410 Proceedings oe the 



homes for in the vast arid and semi-arid regions of 

 the West when we put water upon those semi-arid and 

 arid lands! Incidentally, I wish to remark that the 

 district I represent has more tillable acres than all of 

 Japan, and while we have 200,000 population or less, 

 Japan is supporting 43,000,000 of people. With irri- 

 gation we can accommodate as dense a population as 

 is supported on any equal sized territory in any part 

 of the world. Mine is one of the seven congressional 

 districts of Kansas, and Kansas but a small portion of 

 the territory that can and will be irrigated by means 

 of the irrigation law. The subject I desire to present 

 is this: You are interested in matters that are vitally 

 important to irrigation. Important because of the 

 conservation of water by the forests at the head of 

 streams which supply water for irrigation. The tim- 

 ber should be preserved in order to conserve this water. 

 You are also interested in another subject which has 

 been spoken of by several, which if handled rightly, 

 will add largely to the funds of the great irrigation 

 movement. This is the sale of the timber on the public 

 domain for something near its value. We are some- 

 thing of an impetous people in Kansas, and have seen 

 times when we had to be somewhat practical. I am 

 glad to add, however, that we are very prosperous at 

 present. We Kansans who are interested in irrigation 

 feel that the matter of changing our laws in regard to 

 the sale of timber at something near its value, should 

 be consummated, and that soon. We Kansans are 

 urgent in the matter and would go direct to the source 

 of the difficulty delaying such action. It should have 

 been arranged at the last session of Congress, or even 

 before that, in my opinion. 



The great irrigation convention held at El Paso, 

 Texas, in November, 1904, composed of men from 



