226 PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 



States. You very well know that in central California and northern 

 California we have but little greater population than we had twenty 

 years ago. During this time empires have been made; Texas has been 

 settled up; the Dakotas have developed into populous States, and 

 Nebraska and Kansas have grown to princely power and importance; 

 therefore with all of the natural advantages which we have here, it is 

 time to put ourselves in shape to invite the populations of the world. 

 We can do so when, added to our wonderful climate, we have this vast 

 body of reclaimed land, matchless in fertility, and cheap water trans- 

 portation, almost at the very doors of the settlers. 



Now a thing like this, an agitation that must aim at so much, must 

 be carefully planned. This talk at this Convention is but preliminary. 

 It will be forgotten, perhaps, to-morrow or next week unless something 

 is done, but it is the business of the people of California to see that, 

 something is done; in the first place, that this great plan shall be 

 thoroughly understood by all the people of California. Bring it- to the 

 attention of your local press, the editor of your local paper. Get a 

 number of the "Great West," that publication in which these several 

 papers from the Government office were published — November 30th, I 

 believe. Show that to your local editor. Interest the members of your 

 local improvement association. The chambers of commerce should take 

 this up by special meetings and determine that it shall be made a 

 special subject for California. Let California unite in this one thing 

 now, centralize, concentrate, and we shall help to bring forward this 

 great national project which will do more for the American people than 

 anything which has been proposed for the last fifty years. (Applause.) 



At the request of President Jeffrey, Mr. King assumed the chair. 



THE CHAIRMAN. Are there any questions you wish to ask? 



MR. JUDD. Has there been any general plan covering any par- 

 ticular section, or is it a general plan covering all the State that you 

 have got in shape, so that the public will understand where it is and 

 what it is for ? 



MR. SPRAGUE. The plan of the National Waterways Commission 

 is that Congress shall appropriate, say $50,000,000 a year to inaugurate 

 this project; that it shall be left to the Government bureaus, as the 

 irrigation projects have been left to those bureaus, after careful exam- 

 ination into the facilities afforded, to determine what project shall be 

 undertaken. And so we want to be particularly careful in California 

 to refrain from urging that this project or that project be undertaken 

 now, but say to that commission or the whole United States, we are 

 content to have this matter inaugurated as soon as possible and when 

 the time shall arrive to determine which project shall be undertaken 

 first we then shall desire to be heard on the merits of the case. We 

 expect that Petaluma Creek and the waterway to Napa and all other 



