THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION. 



NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTED BY THE IRRIGATION CONGRESS AT 

 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, OCTOBER 14, 1893. 



CHAIRMAN, Win. K. Smythe, Member-at-Large. SECRETARY. 



Postoffice Box 1019, Chicago. 



VICE-CHAIRMAN, Edw ard M. Boggs, Arizona. TREASURER, 



Tucson, A. T. 



Fred L. Allis, Member-at-Large. 



Loe Angeles, California. 



John F. Jones, Nevada. 



Carson City, Nev. 



CALIFORNIA, 



COLORADO, 



IDAHO, 



ILLINOIS, 



MONTANA, 

 NEBRASKA, 

 NEW MEXICO, 



Ell H. Murray, San Diego. 

 J. F. Rocho, Hardln. 

 T. l>. Babbitt, Nampa. 

 Will ard E. Allen, Chicago. 

 J, W. Gregory, Garden City. 

 Wt. T. Barton, Chontean. 

 has. P. Ross, North Platte. 

 M. A. Downing, lias Crnces. 



NO. D4HOTA, Dr. Merchant, Ellrndale. 



OKLAHOMA, John H. Cotteral, Gnthrie, 



SO. DAKOTA, J. T. Mi- William*. Aberdeen. 



TENNESSEE, P. H. Porter, Nashville. 



TEXAS, J. J. Walker, Bars tow. 



UTAH, Arthur L. Thomas, Salt Lake City 

 WASHINGTON, N. .. Blalock, Walla W al la, 



WYOMING, Elwood Mead, Cheyenne. 



COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL LEGISLATION, 

 W. A. Clark, Bntte, Montana. 

 Eli H. Murray, San Diego, California. 



PROGRESS OF THE WORK. 



IN a circular letter, under date of February 1st, 

 the chairman of the National Executive Commit- 

 tee submitted, for confirmation or rejection, 

 the commissions named for the following States 

 and Territories: California, South Dakota, Idaho, 

 Nebraska, Colorado, Texas, North Dakota, Wy- 

 oming, Montana, New Mexico. There was 

 no contest over these nominations, except 

 in the case of Wyoming, where two sets of names 

 were presented to the chairman, one by Elwood 

 Mead, the member recognized by the committee, and 

 the other by William Penn Rogers, of California, the 

 person who, temporarily, represented Wyoming on 

 the occasion of the Los Angeles Congress. The com- 

 mission nominated by Mr. Mead, and submitted for 

 the action of the committee, is as follows: Andrew 

 Gilchrist, of Cheyenne; H. H. Reel, of La Barge; W. 

 A. Richards, of Red Bank ; C. H. Burritt, of Buffalo, 

 and J. L. Torrey of Embar. In presenting these 

 names the chairman outlined the Wyoming con- 

 troversy as follows: 



THE WYOMING INCIDENT. 



William Penn Rogers, of Messina, Cal., represented Wyoming 

 at the first meeting of the National Executive Committee, and 

 made an announcement at the close of that meeting which was 

 construed to be notice of his resignation. He stated that as he 

 was not a resident of Wyoming, he should not act further with 

 the committee, but should at once request the governor, who had 

 appointed him, to name his successor. This was my understand- 

 ing of Mr. Rogers' statement; and other members, so far as heard 

 from, placed the same construction upon it. Furthermore, it was 

 not contemplated that the very important power of naming a 

 State Commission should be exercised by any one except a resi- 

 dent of the State duly chosen as a member of the National Com- 

 mittee. 



it8 



Richard J. Hinton, New York City. 

 NATIONAL LECTURER, 



J. S. Emery, Lawrence. Kansas. 



Acting in accordance with this spirit, the committee, at its sec- 

 ond meeting, held in San Diego, filled the memberships from 

 Wyoming, North Dakota and some other States, which had been 

 either temporarily represented for the purposes of organization 

 by non-residents, or not represented at all. The members 

 elected at the San Diego meeting have all proceeded to perform 

 the duties of their office, and there has been no criticism of the 

 committee's action, except in the case of Wyoming. 



The person named as the successor of Mr. Rogers by the meet- 

 ing of the National Committee at San Diego was Elwood Mead. 

 Mr. Mead is a resident of, and taxpayer in the State of Wyoming. 

 He fills the important office of State Irrigation Engineer, and has 

 done so for years. He framed the model laws of the State 

 relating to irrigation, and administers them as the head of the 

 State system. He has already served for two years upon the 

 National Committee with credit to his State and to the cause. He 

 has named a commission, composed of representative citizens, 

 against whose character and ability there is no shadow of 

 criticism. 



William Penn Rogers has notified the chairman and secretary 

 of this committee that he intends to act as Wyoming's member, 

 and to that end has nominated a commission. He claims that he 

 was illegally removed. He has submitted printed statements of 

 his case to several people, and I assume that you have been hon- 

 ored with copies. 



For Mr. Rogers, personally, I have high respect. I consider 

 him my personal friend, and do not doubt for a moment that he 

 believes he is doing his duty, but it seems to me that it is a mat- 

 ter of the most vital moment, that the contmittee should, emphat- 

 ically, confirm the commission named by Elwood Mead, who 

 holds his title to membership by the unanimous vote of the 

 members present at San Diego. By so doing we shall forever 

 settle the important principle that only actual residents of States 

 can be allowed to exercise important functions in connection witk 

 this committee. California has named one commission, as is her 

 right. She does not claim the right to also name the commission 

 for Wyoming through her citizen, Mr. Rogers, and such a claim 

 would be untenable if asserted. An attempt has been made 

 to bring the governor of Wyoming into this controversy. He has 

 no proper place in it, as the rules laid down by the Irrigation 

 Congress for the government of the National Committee dis- 

 tinctly provide that the committee shall fill all vacancies in its 

 membership. 



