DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



33 



by the Executive Committee, subject to the approval of the Congress then 

 in session. The selection of place of future meeting shall be made a special 

 order during the closing session of the Congress. A majority vote of the 

 Congress shall be necessary to approve the action of the Executive Com- 

 mittee.' " 



3^IR. BUFFU^NI: I move the adoption of the resolution. 



The motion was duly seconded, put to a vote and declared carried. 



CHAIRMAN DERN: I am informed that His Excellency, the Gov- 

 ernor of Kansas, has addressed a letter to this Congress, and I will ask 

 ^Ir. A. T. Evans to now read this letter to the Convention. Gentlemen, 

 ^Ir. Evans, of Utah. (Applause.) 



MR. A. J. EVANS (Utah): Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:— 

 I can only conceive of one reason why I should have been selected to read 

 the letter from His Excellency the Governor of Kansas. It must have 

 been that he has become acquainted with my political aspirations, and 

 thinking that perhaps I would never realize their fulfillment he would 

 give me the opportunit}' of reading a letter written by a governor. (Ap- 

 plause.) 



yir. Fisher Harris, President, Trans-J\Iissouri Dr}- Farming Congress, Salt 

 Lake City. 



Topeka, Kansas, Jan. 9, 1908. 



My Dear Sir: — I have convened the Kansas Legislature in extraordi- 

 nary session and will be overwhelmed with official matters in this con- 

 nection when your great Congress assembles on the 22nd of this month. 

 It will be impossible therefore for me to attend, as I must deny myself 

 this great privilege and pleasure for the reasons stated. But I beg to ex- 

 press to you and through you to the great body over which you will pre- 

 side my profound interest in the great work the Congress will meet to 

 consider and foster. 



A line drawn north and south across a map of the United States 

 through St. Louis, for instance, will reveal the fact that about one-third 

 of the territor}' of this country lies east of that line, while an investigation 

 will also reveal the fact that two-thirds of the present population of this 

 country is east of that line. That is to say that two-thirds of the territory 

 but onl}^ one-third of the population of this country lies west of a line 

 drawn north and south through the cit}' of St. Louis. It is conservativel}^ 

 estimated that the population of this country in forty years from now will 

 be two hundred million, and that in less than 100 years it will be five 

 hundred million. This additional population must largely find homes west 

 of the line described. Finding homes they must find subsistence. Scien- 

 tific farming must largely solve this problem for all the arid and semi- 

 arid territory in this country is west of the line described. These simple 

 facts should suggest the great field of operation with which your Congress 

 will have to do and suggest the great problem which it will be its business 

 to help solve. Surely such an undertaking is worth}^ of the best thought 



