THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



361 



An address by Dr. J. W. McGee, secretary of the 

 Inland Waterways Commission, on the "Natural Move- 

 ment of Waters in Sub- Arid United States," was an 

 extremely interesting paper and we hope in some future 

 issue to publish it in full. 



The attendance of representatives of foreign coun- 

 tries was very gratifying to the delegates and much valu- 

 able information was obtained through the talks de- 

 livered by these gentlemen. 



Spokane, after a spirited fight with the delegation 

 from Colorado, who were working for Pueblo as the next 

 meeting place of the Congress, won the honor of enter- 

 taining the seventeenth session of the National Irriga- 

 tion Congress in that delightful city. While very many 

 of the delegates were inclined to favor Pueblo as the 

 next meeting place, it was thought better to give the 

 honor to Spokane so that some of the advantages of the 

 inter-mountain country in the northwest would thereby 

 become more generally known. Spokane is one of the 

 most beautiful cities in the United States and has some 

 of the best hotels to be found west of Chicago. It is 

 the general impression that all delegates to- the Seven- 

 teenth Congress will be royally entertained by the wide- 

 awake citizens of that metropolis of the inland empire. 

 The railways centering in Pueblo were represented by 

 very able men and a strong fight was made by them to 

 secure the Congress for Pueblo, and while there was some 

 criticism concerning some of the lines the IRRIGATION 

 AGE is in position to say that all of the representatives 

 of the lines centering in Pueblo used every effort to 

 secure the Congress for that city, in fact many of the 

 best known railway representatives worked to accom- 

 plish this end, and the citizens of Pueblo owe a vote 

 of thanks to these men for the splendid work done on 

 behalf of their city. It is the hope of the members 

 generally that Pueblo may have an opportunity some 

 day to entertain the Congress. It is understood that a 

 strong fight will be made for Pueblo at the meeting next 

 year. 



The membership of the Permanent Board of Con- 

 trol of Governors is as follows: George E. Barstow, 

 Fred J. Kiesel, W. J. McGee, B. A. Fowler and W. A. 

 Beard. One vacancy remains to be filled on this board 

 and it is doubtful who may be appointed. There is 

 plenty of good material and it is strange that the matter 

 was left open. It is the impression of THE IRRIGATION 

 AGE that the sixth member of this board of control 

 should have been selected from some of the railway men 

 who were in attendance. Mr. Costello, of the Great 

 Northern; Mr. Mott, of the Northern Pacific; Messrs. 

 Merritt or Seagraves, of the Santa Fe or Mr. Wantland, 

 of the Union Pacific; Mr. McAllister, of the Southern 

 Pacific, and Mr. King, of the Missouri Pacific, are all 

 available and would add much strength to the combina- 

 tion, as the advice of a practical railroad man on a 

 board of this character would be of unquestioned value. 

 It is believed that some one of the gentlemen named 

 may be appointed as the sixth member. 



In conclusion, it may not be out of place to again 

 refer to George H. Maxwell, who is criticised in the 

 early lines of this article. Mr. Maxwell possesses many 

 fine qualities. He is a good orator, too good, in fact, 

 and is a great organizer, but it is the impression of 

 those who know him best that if he had some good man- 

 ager, such as prize fighters are blessed with, who would 

 either chloroform or handcuff him at stated inter- 

 vals, he would go away from public meetings without 



leaving the impression that the meetings could have 

 gotten along equally as well without him. The man 

 has, as stated above, some good ideas, and if he would 

 express them and then subside his full strength would 

 be apparent, without subjecting his hearers to the inevi- 

 table nauseating effect brought on by conflicting emo- 

 tions. Mr. Maxwell is like many public and after- 

 dinner speakers. The desire to become conspicuous in 

 this line seems to be a mania with him. It is hoped 

 that as years come and go this may be made clear to 

 him so that his efforts may be less strenuous and as a 

 Jesuit more gratifying. 



NOTES ON THE CONGRESS. 



The Spokane delegation came to the Congress firmly 

 determined to win the next meeting for their city. They 

 had as good an equipment of printed matter as has 

 ever been presented and among other things a hundred or 

 more boxes of very fine Washington apples were shipped 

 to Albuquerque and distributed to all the delegates. In 

 fact, Spokane kept an open house in the publicity room 

 of the convention hall and made many friends through 

 the generosity of her delegates. 



The delegates from Pueblo crated a very good im- 

 pression and were earnest in their efforts to secure the 

 Congress for that city. They were handicapped to some 

 extent, however, owing to the fact that Pueblo is only 

 five hundred miles from Albuquerque, and it was 

 the general impression that the Congress should be held 

 at a greater distance from Albuquerque. Much good 

 advertising was secured by the delegates from Pueblo in 

 their effort to secure the Congress and their work will 

 result in much good for their section of Colorado. 



The Santa Fe Railway system is to be compli- 

 mented on the able manner in which its representatives 

 handled their part of the work in connection with the 

 Congress. This is particularly true in the case of Mr. 

 R. E. Twitchell, who carried the burden of all publicity 

 and organizing work with Col. Hopewell, of Albuquer- 

 que. Mr. Twitchell is responsible for securing the Con- 

 gress for Alququerque and has devoted almost the en- 

 tire year to the development of plans for the entertain- 

 ment of delegates and the exploitation of the resources 

 of the territory of New Mexico. The advertising se- 

 cured through his efforts and the Congress can hardly 

 be estimated. It is safe to say that this Congress and 

 the advertising incident thereto is worth millions of 

 dollars to property interests in that territory. 



Governor Curry, of New Mexico, created a very 

 good impression by his good fellowship and energetic 

 work. 



Mr. B. A. Fowler, Secretary, performed his duties 

 in a very satisfactory manner and the general impres- 

 sion was that he should be retained for another term. 



Mr. George E. Barstow, the newly elected president, 

 is a man of wide experience along irrigation lines and is 

 the head of extensive irrigation work in and around 

 Barstow, Texas, and will make an able president. 



The selection of Col. D. H. Loveland, of California, 

 as first vice-president, gives universal satisfaction, as 

 does that of R. E. Twitchell, of New Mexico, as second 



