THE IKEIGATION AGE. 



39 



dently made to counteract the effect of said resolution 

 and is a despairing effort to again place the associa- 

 tion in good odor with the public. In order that our 

 readers may fully understand some of the methods of 

 this organization we reproduce herewith part of an 

 editorial which appeared in a Montana daily, which is 

 controlled editorially by one of the men who has re- 

 ceived assistance in a political way from the association. 

 It may not be out of place to mention here, however, 

 that the gentleman mentioned is no longer a member 

 of the United States Senate, and is devoting his time 

 supervising work on his farm near Great Falls, Mont. 

 The following clipped from the literature mentioned 

 will give a fair idea of how Maxwell and his crowd 

 intend to kill the usefulness of the National Irrigation 

 Congress. It will be noted that the impression which it 

 is intended to convey is that the National Irrigation 

 Congress has never assisted in advancing the cause of 

 irrigation. It will also be noted by the following clip- 

 ping that- the writer of the article, who is, no doubt, 

 George H. Maxwell, states that "the Congress at its 

 meetings has always been the arena in which much 

 oratory has been spouted." This is a peculiar statement 

 to come from the pen of George H. Maxwell or one of 

 his lieutenants, in view of the fact that every one who 

 has ever attended an irrigation congress is well aware 

 that Maxwell has been the man of all others who forced 

 his oratorical talents upon that body; in point of fact, 

 if Maxwell had said less at the Congresses he would have 

 stood much better in the estimation of the people gen- 

 erally. The trouble is that Maxwell has always "orated" 

 too much at these Congresses and taken up the time of 

 that body with his fulsome harangues until its members 

 became thoroughly disgusted with him and he was 

 turned down as above stated. We give herewith the 

 quotation mentioned. 



"Which facts call to mind the little furore raised by 

 the National Irrigation Congress in Portland a few 

 weeks since, that body going out of its way to take a; 

 poke at the Association, and disclaiming any connection 

 therewith. 



"So far as it is to be learned in Montana, the action 

 of the Congress was unnecessary, as no one who is in 

 earnest in the cause of irrigation could ever for a mo- 

 ment believe that the Congress was connected with any- 

 thing which had ever particularly advanced the cause 

 along at least that is the general impression. The 

 Congress in its meetings has always been the arena in 

 which much oratory has been spouted, but with the 

 oratory action seems to have fallen by the wayside. 

 If the Congress has ever accomplished anything startling 

 in the cause of irrigation it has concealed the fact from 

 the general public. At the same time it is an excellent 

 bod}', and the more such there are in the United States 

 the greater education along irrigation lines. The only 

 objection seemingly is that such a; body should object 



to any similar body doing business along the same lines." 

 This class of literature has been sent to all of the 

 leading papers throughout the country and is being 

 widely distributed in St. Louis and Kansas City, where 

 the repudiated Association is making an effort to com- 

 plete an organization whereby funds may be collected 

 for its support. As stated on previous occasions, it is 

 our impression that the men who are being led into 

 this Association by such matter as is being distributed 

 should investigate more fully. The fact that one or 

 two publications in the country support the Maxwell- 

 Boothe organization should not be positive proof that 

 the money contributed will be expended for the general 

 good of the country. If the St. Louis, Kansas City and 

 St. Paul people who have joined this Association, or con- 

 template doing so, will request Messrs. Maxwell and 

 Boothe to furnish a detailed statement of their receipts 

 and expenditures for the last seven or eight years they 

 will readily learn that such a statement will be difficult 

 to obtain. It is doubtful if any members of the Asso- 

 ciation outside of Boothe and Maxwell are aware of the 

 vast sums paid in to that Association, or the manner 

 in which these sums were expended. The IRRIGATION 

 AGE has been requested by friends of these gentlemen 

 to "lay down" in its expose of its methods. It may as 

 well be stated, however, that this journal will continue 

 to give facts of the so-called National Irrigation Asso- 

 ciation until the public generally is fully informed of 

 its objects and manner of conducting business. 



TOWNSITE SALES POSTPONED. 



The Secretary of the Interior, acting upon the sug- 

 gestions of the Governor and many prominent citizens 

 of Idaho, has announced the postponement of sales of 

 lots in the new townsites of Heyburn and Rupert, on 

 the Minnidoka project. The dates of sale, November 14 

 and 21 respectively, have been extensively advertised, 

 and indications were that a large attendance would be 

 present. Owing to the lateness of the season, the pos- 

 sibility of bad weather and the lack of accommodations 

 for the visitors, it was deemed wise to postpone the date 

 of sale until early in April of next year. At that time 

 pleasant weather can be counted upon, the water will 

 have been turned into the new Government canals, and 

 more than 1,000 of the new settlers who have already 

 established themselves on the lands, will be clearing 

 off the sage brush and putting in their crops. 



The Minnidoka tract today offers one of the best 

 object lessons in the West of the wisdom of the Reclam- 

 ation Law, and present conditions predicate that one 

 of the most prosperous and populous agricultural com- 

 munities in the world will soon rise up from out of 

 the desert at this point in the Snake River Valley. 



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