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THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



threshold of stupendous changes. These may come 

 peacefully or they may come through those awful 

 forms which have wrought out stupendous changes 

 in the past. But it is certain that they are coming. 

 Whatever may be lost or gained, whatever modified 

 or strengthened in the process, we may be sure that 

 human liberty will not perish. If, as the immediate 

 result of the present strike, human liberty should 

 seem to lose, we may be sure that in the end it will 

 be the gainer as the result of the trying times 

 through which we are passing. If there shall be 

 temporary loss or disappointment for the mass of 

 mankind, it will be because our laws are wrong, and 

 because the American people uphold their laws, 

 good or bad. But it is the many-headed people 

 who make the laws, and the remedy for existing 

 conditions rests with them. The vast majority of the 

 people have decided to draw the line on certain ten- 

 dencies which have marked legislative, judicial and 

 administrative conduct in this country during the 

 past twenty years. Western interests must surely 

 be benefited. For many years we have been talking 

 the claims of Arid America to dull ears. We may 

 expect a more attentive audience hereafter. This is 

 preeminently the hour to bring forward new ideals. 

 But let us suppose that the nation should say to the 

 men of the West to-morrow, " We are ready to join 

 hands with you in an effort to reclaim and populate 

 the arid domain. What is your plan?" What then 

 would be our answer? We have none. There are 

 many plans, but none on which we have substantially 

 united. If every duty of patriotism rested upon any 

 part of the American people, it rests at this moment 

 upon the leaders of popular opinion in the West. 

 And that duty is to come together, discuss the whole 

 situation, harmonize their differences, and map out a 

 national policy that shall be in line with the new 

 tendencies of our time. Failing in that duty at this 

 moment of supreme opportunity, God only knows 

 when we can regain what we shall lose by our crimi- 

 nal negligence. There are moments in the history 

 of peoples when a single definite act will shape the 

 currrent of events for centuries. THE IRRIGATION 

 AGE believes this is the moment when we must say 

 what character of organic law shall serve as the 

 broad foundation of the civilization of Western 

 America. 



Why the Ir-^ ' s m tn ' s ''S nt that the Third National 

 rigation Irrigation Congress, which will assemble 

 Congress is , , . 



Vital. at Denver, September dd, is seen to be 



an event of extraordinary importance to western men. 

 Elsewhere in this number of THE AGE large space 

 is devoted to the plans of the congress. The article 

 should be carefully read by all friends of irrigation, 

 and each individual should make up his mind to do 

 his part in rendering the event successful in the 



highest degree. There is ample reason for the pre- 

 diction that the Denver convention will surpass in 

 interest and importance all previous bodies of this 

 kind. The time has come when certain things must 

 be settled. If we have irrigation conventions here- 

 after they will deal with different phases of the sub- 

 ject than those now up for consideration, unless the 

 Denver meeting fails entirely in its purpose. It will 

 be the business of this congress to formulate meas- 

 ures; we sincerely hope it will be the business of the 

 next to celebrate their triumph. The plans made for 

 the Denver meeting are radically different from any 

 convention we ever heard of before. It is proposed 

 to adjourn the convention on certain days in order 

 that the delegates and spectators may go out and 

 study the physical aspects of the questions with which 

 they are dealing. It will be as if the Congress of the 

 United States should adjourn a tariff debate to go to 

 New England and study the practical manufacture 

 of cotton cloth, or to go abroad to compare wages 

 and the conditions of working people with things 

 existing on this side of the sea. But while this feature 

 is unique, and while everything that is an innovation 

 is to a degree hazardous, we believe the plan will 

 prove immensely attractive and profitable. One 

 thing is certain, and that is that Colorado will do 

 everything in her power to repay delegates and visitors 

 for their attendance upon the convention. 



It is well to recall at this time the main 

 Declarations r ... r . T 



of the L,ast features of the declaration ot the Inter- 



Congress. na tJ O nal Irrigation Congress held at Los 

 Angeles, last autumn. That was another convention 

 which discarded precedents and proceeded to get 

 results by original methods. Instead of passing 

 a series of resolutions it adopted a ringing "Address 

 to the People of the United States. 1 ' It recognized the 

 differences existing between men equally sincere as 

 to national and State legislation and it created the 

 commissions so that those differences might be studied 

 with a view to final compromises. At the same time, 

 the "Address to the People of the United States'" 

 was not a coloress document. It boldly laid down 

 certain fundamental principles which, in the judg- 

 ment of that convention, must forever underlie our ir- 

 rigation philosophy. It was the desire and expecta- 

 tion of that convention that whatever policy might 

 be hereafter favored wpuld rest upon those prin- 

 ciples. The commissions were instructed to steer by 

 that chart and there is little reason to fear that any 

 representative convention of western men will depart 

 from this ground. We call attention at this time to 

 the most important features of the memorable "Ad- 

 dress to the People of the United States " because it 

 seems highly important that the public recollection 

 should be refreshed on this subject just upon the eve 



