Show UT AU THE PIONEER LAND Of b J Bf liON IN C. C f TIMES lIMES L AS ViElL AS III National Movement Started fifi cn Yrs Years ADo Ajo Has Spread Until It Is i That an International A tion Will V Be C Started Soon I Ralph B. B Twit Twitchell heU secretary of th the board of ot control of tho sixteenth national na con congress res is for the tho statement that although the tho pioneers pio pio- Doors of ot Utah score the tho first successful irrigators in modern timeR times tIbO tho science I of irrigation had bad been developed to ft n high de degree decree ree by the tho prehistoric races ot of this country Mantry Most of this pro progress ho says was wa 35 made in what t is is now flow th th sonth 1 part of the United States Slates and Mexico exico There in the tho days before even the early Spanish explorer came canie the de desert sort was made to blossom like Jike tho the TOBO an and rich harvests were the rewards for intelligent distribution of water over the tho arid and and semiarid semi ter ter- Among tho Indians however irrigation ir ir- ir- ir ri tion had practically become a lost ost art rt until it was revived d by the pioneers who settled Salt Lake valloy valley in 18 1 In a sketch of tho the sixteen years of activity activity ac no- of the national irrigation congress con con- gress gres re S Mr Twitchell says Prehistoric Irrigation Centuries before there thero was any dvm dv- dv m tion alon along the Atlantic toast coast s section tion of the tho country countI there were effectual though b crude systems systems' of irrigation in operation in in the thc southwest portion of r Jo i Vi 1 Th ThA Tho Writ writer r rh h however ce has often hoard heard rd th the tho statement in tho the eastern and middle western states that idea of grow growing row rowin in ing fruits fraits grain and Ye vegetables on theand tho the and lands of America was firs success successfully fully uI undertaken by the tho Mormon immigrants immigrants grants n ts at the time of tho the settlement ol ot the Great Grent Salt Lake valley Although this thiR is true speaking within the memory of man today roda ims investigation opens the doors of the past and d down wn the vistas of centuries CS C'S form lie MIC- MIC tures of the ditch the hoc hoe the lateral with great reat car carpets ts of verdure I rows of great eat trees clusters of orchard I foliage e and field upon field of growing foods for dusky faced people who populated I a land and landof of sunshine in a in in which it is said without exaggeration can never be bo excelled It is s after investigation in in- in that we wo recognize that in in inthe tho the land of Mexico New Now Mexico and Arizona that the tho prehistoric pioneers of ot irrigation built Quilt and operated the first ditches for purposes of irr irrigation l atton and in Utah Colorado and southern California a n prehistoric race raco whose descendants arc aro the Pueblo Indians of toda today first practiced the tho science of irrigation led lcd water onto the arid rid lands and made the desert blossom as tho the rose Work of Mormons It uIt was however the tho Mormon Monnon pioneers pio plo I who revived re the science of irrigation uTi- uTi gation for tho the men of to today and it was most appropriate that fifteen n years ago the first annual session of the tho national irrigation congress was held at Salt Lake City At that time thOro sprung into existence full fledged at its birth tho the organization known as ai the national hr irrigation labon congress the child of the ambition am am- intelligence enc and patriotism of of the tho mon men who e settled in In tho the western land to La I cr create to homes Tho The organization embodied from the tho tart start the combined effort of all classes of f ambitious and patriotic men and women Tho The executive of the nation became interested and participated in the tho movement through his messages to the congress of the United States Ho gave O the movement his personal recognition and attention and today the ideas embodied in in tho the resolutions passed b by the sessions of the congress durin duHn tho last fifteen ha have havo become years 0 crystal into a fixed policy for this govern vern- vern mente Work of ot Congress The national p irrigation con congress is 38 a deliberative and advisory bod body co composed posed of delegates from all coun coun- tries states and districts chosen to represent ent their respective districts and endowed with special qualifications by way of experience observation and md study f and thoroughly equipped in rendering ren ren- ren- ren dering valuable m assistance in the tho con con- tion f of irrigation tion problems and The Tho personnel of the con congress ess embraces em em- braces the hi highest hot officers in tho gen gen- oral eral government governors and legislators legis legis- of states as well as prominent men Inca in all walks of life professional commercial manufacturing agricultural tural stock raising n and finance Although h. h from its ita inception the ho hc national irrigation congress has re ro- re- re official reeo recognition from the tho general government as ag well as immedi ate do recognition from tho the public yet it has with each cach passing year car received more and greater recognition of its usefulness and tho the unlimited possibilities ties tics of its value to national national- welfare from governmental headquarters of ot both state and nation The congress has bas received particular attention in in this line lino from the national government under the tho last two administrations Foreign Nations Participate This emphatic appreciation of the tho presidents of the United States and thet 1 t moro more particularly tho the expressions and actions of President Roosevelt has led Jed to tho the samo same point of view and tho same earno action on tho the part of the tho rulers of the nations of tho the eastern continent Not Not flot only have havo tho the the he previous sessions of ot irrigation congress been by attended accredited delegates of I other othor nations na- na lions but even at this early date prior to the sixteenth congress information J IB Is bein being received almost daily of th flu appointment of a lar larger er number of foi fOl olga deJe delegates at than over ever before Amour Amonn those already announced arc are from Germany England Enand gal Porto Rico Mexico and two other South Am American republics One special feature of ot tho coming comina con congress will be bo the report of a com corn appointed at the last session at Sacramento to consider the tho proposition of ot or organizing an international tion congress bain having the same aims and ond objects but upon a broader basis and larger er scope The national reclamation act be came a law y la June Juno 17 1902 and since that date operations under tho a act t have havo I been carried on energetically by ther the r reclamation service In this service aro employed more than skilled engineers engineers engi- engi cup engi and moro more than mon and horses are arc enga engaged ed in tho the construction construction construe construe- tion of great eat irrigation systems in in all an parts of arid and arid semi America That portion of the United States directly under the reclamation act Mt ha has every e reason for congratulation Tho pro progress ress of the work has baa been rapid and every o state of tho the intermountain country has haa been directly benefited bythe by bytho tho the work ork accomplished in the last few years rears I |