THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



405 



NEWELL HAS BIG TIME AMONG CANADIANS 



Succeeds in Dominating Irrigation Congress at Calgary 



tfPHE Calgary meeting of the International Irri- 

 1 gation Congress will long be remembered 

 from the fact that it was absolutely dominated by 

 officials of the Reclamation Service from Frederick 

 Haynes Newell down," says a prominent Western 

 engineer and irrigation expert in a letter to THE 

 IRRIGATION AGE. "You are no doubt aware what 

 Mr. Newell's affiliations have been, and that they 

 are now with Pinchot, Roosevelt and the Progres- 

 sive party, who have no use for the present adminis- 

 tration in Washington. 



"The resolutions of the Irrigation Congress 

 were dictated by Mr. Newell, and they take a direct 

 slap at the United States Congress and national ad- 

 ministration. The idea of Newell and his associ- 

 ates to obtain all the power possible over the set- 

 tlers under irrigation projects, after the works are 

 completed, would seem to conflict with President 

 Wilson's idea that when the engineering work is 

 done, the projects should be managed by business 

 men in harmony with the settlers. . 



"These differences of viewpoint were apparent 

 in everything done by Mr. Newell and his subordi- 

 nates at the Irrigation Congress. There were so 

 few outsiders present at the meeting, aside from 

 those living in Canada, who do not understand the 

 matter, that Mr. Newell and his associates were 

 practically allowed to do as they pleased. 



"It seems to me that the present administration 

 can not long endure the insults which it is receiv- 

 ing at the hands of some of the officials now in 

 charge of the Reclamation Service." 



At any rate, Mr. Newell seems to have had a 

 very good time at the Congress. He was introduced 

 as the special representative of the United States 

 government and given at least three or four places 

 of honor on the program of speakers. 



And when he had spoken himself hoarse, the 

 delegates were given a free ride to "Lake Newell," 

 the big reservoir of the Canadian Pacific Railroad 

 irrigation project near Calgary. 



Another Western man, who visited "Lake 

 Newell," writes this question to THE AGE: 



"Did F. H. Newell act as consulting engineer 

 for the Canadian Pacific Railroad during the con- 

 struction of its irrigation project?" 



THE AGE has no authentic information with 

 which to answer this question. 



The meeting of the Congress may also be 

 memorable as the last gathering of what was once 

 one of the greatest organizations working for the 

 upbuilding of the West. The delegates adopted a 

 resolution urging the amalgamation of the Irriga- 

 tion Congress with the International Dry Farming 

 Congress. 



As more than 120,000 persons attended the Dry 

 Farming meeting and exposition at Wichita, Kan., 

 the "amalgamation" will probably consist largely 

 of a swallowing of the Irrigation Congress. It may 



not even be permitted by the "Dry Farmers" to 

 stage an irrigation side-show. 



Canadian Pacific Railway officials and land ex- 

 perts dominated largely the program, when Mr. 

 Newell was not speaking, lecturing or extending 

 greetings from the President, the Secretary of the 

 Interior and the Reclamation Service. 



Prominent American irrigation experts, who 

 had been invited to speak, were paid rather scant 

 courtesy, although their addresses were the most 

 notable features of the meeting. 



"The real reason for the existence of the Inter- 

 national Irrigation Congress is that of helpfulness," 

 said J. B. Case, of Kansas, who was elected presi- 

 dent of the congress. "Its reason for existence is 

 that it is an honest attempt on the part of men of 

 different ideas from different sections to work out 

 a system of betterment for those who till the soil. 

 Back of it is the one principle that every family is 

 entitled to enough land to sustain itself. This 

 proposition of enough land for every family is so 

 broad that it embraces more possibilities for happi- 

 ness and free government than any other material 

 condition. 



"The land owner is master, and he who is master 

 of the soil controls the government, happiness, 

 morals and destiny of the people. There is no joy 

 like living under one's own roof. Few men will 

 fight for their neighbors, but all will fight to pro- 

 tect their homes. The naked and hungry can never 

 make ideal citizens, and the wildest anarchist and 

 agitator becomes tame when he gets the possession 

 of property or has a bank account. "- 



E. F. Benson, president of the Washington Irri- 

 gation Institute, dealt with the irrigation conditions 

 in Washington. 



"If we would hear less about the high cost of 

 living and the difficulty of getting food at reason- 

 able prices," said Mr. Benson, "we must help the 

 irrigation farmer to make more of his opportunities 

 and get more men on irrigated land. In this regard 

 public sentiment would have to be awakened. As 

 soon as it was demonstrated that greater produc- 

 tion was needed, more land would be placed under 

 cultivation." 



The general resolutions of the Congress offered 

 this suggestion for the solution of the problems of 

 the Federal irrigation projects of the United States : 



."Resolved, That we recommend the passage by 

 Congress of an act authorizing the Secretary of the 

 Interior to enter into contracts with irrigation dis- 

 tricts created under state law, by which the re- 

 sponsibility and control of each reclamation project 

 arising from the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902, 

 may be turned over to an irrigation district organ- 

 ized under said law ; and in the case of interstate 

 projects, we recommend that suitable Federal laws 

 be enacted by which interstate irrigation districts 

 may be formed ; and in order that Federal projects 

 may be turned over to the landowners as contem- 



