398 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



The railway companies of America will some day 

 awaken to the fact that they can accomplish more good 

 for the country at large by sending, as their representa- 

 tives, actual irrigators along their lines, than by putting 

 their agents in each congress. Mr. Harriman and his 

 assistants acted wisely in withdrawing his representa- 

 tives from active work at the congress. He was repre- 

 sented there, to be sure, but not in as positive or stub- 

 bora manner as were some of those connected with the 

 Great Northern and other railway lines. 



It is a question how long this evil will be tolerated, 

 but there is good reason to believe that much good 

 will result from the work of the minority at Spokane 

 in its attempt to correct this condition at the Pueblo 

 meeting. If a move of this character is not made at 

 Pueblo and the congress passes into absolute control of 

 the railways and the Reclamation Service and the For- 

 estry Service officials, it may be predicted that the 

 people interested in private projects and the actual irri- 

 gator will organize a congress along other lines which 

 will be controlled by men who have at heart the best 

 interest of the irrigated WPR+. 



This brings to mind the strange condition illus- 

 trated by the connivance of the railways and the For- 

 estry and the Reclamation Bureaus when at times both 

 of these branches of the government work at direct vari- 

 ance with what the railway people believe to be better 

 for them. 



One of the most alarming incidents which arose 

 at the congress was that in which Mr. Gifford Pinchot, 

 head of a subordinate bureau, attempted to discredit the 

 Secretary of the Interior, a cabinet officer. It is safe to 

 say that Secretary Ballinger will not tolerate this sort 

 of work on the part of a subordinate in another depart- 

 ment, and it is perhaps well that the matter was brought 

 to a head at Spokane so that it may be settled decisively 

 and permanently. 



Now that the Seventeenth National Irri- 

 U. S. Land gation Congress has passed into history, 

 and Irrigation we turn to the next great event, the 

 Exposition. United States Land and Irrigation Ex- 

 position, to be held in Chicago November 

 20th to December 4th, 1909. 



It is with satisfaction that we note this spontaneous 

 outbxirst of enthusiasm upon a subject so long held 

 sacred to our columns. 



As the architect looks upon the progress of his 

 plans, and the tiller of the soil sees with kindling eye 

 and loving heart the product of his thought and labor, 

 we, in this triumph of irrigation, feel and hear the 

 Voice saying, "Well done." And so THE AGE joins with 

 its friend the Tribune in thus advancing the cause of ir- 

 rigation, and welcomes this great paper into its family. 



A master stroke of policy was this on the part of 

 the Chicago Tribune, and THE AGE bespeaks for the 

 United States Land and Irrigation Exposition the 

 hearty support of all true factors in the great work of 

 reclamation and cultivation. 



Following is the announcement appearing in the 

 Tribune : 



"From November 20th to December 4th of this 

 year will be held in the Coliseum, under the auspices 

 of the Chicago Tribune, the United States Land and 

 Irrigation Exposition, which will provide authoritative, 

 graphic information about the vast land opportunities 

 now opening up in the many states for homeseekers, 

 farmers and investors. There will be exhibits of the 

 wonderful fruits of this virgin soil from all sections of 

 the country. Elaborate panoramas will show what is 

 being done to irrigate, drain and cultivate it. Arrange- 

 ments have been made for government exhibits of great 

 value to the farmer and of vital interest to every lover 

 of American soil." 



Many prominent men throughout the 

 Press Assails West who attended the National Irriga- 

 Spokane tion Congress at Spokane have voiced 



Doings. their opinions of the proceedings of that 



body to their home newspapers and 

 the tone of the editorial comment is not likely to 

 prove pleasant reading for those who radically controlled 

 the actions of the Spokane congress. In a clipping from 

 the Seattle Times of August 23, under the heading, 

 "Radicals Control Irrigation Congress," appeared the 

 following : 



By giving extremists and other irresponsible per- 

 sons too much to say in its recent session at Spokane, 

 the National Irrigation Congress has done itself harm, 

 and its proceedings which were marked with considerable 

 disorder, including various attacks on Secretary R. A. 

 Ballinger, Secretary of the Interior, were not calculated 

 to inspire confidence in or respect for its deliberations. 

 Such is the opinion of Seattle men who have returned 

 from the capital of the Inland Empire. 



"One of the worst mistakes the delegates to the 

 congress made," said G. W. Morrow, of the Milwaukee 

 Land Company, "was to bitterly attack private capital 

 interested in irrigation enterprises. These attacks were 

 without excuse or justification and, from what I could 

 gather, seemed to be due to a desire on the part of a 

 great number of the delegates to start some kind of a 

 fracas. 



"Furthermore, the congress showed signs of irre- 

 sponsibility when a resolution was introduced asking 

 the government to issue bonds aggregating $5,000,000,- 

 000 for reclamation projects. This resolution, as finally 



