338 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



tion with the operation of the reclamation act, relating to the use 

 of international streams. 



"We pledge our earnest support to the United States forest 

 service in its efforts to maintain and improve our water sheds, where 

 irrigation is necessary, on the streams affected, by renewing and 

 protecting the forests upon them. We also indorse the practical policy 

 of forest protection through reasonable use, adopted by the forest 

 service. 



"We regard the conservation of ground waters for irrigation 

 as a matter of so mu'ch importance as to call for protective legislation. 



"We favor the passage of senate bill No. 4624, last session 

 Fifty-ninth congress, as herein amended, said amended bill being as 

 follows: 



"That subject to rules and regulations to be prescribed by 

 the secretary of the interior; the owner, in fee simple, or a claimant 

 under any general or special law of the United States, of any land 

 included within the limits of a reservoir site, now or hereafter ap- 

 proved by the secretary of the interior under the provisions of the 

 act of congress entitled, 'An Act to Amend the Timber Culture Laws, 

 and for Other Purposes/ approved March 3, 1891, and acts amenda- 

 tory thereof, may, at the option of such owner or claimant, relinquish 

 or convey such land, so included in an approved reservoir site, to 

 the United States, and upon the completion of the reservoir so 

 approved, personally select in lieu of the land so relinquished or con- 

 veyed an equal area, as nearly as possible, in compact form, of the 

 unappropriated non-timbered public domain of the United States 

 subject to homestead entry, and not withdrawn under the reclamation 

 act, in the same state or territory; and the secretary of the interior 

 shall, by due and appropriate muniments of title, place such owner 

 or claimant in the same relation as to the United States to the 

 title, possession and right of possession of the lieu land thus selected 

 as such owner or claimant sustained to the land relinquished at the 

 time the relinquishment was made. 



"Section 2. The right of selection as herein provided shall apply 

 to lands relinquished within reservoir sites to be constructed under 

 the reclamation act and in such cases the right of selection may be 

 exercised whenever deemed advisable by the secretary of the interior. 



"Believing that too much capital, public and private, can not 

 and will not be invested in the reclamation of arid lands, it is the 

 sense of this congress that government as well as private enterprise 

 should not unnecessarily interfere with nor prevent government 

 enterprises from constructing reservoirs or other works for re- 

 claiming arid lands. 



"Whereas, The intelligent conservation of soil moisture will pro- 

 mote an increased duty of water under projects already developed 

 and its extension to additional lands adjacent thereto, and 



"Whereas, The same principles will enable successful cultivation 

 by dry farming of immense areas, the tillage of which is now precari- 

 ous or impracticable ; 



"Therefore, We heartily indorse the investigations along these 

 lines by the department of agriculture, and recommend the dissemi- 

 nation of information as to better methods of soil agriculture, sup- 

 plemented by the establishment of experimental stations and model 

 farms in the newly developing districts of the arid and semi-arid 

 regions. 



"We recommend the enactment of a federal law providing pen- 

 alties for unlawful interference with federal headgates and other 

 federal irrigation works. 



"Whereas, the eleventh National Irrigation Congress, in Septem- 

 ber, 1903, inadvertently adopted a resolution indorsing Zea Mays :is 

 the national floral emblem, 



"Therefore, We rescind said resolution. 



"We recommend that the congress of the United States consider 

 the extension of the jurisdiction of the United States courts to 

 provide for the judicial determination of water rights on interstate 

 streams. 



"Inasmuch as the sugar beet industry in irrigated America re- 

 turns to the farmers an annual revenue of over $20,000,000, and as 

 the production at home of the sugar we now import from the tropics 

 would afford our farmers an additional market for beets amounting 

 to $100,000,000, and as it has been urged that the United States 

 congress further stimulate the sugar industry of the Philippine islands 

 to produ'ce all or a portion of the sugar we of arid America had hoped 

 to produce, 



"Therefore, We protest against any further legislation favoring 

 Philippine sugar, and urge that legislative agitation and attacks upon 

 the sugar production of this country cease, that this great industry 

 of arid America may be fully developed. 



"We thoroughly appreciate the interest shown by President 

 Roosevelt in irrigation, as evidenced by his letter to this con- 

 gress, and extend to him our thanks for his untiring support of 

 national reclamation of the arid and semi-arid lands; and we ex- 

 press our hearty appreciation of the patriotic address of Vice-Presi- 

 dent Fairbanks, wherein as a broad-minded American he so unquali- 

 fiedly indorsed the puTpOses of this congress, and having in view the 

 best interests of our entire nation so forcibly urged the merit of 

 the reclamation of arid lands. 



"We extend thanks to the local press and the press in general 

 for its generous notice and fair consideration. 



"Our thanks are tendered to Hon. L. W. Shurtliff, Senator 

 Thomas H. Carter and Governors Chamberlain and Mead for the 

 able and impartial manner in which they have presided over our 

 deliberations. We also extend our thanks to Hon. Montie B. Gwinn, 

 and to the other executive officers for their untiring work and efforts 

 in making this one of the most interesting and instructive sessions 

 in the history of irrigation congresses. 



"We extend our hearty and sincere thanks to the people of 

 Idaho, and particularly to the people of Boise, for their splendid 

 welcome, kindly courtesy and marked hospitality, and we shall carry 

 to our respective homes the most pleasant recollections of our visit 

 to this state and its capital city." 



NOTES OF THE CONGRESS. 



The state of Washington was represented by a 

 strong delegation headed by Governor Mead, E/W. 

 Ross, land commissioner of the state, Judge Cyrus 

 Happy, Spokane; L. W. McLean, Spokane; Walter N. 



Granger, Zillah; Henry B. Scudder, North Yakima; 

 E. C. Burlingame, Walla Walla; H. A. Hoover, 

 Hoover; John F. Green, Harrington; D. S. Yarwood, 

 Mohler, and many others. Washington will probably 

 make an effort to secure the sixteenth congress. 



The Congress was exceedingly fortunate in secur- 

 ing the attendance of Vice-President Charles Warren 

 Fairbanks, who delivered one of the best speeches of 

 the entire session. The fact of the matter is that the 

 speech of Vice-President Fairbanks was a wonder in its 

 way, as he displayed an accurate knowledge of con- 

 ditions connected with irrigation affairs, and was withal 

 so hearty and kindly disposed towards his subject and 

 hearers, that he won the hearts of all. It was the gen- 

 eral impression of those who heard him that the man 

 who started the report that he is cold and unresponsive, 

 is a maligner of the deepest dye. His entire speech and 

 conduct throughout his stay at Boise was such as to re- 

 fute any such charges, and should he ever visit the West 

 again, a rousing welcome will be accorded him. We are 

 presenting, on another page, Vice-President Fairbanks' 

 speech. 



In the absence of Governor Pardee, Judge Shurt- 

 liff took the position of presiding officer and later 

 assigned Senator Carter, Governor Chamberlain and 

 Governor Mead of Washington to the task, all of whom 

 filled the chair creditably and well. 



The new president, the Hon. Geo. E. Chamber- 

 lain, made a good impression on the delegates and 

 will make a good presiding officer of the fifteenth 

 congress. 



Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Kurtz, of Ephrata, Pa., were 

 in attendance as delegates and were much interested 

 in the work of the congress. Mr. Kurtz was a dele- 

 gate from his state to the Ogden congress. 



The Hon. L. Davis, Under Secretary,, department 

 of public works, Sydney, N. S. W., was a visitor at 

 the congress and made the acquaintance of many promi- 

 nent delegates. Mr. Davis stated that a recent congress 

 of irrigationists in his country was about equal in 

 point of attendance to that of Boise, which shows 

 that the people of his far-off country are alive to the 

 importance of this great subject. 



The New Mexico delegation, composed of R. E. 

 Twitchell, Las Vegas; W. A. Fleming Jones, Las 

 Cruces; Professors J. D. Tinsley and J. J. Vernon, 

 of the Agricultural College ; Dr. F. E. Olney and J. B. 

 Mackell, Las Vegas, made a good fight to secure the 

 fifteenth congress for Las Vegas. These gentlemen 

 made many friends for New Mexico and Las Vegas, 

 and feel that they stand a good show to secure the 

 sixteenth congress for their delightful city. 



Nevada was well represented and an effort was 

 made to secure the congress for Reno in 1907. The 

 principal work for Reno was performed by Mr. C. B. 

 Reeves, a hustling lawyer of Ely. Mr. Reeves made 

 many friends for his state among the delegates. 



The fourteenth National Irrigation Congress will 

 go down in history as one of the most successful as 

 well as harmonious meetings since its organization. 

 The different interests worked together for the common 

 good and it is clear to those who have made a study 

 of the situation that the disturbing element noticeable 

 in past meetings has been subdued. 



One of the large questions brought before the 

 Congress was the settlement of interstate water rights. 

 A resolution to transfer the settlement of water rights 



