The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1916-11-13

Federal control of the~Red river
and . Minnesota river valley flood
problems was declared by A. B.
Kaercher. of Ortonville. Mimi, presi-
dent of the Red River Flood Control
congress, opening at the commercial
club rooms in Fargo this afternoon, as
the subject for which the congress had
been called.
Flood problems created in three
states-Minnesota, South Dakota and
North Dakota, are being given atten-
tion-the floods having their origin in
the overf1owing of the Red river. Lake
Traverse. and the Minnesota river.
Prominent men attracted to Fargo
for the gathering include Governor
Byrne of South Dakota: Atty. Gen.
Linden A. Smith of Minnesota. Con-
gressman Halvor Steenerson of Crook
ston; Congressman A. J. Volstead of
South Dakota: e. V. Willard. state
engineer of Minnesota; Engineers A.
L. Crocker, Barnes and d. Sarderson,
of Minnesota; Professor Stewart,
Minnesota agricultural college,; e. B.
Norris, industrial commissioner Of st.
Paul; B. w. Schonweiler, Fairmount;
F. L. Cliff, Ortonville; John D. Ross,
Clinton; Otto Neumann, Wheaton;
Chas. Loring, Crookston; E. B. Norris,
industrial commissioner, st. Paul; S,
Usual OO1Lb " LlILS ANOSht 0s D'B D'
O'Neill, Thief River Falls; r. c,
Schoen, Ortonville; j. A. Gold. Big
Stone, S. D.: d. Leary. Browns VAL
ley; E. c. Higbie, Morris.
Gov. j. A. A. Burnquist, Of Mime
sofa, and Gov. l.. B. Hanna, of North
Dakota, were unable to attend.
Mr.. Kaercher. in stating the pur-
poses of the congress, which will con-
tinue in session tonight and tomor-
fAfl1 VyrNrIe .Nr,s
ences in attempting to handle the
flood problem.
Since Jonothan Carver's explora-
tion of the Minnesota river in 1875 to
the present time, there have been peri
odical explorations and surveys of the
Red and Minnesota river valleys and
impounding reservoirs tributary to the
same, in which several hundred thou
sand dollars has been expended, with
out even adopting any fixed plan, ask
ing the government to expend millions
of dollars under the pretext of aiding
navigation where in fact there was
none,' said Mr.. Kaercher.
These surveys have been diScon-
nected, local and restricted and con-
fined to a few wholly inadequate plans
to accomplish anything Of conse-
quence. .H .r's.!
This project is of such magnitude
that to accomplish anything Of value
to anyone local prejudices and differ
ences and details must be thrown
aside in even considering the matter
Are Lowest Places. -"
"The Red and Minnesota river val
leys form a basin that is lower in al
titude than any portion OF the states
| adjoining the same, the summit of the
two valleys being at the upper rim OF
Traverse lake, which is only one thou
sand feet above the sea level and in
high water times the waters OF the
Red river valley flow out of Traverse
lake into the Minnesota river valley
hence these valleys are inseparably
connected in any project intended to
bring relief to either.
I'VE propose to have this work done
and forever controlled by the federal
government, the appropriation for the
same to be made upon the condition
that the three states enact laws to
provide for assessing the benefited
lands for their juSt proportion Of the
cost of the enterprise.
Big Drainage Work.
1.-THE project contemplated not only
has in view the prevention of the
overflow Of the Red and Minnesota
river valleys, but the drainage OF mil
lions of acres Of land in the northern
part of Minnesota in that swampy
sponge around Red lake, which in
lcludes, I believe, about a million acres
of government land and about the
same amount of state land. We do
not propose to ask for any donation
from the federal government to appro-
pirate it's just proportion Of the ex-
pense in so far as the improvement
benefits government land or actually
| aids navigation, and the state to con-
| tribute in so far as it benefits state
lands, and municipalities to the extent
that it benefits public highways and
the individual in so far as the inn
provement actually benefits his land
and of this there are several million
lpay a reasonable assessment for the
water that would otherwise run off In
floods to their detriment that Is stored
| in the proposed reservoirs for their fu-
| ture use, the same as you would store
| coal for an engine, and the govern
ment to own and control new water
powers that will be created, and to
provide the machinery in the way OF
Legislation by and through which as
sessment for the benefits may be col
Ilected and repaid to the government
say in twenty years time at a reason
able rate of interest.
Destructive Floods.
'1t appears from the government
SURVEYS and reports that very destrnc-
tive floods have occurred in the Red
river valley in the years 1850, 1873.
1882. 1883, 1898, 1897 and several since
then. The greatest flood of all was
that of 1850 when the water attained
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