The Arizona copper camp., 1919-08-16


forceful manner this week when more
than 1000 persons, representing more
than one-half of the acreage involved
in the project. gathered at Florence
in monster mass meeting at which
ways and means for fastening the
construction of the big project were
discussed and committees na med to
put the thing through in the quickest
possible time.
We print the following account as
it appeared in the Arizona Gazette:
From points as far away as Tucson,
Phoenix and Globe, ranchers and bust
nessmen and their families treked to
the Pinal county capital, and aside
from the business end of the pro-
gram, those present participated in
one of the real, old-fashiOned barbe-
cues and country picnics of such
. places as catered 10 the needs of the
many. Residents of Casa Grande trav-
eled to Florence in such numbers
that the first-named place was to
all practical purposes an exact re-
plica of Oliver Goldsmith's de
serted village. All business in
Florence was also suspended with
the exception of such places as cat
cred to the needs of the gathering in
the soft-drink and food lines. For
miles around, the roads were chop
ped to the point Of pulveriZation by
the passage of great fleets of auto
mobiles and other more antiquated
vehicles while the trains from every
direction brought their own contri-
buttons to the throng.
$1,000 Acres Signed.
At the close of the day it was stat
ed that more than $4,000 acres
more than one-half the size of the
proposed project-had been signed up
and the fee of SO cents per acre paid
by the respective land owners. A
fund of $1,000 cash was raised for
campaign of advertising in behalf of
the project.
Four large beeves, barbecued by
cooks who throughly understood their
business, and almost unlimited guam
titles of bread, pickles, frijoles, cOf-
fee and other picnic essentials were
devoured by the hungry and enthusi-
astic crowd, the list of feasters in
Guiding a large number of Indians
who had ridden their ponies to town
to participate in the festivities.
The business meeting was called
together at l o'clock in the gymnasi-
um of the Florence high school.
Judge Otis j. Baughn, chairman of
the committee which had charge of
the preliminary details of the San
Carlos program, presided P. O. Over
field, of Casa Grande, also a member
of the committee, next addressed the
gathering, and gave some interesting
historical data regarding the country
affected by the project The objects
of the gathering, Judge Overfeld said,
were as follows:
Objects of Meeting.
First-To unity the interest of the
entire valley into one concerted eff
fort.
Second-To raise local interest and
enthusiasm to a high pitch.
Third-To raise funds with which
to carry on a campaign of advertis-
ing.
Fourth-To create a statewide SEN
timent in favor of the issue.
Fifth-To bring force to bear on the
Washington authorities and secure the
necessary federal appropriations.
The speaker said that the CONNER
cial organizations of both Phoenix and
Tucson were getting behind the move
ment and that he was glad to see that
favorable sentiment was being mani
tested through the other parts of Ari-
zona.
Secretary's Talk.
Judge Baughn then addressed the
meeting and related some of the de-
tails of the preliminary work and some
of the obstacles which would have
to be overcome before the success of
the undertaking would be an assured
fact
Harry Welch, secretary of the
Phoenix chamber of commerce, and
Malcolm Fraser, of the Tucson cham
Der, expressed their views on the mat
ter and told of the benefits which
: would accrue to the adjacent towns
from the construction of the big dam.
Following other speeches came the
work of selecting the committees. 1t
was decided to retain the services of
the original committee which had
done such effective work in behalf of
the diversion dam issue, three of the
members being from Florence and