328 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



ceipts to the fund on June 30, 1907, will be $32,200,- 

 000. 



"The Eeclamation Service will welcome friendly 

 suggestion and constructive criticism from all the 

 friends of national reclamation," the speaker concluded. 



Other papers were "Public Interest in Irrigation," 

 C. J. Blanchard, statistician in the reclamation serv- 

 ice: "The Truckee-Carson Project," L. H. Taylor, 

 supervising engineer; "The Reclamation Work in Ida- 

 ho," D. W. Ross, district engineer; "The San Joaquin 

 Valley in California," F. C. Finkle; "Irrigation in 

 California," J. B. Lippincott, supervising engineer, 

 and "The Irrigation Exhibit at the Lewis and Clark 

 Exposition," E. T. Perkins. These papers were dis- 

 cussed during subsequent sessions. 



As stated above, great interest centered in the 

 Committee on Resolutions, where many stormy sessions 

 were held. The resolution by Mr. Cobban, of Wis- 

 consin, published above, created much heated discussion 

 and was only allowed to go in and before the main 

 convention by friends of the opposition after many 

 meetings, at which it was decided that it would be 

 better to allow all the resolutions to go through than 

 to single out one of such importance and make such a 

 fight against its adoption as to attract still further the 

 attention of the press of the whole country. 



The fact of the whole matter is that the M'axwell- 

 Boothe crowd feared to have it come up in the conven- 

 tion as the side favoring its passage was too strong in 

 debate for them and had too much evidence to present, 

 which would have worked still more serious injury to 

 the National Irrigation Association. As it stands 

 now, the public generally have been informed that the 

 money paid into the hands of Mr. Maxwell, Mr. Boothe 

 or any of their hired men is not used for the benefit of 

 the National Irrigation Congress; the public under- 

 stands, moreover, that it is impossible to secure a state- 

 ment of the manner in which this money is disbursed. 

 As affairs are now, people who pay money to the Max- 

 well-Boothe Irrigation Association do so fully under- 

 standing the case and may call upon those gentlemen 

 for an annual or semi-annual statement as they see fit. 



In another section of this journal is published 

 some of the papers delivered before the different sec- 

 tions. It is our intention to publish one or two of these 

 papers each month so that all of them will appear 

 during the coming year. 



NOTES ON THE CONGRESS. 



The friends of clean work along irrigation lines 

 are deservedly proud of their success in carrying through 

 reform resolutions which will materially aid in clearing 

 the atmosphere. 



* * * 



One thing is certain, Mr. George H. Maxwell has 

 lost control of the Congress and can no longer pose as 

 the father of all that is good in irrigation affairs. 



* * * 



Mr. Boothe suggested before the Committee on 

 Resolutions that he would like to "smoke out" the in- 

 dividuals who have been maligning his association, 

 but when United States Senator Thomas Carter, of 

 Mantana, suggested that he use a little fire or smoke 

 on him, Mr. Boothe found that he was out of dead 

 leaves and punk, so that job was indefinitely postponed. 



* * A 



One of the brightest minds and the best debater 

 in the whole Congress, with the possible expection of 



Senator Carter, of Montana, was Land Commissioner 

 Ross, of Washington. Mr. Ross is masterful in de- 

 bate and a good fellow to have on your side in a stand- 

 up and knock-down fight. 



* * * 



It is a pity that such a bright mind as that under 

 the hat of Judge Raker, of California, should have been 

 on the weak side of the fight of the Committee on Reso- 

 lutions. If conditions had not been so serious, much 

 entertainment could have been derived from his fine 

 manipulations and bright sallies. It is hoped that 

 he may see the error of his way and stand for all that 

 is good at Boise next year. The Judge is nearly or 

 quite as vituperative and vindictive as a Flat Head In- 

 dian when arguing against the allotments on the open- 

 ing of their reservation. 



* * * 



It is a pity that George H. Maxwell could not have 

 attended the funeral of his well laid plans. Mr. 

 Boothe looked lonesome. 



* * * 



United States Senator Thomas Carter, of Mon- 

 tana, is a good man to fight with. 



* * * 



Mr. Thomas Richardson, the genial secretary, won 

 many friends by his uniform kindness and courtesy. 

 It is easy to understand why the citizens of Portland 

 like and honor him. A good word may also be said 

 for Mr. A. H. Devers, vice-chairman, of Portland. 



* * * 



Many kindly expressions were heard concerning the 

 citizens of Portland and the delegates all owe a vote 

 of thanks to the local newspaper men who prepared and 

 published so complete a report of the proceedings. 

 There could possibly have been some objection raised 

 by some of the delegates at the manner in which they 

 were portrayed by the local newspaper artists. Mr. 

 Newell, for instance, was made to look like the bad man 

 from Death Valley. Such, however, may be the penalty 

 of standing out in bold relief on a boulder, far up on 

 the mountain side of Fame. 



* * * 



John McAlpine, of Duluth, Minn., made a square 

 fight for all that was right on the Committee on Reso- 

 lutions as well as on the floor of the Congress. 



* * * 



The resolution presented by Mr. Alex Cobban, of 

 Wisconsin, relating to the Maxwell-Booth combination, 

 brought that gentleman directly in the limelight and 

 he will not soon be forgotten. 



* * * 



Scipio Craig, of the Redlands Citrograph,, is the 

 same good natured, hard fighting fellow as of yore. 

 Scipio was on the wrong side of the fence at this meet- 

 ing, but his truest friends hope to win him over before 

 the meeting at Boise. Scipio Craig's most prominent 

 virtue is loyalty to his friends. , 



* * * 



Walter N. Granger, the man who made Sunny- 

 side possible, was in attendance and deeply interested 

 in the proceedings. 



* * * 



.Arizona was well represented in the Congress, but 

 none of the delegates shone out quite so brightly as 

 Dwight B. Heard, of Phoenix. Mr. Heard is such a 

 good fellow we are half sorry that his side lost out 

 on important questions. 



* * * 



To George H. Maxwell : George, do you remem- 



