44 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



upon the development of irrigation, and the develop- 

 ment of irrigation will depend upon the protection and 

 wise use of the existing forests and the creation of new 

 ones and the proper control of the grazing. Your work 

 for the good of one interest is for the good of all. 



THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 



GENERAL DIAZ' LETTER. 



MEXICO, October 21, 1904. 



Hon. William Andrews Clark, President Twelfth Na- 

 tional Irrigation Congress, New York. 

 Dear Sir: I have received the courteous and es- 

 teemed invitation which you were kind enough to ex- 

 tend to me for the interesting meeting of the National 

 Irrigation Congress which will be held from the 15th 

 to the 18th of next November in the progressive city 

 of El Paso, Tex. 



As much for the importance of the transcendental 

 matters which will there be treated of as to reciprocate 

 the kind consideration with which you favor me, I 

 would take sincere pleasure in attending if my official 

 duties would permit, but they are absolutely the only 

 ones which deprive me of that great satisfaction, and 

 I must content myself with being with you, 

 though absent from your meeting, with sincere wishes 

 that the most complete success may crown the intelli- 

 gent and patriotic work of the illustrious congress over 

 which you preside, and which will undoubtedly in- 

 fluence powerfully the solution of the many problems 

 relating to irrigation and the forest industry. The 

 government thus understanding it, the Department of 

 Fomento and some of the governments of the States of 

 this republic will be duly represented in that assembly 

 by their respective delegations. I am, very truly yours, 

 (Signed.) PORFIR"IO DIAZ. 



FROM MEXICO'S VICE-PRESIDENT. 



The reply of the Vice-President of Mexico, who 

 was also invited to attend, was as follows: 



HERMOSILLO, MEXICO, November 6, 1904. 

 President National Irrigation Congress, El Paso. 



Dear Sir: I reply to your esteemed letter dated 

 the 24th of last month, and thank you for the invita- 

 tion which you sent me to attend the National Irri- 

 gation Congress which will be held in that city during 

 the present month and beg to advise that I am sorry 

 not to be able to attend notwithstanding my desire to 

 do so. I am, with all consideration, 



Sincerely yours, 



(Signed.) RAMON CORRAL. 



GENERAL DIAZ' INVITATION. 



The letter to Mr. Diaz inviting him to come was 

 addressed in September and was as follows, being sent 

 to Mexico by Hon. Francisco Mallen and James Ma- 

 goffin, special messengers from the Congress: 



NEW YORK, N. Y., September 19, 1904. 

 His Excellency General Porfirio Diaz, President of the 



United Mexican States, City of Mexico. 



Honorable Sir: In behalf of the National Irri- 

 gation Congress, I have the honor to hereby extend to 

 your Excellency a most respectful invitation to its 

 next meeting, in the City of El Paso, Texas, November 

 15-18, 1904. 



The purpose of this Congress, representing the 

 people of the various States of the Union, is to discuss, 



with a view to solving the many problems connected 

 with irrigation and forestry; and, it being an appre- 

 ciated fact by the organization that Mexico has for 

 centuries successfully applied irrigation to agri- 

 cultural purposes and has been foremost in thus re- 

 claiming the desert to the use of man, it is indeed 

 chiefly in recognition of this educational service from 

 the people of Mexico to our own, and the hope of ob- 

 taining the co-operation and counsel of delegates 

 from the various states of your wonderful country, 

 as well as on account of the friendly relations so hap- 

 pily existing between the sister republics that the Con- 

 gress has selected El Paso, on the border of both, as 

 the place of its next assemblage. 



The Congress therefore, avails itself of the oppor- 

 tunity to address to the governors of the various states 

 of the Eepublic of Mexico invitations that they may 

 send delegations, who will be received in full member- 

 ship in the Congress. 



We trust, further, that we may, without presump- 

 tion, indulge in a still higher and more cherished 

 hope, which is that your Excellency will honor the Con- 

 gress by your presence at its above named session. 



This invitation is respectfully transmitted to your 

 Excellency through the favor to us of your worthy 

 representative at El Paso, Texas, Consul Francisco 

 Mallen, who has rendered esteemed services toward the 

 success of the approaching assemblage, and is an in- 

 fluential member of the committee of arrangements. 



With assurance of my profoundest respect, etc., 

 WILLIAM ANDREWS CLARK, 



President of the Twelfth Irrigation Congress. 



The Mexican National Band sent by President 

 Diaz figured largely in the entertainment of the dele- 



It is not our intention to publish a detailed re- 

 port to the Congress at this time, but the different 

 papers which were read in the various sections will be 

 reproduced during the coming year in the columns 

 of this journal. It was said by one of the delegates 

 that many of the papers read by scientists at the Con- 

 gress could not have been purchased by magazines at 

 '$200 each. All of these papers and the principal re- 

 ports, as stated, will appear in the columns of THE 

 IRRIGATION AGE. In discussing the Congress and its 

 effects the Hon. W. W. Turney, president of the local 

 organization in El Paso and one of the prominent 

 citizens, had the following to say: 



"While the attendance was disappointing, yet the 

 importance of this Congress to this section of the 

 country is "a feature to be considered apart from the 

 usual benefits accruing to us from gatherings, such 

 as carnivals and the like. 



As a matter of fact, the expenditure of money 

 by the visitors to the city is a point which might 

 be lost sight of entirely and still the meeting of the 

 National Irrigation Congress here will be handed down 

 to history as the greatest event in the development 

 of El Paso and of the Eio Grande Valley. 



In providing for the entertainment of visitors the 

 members of the local committee had no means of ascer- 

 taining the number of visitors to be expected and were 

 compelled to rely entirely upon the statements made by 

 officials of the national organization. The attendance of 



