THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



47 



THE IRRIGATION CONGRESS 



The Sixth National Irrigation Congress 

 was in session at Lincoln, Nebraska, Sep- 

 tember 28, 29 and 30. The permanent or- 

 ganization of the Congress was effected 

 by the election of the following officers : 



President, Senator J. M. Carey, Chey- 

 enne, Wyo. ; first vice president, S. A 

 Cochrane, of South Dakota; second vice 

 president, L. W. Shurtliffe, Ogden, Utah; 

 third vice president, S. M. Knox, Prince- 

 ton, 111. ; secretary, T. G. Frost, Minneap- 

 olis, Minn. ; minute clerk, O. E. McCut- 

 cheon, Michigan ; reading clerk, P. B. Max- 

 son, of Nevada; bill clerk, P. C. Erickson, 

 Nebraska. 



Numerous papers on various topics were 

 read or filed with the secretary and will be 

 published in the report. 



The principal work of the Congress was 

 the passage of the resolutions, the com- 

 mittee on resolutions reported, through its 

 chairman, Elwood Mead, of Wyoming. 

 The following resolutions were adopted : 



"The value of the irrigated farm, the 

 security of the homes thereby created are 

 alike dependent upon the efficient public 

 control of the water supply and the pre- 

 vention of water becoming a speculative 

 commodity. We believe that the waters 

 of all streams should forever remain pub- 

 lic property and that the rights to its use 

 should inhere not in the individual or the 

 ditch but in the land reclaimed. 



WHEREAS, the perpetuation of the for- 

 ests of the arid region is essential to the 

 maintenance of the water supply for irri- 

 gation as well as the supply of timber for 

 industrial needs. 



Resolved, That the president of the 

 United States be memorialized to so soon 

 as a proper and adequate form of admin- 

 istration shall be provided withdraw from 

 entry or sale under the act of congress of 

 March 3, 1891. all public lands, which are 

 of more value for their timber than for 

 agriculture or for their minerals. 



WHEREAS, The present public land laws, 

 having developed under conditions where 

 irrigation is not a necessity and having in 

 their operation proved utterly unsuited to 

 the conditions and the needs of the arid 

 regions, and 



WHEREAS, The present policy of divided 

 control between state and nation of the 

 public lands and waters of the arid region 

 retards development, misleads settlers, 

 hampers enterprise, and is responsible for 

 rapid destruction of western forests and 

 pasturages. 



Resolved, That we favor the creation 

 by congress of a commission of skilled and 

 experienced persons to investigate the 

 conditions now existing and to submit to 

 congress such changes in our land laws as 

 their investigations shall show to be desir- 

 able. 



Resolved, That the executive commit- 

 tee be authorized to appoint a committee 

 to proceed to Washington and urge the 

 early creation of such a commission. 



We favor construction at the earliest prac- 

 ticable date by general government of two 

 reservoirs recently located under direction 

 of United States engineer corps, one each 

 in Colorado and Wyoming. 



Resolved, That we commend all efforts 

 looking to colonization of arid west and a 

 creation of homes therein for worthy poor." 



A resolution favoring postal savings 

 banks was tabled. Resolutions thanking 

 the local committees and newspapers and 

 Senator Carey, who was the presiding offi- 

 cer and Chanceller MacLean, of the Ne- 

 braska University were also passed. 



Senator J. M. Carey, of Wyoming, was 

 elected chairman of the executive commit- 

 tee and Fred J. Mills, of Idaho, secretary, 

 for the ensuing year. 



The next Congress is to be held in Chey- 

 enne, Wyoming, in 1898. 



The following is the new national com- 

 mittee : 



California, C. M. Heintz ; Colorado, A. 

 L. Kellogg; District of Columbia, E. F. 

 Best; Idaho, F. J. Mills; Illinois, C. A. 

 Parks ; Kansas, J. A. Churchill ; Kentucky, 

 A. W. Pickering; Missouri, Thos. Knight; 

 Minnesota, T. G. Frost; Michigan, O. E. 

 McCutcheon; Montana. S.M. Emery; New 

 Mexico, T. J. Clark; Nebraska, Matt 

 Daugherty ; Nevada, H. B. Maxson ; Ohio, 

 W. Lawrence; Oklahoma. H. E. Glazier; 

 South Dakato, C. V. Gardner; Tennessee, 

 Charles T. Harrison; |Utah, H. L. Shurt- 

 liff ; Wyoming, George East. 



