| Show TALK O ON IRRIGATION IG TION n f r fr f SALT LAKE A SALT LAKE CITY p H w A August 24 1894 1894 a thanks of the irrigation corn com m p non D are due to 0 you for tor your editorial r a a N ws r referring t rID to the r address recently issued to the people of Utah concerning o the Irrigation Con Con- Congress stress gress to be held at Denver during the first week in ID September It Is ia strange but true that it seems necessary now to urge orge upon the people generally the importance of ot this this ques ques- question question question tion to remind them of the prestige already gained by Utah In iD this great work and aDd of ot the urgent necessity that now DOW at the critical time in the history of the new State tate great advantages can be gained if it we can caD continue to take the lead in this thie discussion and andIn andin andin In formulating the pla plans which it Is ia believed will III soon be finally decided upon as al the one ODe great method which the mountain states are ready to sup sup sup- support support port earnestly and aDd honestly until suc suc- success success cess shall crown crOWD their efforts I Since the convention here bere the ques tion Ion question has bas been discussed from all aU stand stand- standpoints standpoints points and in all aU directions direction Three years leara have bave pa passed ed and aDd yet no settled policy has been decided upon The East a at last forced to recognize the necessity of opening up the great bodies bodiel of 01 idle lands by rea reason on of ot the demands ot of the unemployed is ia looking to the West and aDd asking What are your our pl plans II Give them to us quick I cannot now DOW do so 10 three years have been taken up in di discussion ou ion and people differ greatly as to methods This Thle must be settled and it is hoped that the action of the Denver will go far tar towards determining the many questions Involved In 1891 the Governor of Utah called the first Irrigation Congress That convention drew strong men trope rom irom the states and the proceedings were published far and wide It wa that the time and place of meeting were most moet appropriate and great credit was ae cheerfully accorded to Utah for grasp graIl ing grasping and Improving its Us opportunity in fD starting an agitation so 80 important then and which many now believe will soon loon develop Into a movement which the East and West Welt alike will consider the theone OD one great question for or the country in general California was wal represented it that congress congre s by Hon M M Estee Eltee W H Mills Mille John P Irish and aDd usher her strong men including Hon HOD C CWright C irrigation Wright author of ot the famous tion law which is II now being favorably by other states i Stewart and Francis Franola G U Newlands represented Nevada Hon WA Clark was in atte aUe dance from Montana und and Senator Warren WarreD from Wyoming Ea- Ea Governor Ex-Governor Governor Thomas Editor Good Goud JUdge W H King and aDd other well known Utah men took ook prominent parts parte i in D the proceedings of ot the convention The results of that work were en- en endorsed endorsed en endorsed by the Utah Legislature 2 ot of 2 1891 which memorialized Congress In favor lavor of the cession plan plaD It is II not the purpose of ot this oom- oom com com- communication communication mu to argue for tor or agai against nIt the action already taken by Utah's representatives representatives and legislators In Ina a subsequent quent communication I shall be glad to state the arguments which have been generally used during the past palt few years yeara concerning the cession cellion The congress held at Los LOI Angeles in 1898 1893 was not DOt well attended from tb the mountain states It was wal essentially a California convention although many man strong men were in ID attendance from other sections of ot the country Much bJ Information wa wap was at a t I this convention by Major Pi Pt well Richard J Jr Hinton F H Newell Newel rep rep- representing rep representing resenting government departments The conflicting opinions of ot the toe dele dele- delegates delegates gates in attendance at this convention could not be reconciled in many res- res respects res respects Valuable Valuable ble work was wal performed however it was wa decided to appoint executive commissions from each of the 17 states directly Interested ted also to provide for state commissioners charged with the duty of In- In Investigating investigating in investigating the conditions and aDd needs Deeds of ot each state and to give the same to the next which reports it was hoped a settled policy could be decided upon and a bill pre pre- prepared prepared prepared pared to be pre presented to the next Con COD Congress gress of the United States The reports of the commissioners were also alao ex- ex expected to be so complete th that t perman perman- permanent permanent ent recommendation could be made for local laws and aDd regulations for tor the state legislatures State commissioners are now work work- working working working ing under onder this thia plan and reports from the general committee indicate that the r reports porto will be valuable and ami the delegations from rom the various states will be large and active From this It must most be seen that Utah must be up and alid doing dolog in order that our interests my may b be properly represented Angeles Angele congress adopted a series seriel of resolutions some of which were radical and with which Utah people can not now Agree gree Declarations were made concerning the condemnation of vested veIled Water eater ri rights for tor public use and concerning the division of or state inter-state streams under Federal authority which I think thinka a good many Utah Utan people would ob- ob object ob object to The Denver congress will take up these questions in a vigorous manner Now regardless of ot pet theories all allcan can oan agree upon tb the great importance ot of the general question and aDd upon the necessity ot of quick action concerning the bole matter No matter whether we believe that thet if f the government should cede the arid land to the states public lands would w soon loon be converted into private snaps or whether we think the states can be trusted and that any other method will be too slow we must all allagree allagree allagree agree that bat some plan must be decided upon in order that the great opportunIty opportunity opportunity ity now DOW presented to the people of ot the arid West may not be lost It will ill be worse than thana a a blunder it if the people of the New West should by reps reason reaS D of differences dl among them them- themselves themselves selves prevent quick action upon some ome reasonable basis Millions of people In ID dl distress tress want homes thousands of young men desire now as ae never before to take up u p their acres The new Dew states want the new people They need Deed them in iD their business Idaho and Utah in parti particular ular want the de- de de development development of new Dew farms to stand their ebare bare of taxation which otherwise will grow grofF heavier in the near future interest in the coming congress Is II becoming great It is for many rea- rea reasons reasons rea reasons sons everybody's business to push the claims of ot the West and anti to assist in creating a sentiment in favor of addi addi- additional additional additional appropriations by Congre Congress for tor surveys of public lands land appropriations for building such action a as aswill aswill will allow somebody else to do it a as aswell aswell well a as for tor appropriations for rivers rivera and harbors in the older states Utah nah s opinions Utah's lays lawe goo customs are interesting later ting to 0 the rest reet 0 o othe t the couLtry Looked upon as a a leader and od her bar claims recognized In this re re- re respect respect by all aU we must mun be well ened at the Denver congress The story tory of ot the early struggle in Utah where labor only w was available in the development of ot irrigation is ii repeated in ID every gathering where the subject Is under discussion The story tory of ot the efforts of ot the Pioneers in inaugurating the system here bere I in n 8 Suit Salt Lake as a related to o the Irrigation Congress by President Wilford Woodruff has bas been told and retold all aU over this broad land Early struggles here force torce all to give Utah settlements the first place in the his his- history history tory bil-tory tory of American Irrigation Greeley comes next then Riverside It is ii not necessary sary ary to refer reter to 10 the many important important tant questions q affecting the work of Irrigation and colonization which willbe will willbe be brought up at Denver The importance of a question which means cam finally of acres fit for the bowed of ot men ii is so 10 great real that the leading men of 01 the mountain Inter states may ma may maywell well take a joint interest latent In discussing ing it The question Is if being asked by the general committee e and by people all over the Can CaD the West grasp graap a great opportunity Let us u answer that Utah people can ris rise to the occasion and do well their share towards toward solving solvin the problems connected with this question quenion Utah will wUl experiment e wisely wifely with the million acres given to it by the enabling act and it if in the course of legislation in inthe the near DeAr future another million is given probably no objection will be railed raised bythe by bythe the people of the great new State But right now our duty is ii to give our ex- ex experiences ex experience and our best belt efforts effort to the people of ot the other states W who bo are to meet on common ground round to consider what Is to be tor for the but beat interests of the arid west C E For Por the I Irrigation Commission lon |
