people of the West, and the peo-
pie Of the West stand ready
and willing to aid the people
of the South and Of all of the wet
land states Of the country to Sc
cure the assistance of Congress in
taking the surplus water off ther
lands. The manufacturers of the
east. in working for the drainage
Of the wet lands will be doing
less than opening Up new
and prosperous markets for their
manufactures.
Irrigation has proved so high
~ beneficial. that the people of
the United States will look with
favor on the big drainage policy
that The National Drainage Con-
yress will launch here April 1913. /,
Agricultural lands have be-
'oma scarce. and the 75,000,00n
lcress Of highly fertile wet lands
must soon be made available to
he pillow if the country would
lvoii further high cost Of living
I oubles.
"The question Of flood preven-
ion is fast reaching stage where
evees will no longer answer, and
he adoption by Congress Of
roper river regulation policy
as become a necessity.
1--WE are going to make the Ma
onal Drainage CONGRESS so big
success that it will attract the
ttention of the entire country,
nd with the entire country be-
ind us We will go to Congress
nd ask for what we need and
hat we must have in order t.
axe the 100000 acres of wet
nds north, south, east and west
roduce the food the people must I
I've and the commerce that the
'untrv will require to maintain
J trade supremacy.