THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION. 



119 



1 have written at this length as a matter of justice to Mr. Rog- 

 ers, but I do not wish it to be understood that I consider the Wy- 

 oming membership open to question. Nothing except the formal 

 reconsideration of the vote whereby Elwood Mead was elected 

 could affect the standing of Mr. Mead as a member. 



The result of the vote of the committee is the con- 

 firmation of all the commissions. Mr. Rocho, member 

 for Colorado, voted aye on all but Wyoming, and Mr. 

 Gregory, member for Kansas, voted aye on all nomi- 

 nations, with the single exception of Mr. Andrew 

 Gilchrist of Wyoming. As Mr. Mead is a resident of 

 Cheyenne, and as the commissions of five usually in- 

 clude the State's representative on the National Com- 

 mittee, Mr. Gregory thought it proper to except Mr. 

 Gilchrist, but that gentleman, in common with all 

 commissioners from the States above named, stands 

 confirmed. The members of these several commis- 

 sions will at once enter upon their labors. 



The commissions remaining to be nominated and 

 confirmed are those of Kansas, Utah, Oklahoma and 

 Washington. 



THE ARIZONA VACANCY. 



The resignation of Mr. Boggs from the Arizona 

 membership has precipitated quite a lively contest 

 between the friends of J. L. Van Derwerker of Yuma 

 R. C. Powers of Phoenix, and T. B. Comstock of 

 Tucson. It is understood that the latter will not accept 

 the place if elected. The vote of the committee is 

 not yet all in, but up to date the vote is as follows : 

 Van Derwerker, 7; Powers, 2; Comstock, 11. Judge 

 Van Derwerker's friends are very energetic and 

 enthusiastic, and the aggressive young man from 

 Yuma seems likely to be chosen. 



THE CESSION OF THE LANDS. 



The recent meeting of the Trans-Mississippi Con- 

 gress at San Francisco followed its own precedents 

 of five previous years and pronounced in favor of the 

 cession of the arid lands to the States. It would have 

 been far more satisfactory to the friends of the 

 national organization if the Congress had refrained 

 from any expression on the subject, given a cordial 

 recognition to the State Commissions, and remanded 

 to the next Irrigation Congress the whole broad 

 question of a national policy. A few members of the 

 National Committee persist in believing that the Los 

 Angeles Congress declared against the cession of the 

 lands. It did nothing of the sort. It expressly 

 referred the entire subject to the impartial considera- 

 tion of the State Commissions, and announced that 

 the next Irrigation Congress would undertake to 

 formulate a policy upon the basis of these reports. 

 The subject of cession was left in abeyance with all 

 other projected measures. It is true that the plat- 

 form stated that the irrigation problem was " national 

 in its essence'' and demanded national legislation, 

 but the lands can only be ceded by national legisla- 



lation. THE AGE will bring forward at the proper 

 time a new policy, designed to erect every safeguard 

 which the opponents of cession believe is essential 

 for the protection of the people, and, at the same 

 time, to secure all the benefits which friends of cession 

 anticipate from State authority. In the meantime, it 

 is unfair to represent that the Los Angeles platform 

 pledged the movement either in favor or against any 

 definite line of action. 



IN THE SEMI-ARID REGION. 



The enthusiasm of the semi-arid region continues 

 unabated. Mr. I. A. Fort, president of the Nebraska 

 Association, Mr. E. R. Moses, president of the Inter- 

 state Association, and Judge J. S. Emery, national 

 lecturer, have been holding meetings at various points 

 which have attracted a very large attendance. Ar- 

 rangements have been perfected for a large inter- 

 state convention at Omaha, in the latter part of 

 March. It is expected that several distinguished 

 men will be present on that occasion. 



IRRIGATION CONVENTION TO BE HELD 

 IN OMAHA. 



THE subject of irrigation is absorbing public 

 attention, and the Interstate Irrigation Associa- 

 tion, which was organized at a convention held in 

 Salina, Kan., last September, is very aggressive in 

 pushing the matter. 



This convention was composed of delegates from 

 Wyoming, Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, 

 Oklahoma and Texas. State associations, under the 

 auspices of the international association, have been 

 formed in Kansas and Nebraska, and arrangements 

 are being perfected for the organization of Colorado, 

 Oklahoma and Texas. 



Upon invitation of the Commercial Club of Omaha, 

 the interstate association has decided to hold a con- 

 vention in this city on March 21 and 22. 



The objects of the convention to be held in Omaha 

 are to memorialize Congress in behalf of national aid 

 in determining the amount of water for irrigation on 

 the plains. Mr. Bristow thinks it will be the largest 

 irrigation convention ever held in the United States. 



Articles of incorporation of the Settlers' Ditch Com- 

 pany have been filed with Secretary of State Curtis. 

 The headquarters of the company is at Sweet, Boise 

 county, Idaho, and its object is to build a ditch 

 to cover the land on Squaw creek flat. The directors 

 are : John Tally, president ; William Carpenter, sec- 

 retary; M. A. Dorman, time-keeper; John Brown, 

 treasurer; George Williams. The capital stock is 

 $10,000, all of which is subscribed. 



