198 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



League Club that Mr. Maxwell was repudiated by the 

 National Irrigation Congress held at Portland, Oregon, 

 and a resolution was passed by that body that neither 

 his organization, the National Irrigation Association 

 nor any other allied organizatioa was authorized to 

 collect money in the name of the National Irrigation 

 Congress. Since that time Mr. Maxwell has never 

 appeared at any of the Irrigation Congresses. It is 

 also a well known fact that this gentleman tried to 

 kill the National Irrigation Congress by having it 

 merged with another organization known as the Trans- 

 Mississippi Congress. 



If all of these facts had been made public so 

 that the members of the Union League Club could 

 have understood his position it is doubtful if they 

 would have acted so hastily. 



Another question which naturally arises in the 

 minds of those who are acquainted with the situation 

 is, where does George H. Maxwell secure his support, 

 and from whom is money gotten to pay for all of the 

 time and expense incident to work of this character. 

 Is it possible that he is on the pay-roll of the For- 

 estry or Reclamation Service? It may not be a bad 

 idea to find out if Mr. Maxwell is employed by one 

 or both of these organizations, and an effort will be 

 made to learn why he takes so active a part in forestry 

 affairs when he has had no direct interest in the sub- 

 ject heretofore. It is well known that some of Mr. 

 Maxwell's relatives have been on the pay-roll of the 

 Reclamation Service and no doubt some of his friends 

 are on the pay-roll of the Forestry Bureau, and there 

 could be no serious objection made to this provided 

 their whole time is spent in carrying out work which 

 may be classed as legitimate in connection with one 

 or both of these bureaus. 



It is doubtful, however, if the law contemplates 

 paying a salary to an individual who is going around 

 the country inducing commercial and other organiza- 

 tions to pass resolutions supporting some particular 

 propaganda favored by the heads of the Forestry or 

 Reclamation Bureaus. . 



It is the impression of the IRRIGATION AGE that 

 this matter should be looked into and the relationship 

 between Mr. Maxwell and the Messrs. Pinchot and 

 Newell be clearly explained. 



This subject may be taken up later on after we 

 have had time to investigate it more thoroughly. 



Won't Quit 

 Yet. 



After all that has been said one way and 

 another concerning Edward H. Harri- 

 man, the head of the Union and South- 

 ern Pacific Systems, it is gratifying to learn that he 

 lias no intention of retiring from the railroad business 

 as was suggested by some of the newspapers a few 

 months ago. 



On his birthday a year ago he thought that an- 

 other twelve months would find him ready to quit the 

 railroad business, but he has recently stated that there 

 are still too many moves to be made before his final 

 retirement, and he will not stop to consider the sub- 

 ject of retirement until complications in the indus- 

 trial development of the West have been sufficiently 

 evened up to enable him to establish a clear track 

 ahead for his successors, and until then Mr. Harri- 

 man thinks he owes it to the forty thousand stock- 

 holders and one hundred and fifty thousand employees 

 of this great system to remain in the harness. 



Whenever unfair criticisms have appeared in the 

 newspapers concerning Mr. Harriman it has always 

 brought to mind the heroic work done by him at the 

 time of the San Francisco earthquake and fire. To 

 one who was in touch with the conditions as was the 

 writer, and who clearly comprehended the tremendous 

 responsibility resting on his shoulders at that time 

 it is difficult to understand how a man with a great 

 property in apparent jeopardy could devote time to 

 relieve the suffering of the thousands who were unable 

 to help themselves. 



Mr. Manson, of a well known banking concern in 

 Chicago, mentioned something of Mr. Harriman's 

 work in a short talk made before the National Irriga- 

 tion Congress at Sacramento, California, last Septem- 

 ber. The writer traveled eastward on the same train 

 with Mr. Manson immediately after the earthquake 

 and both had a good opportunity to study the results 

 of Mr. Harriman's kindness and generosity. Train 

 after train passed us going westward loaded with pro- 

 visions for the suffering on the coast, and every car 

 was hauled free of cost from whatever point it reached 

 the Harriman system to its destination through the 

 kindness and generosity of E. H. Harriman. This 

 is only one instance of the many which are quoted by 

 the employees and friends of Mr. Harriman. 



There is no doubt that many throughout the West 

 criticize him as they think justly, but to thousands 

 who know the man and the difficulties he has encoun- 

 tered in the upbuilding of a system which was in 

 almost ruinous shape when he took it over, it is easy 

 to understand how some of his methods may have 

 been misunderstood. The general trend of his work, 

 however, has been toward the welfare of the west 

 and the thousands of people who are more or less 

 dependent upon his great system. That Mr. Harri- 



