Imperial Valley press., November 20, 1909, Image 1

About Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current

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Imperial Valley Press.
VOL. IX.
SENATE COMMITTEE
PROMISES RELIEF
Visiting Statesmen Discuss
Problems of Reclamation
With Valley Settlers
Senator Carter Applauds Protest
Against Land Office Practices and
Senator. Jones Says ValJey Does Not
Need Reclamation Service — Direc
tor Newell Willing to Aid.
/ •
Senator Thomas H. Carter, of Mon
tana; Senator F. E. Warren, of Wy
oming, and Senator W. L. Jones, of
Washington, have, assured the set
tlers of Imperial Valley that they will
do what they can to expedite the
settlement of all questions of title and
to procure such modifications of the
land laws and practices of the Land
Office as may be required "to protect
the bona fide reclaimer of desert
land from harrassment and blackmail.
The assurance was given in public
speeches and private conversation
last Saturday night at a reception
given to the visiting statesmen in
the Oregon Hotel at El Centro. Sena
tor Carter is chairman and the oth
ers are members of the Senate Com
mittee on Irrigation, and they have the
power to make their promises good.
Senator Carter took for a text the
following declaration, printed upon
a card and presented to each guest by
the El Centro Chamber of Commerce:
"The settlers of Imperial Valley ask
from the Government only clear ti
tle to the lands they have reclaimed
from the desert, which connotes pro
tection against frivolous and specula
tive contestors. They find that the
existing land laws offer premiums^ojn
perjury, theft and blackmail. Th«jy
think the cases affecting land titles
and claims in this 'region should be
trlod by a court or, a commissioner
in this county, and not by a clerk in
LO3 Angeles. They look to Congress
for a square deal, and are confident
that it will be given to them when
the people's representatives in Wash
ington become acquainted with exist
ing conditions."
The senator began by saying what
everybody says first, — that the Im
perial Valley is a revelation of un
dreamed possibilities of reclamation —
and he paid the usual compliments to
the people on their energy and en
terprise in tackling a region "dedi
cated to desolation through the ages."
He left the impression, without def
inately Committing himself, that he
regarded favorably the proposal that
the government supplement the wprk
already done by constructing a high'
line canal, and he put himself on rec
ord as opposed to the taxation of
possessory rights that may be taken
away from the settler on technicali
ties. The government, he said was
"hypercritical, over-exacting and un
just in its treatment of settlers on'
the frontier" and he was glad to find
the people of Imperial Valley willing
and ready to protest against the in
justice of being subjected to needless
delays and hardships. The system of
the land department, he asserted, was
inherently wrong and was born of
the theory that every man seeking to
acquire a piece of land was a scoun
drel per se. In conclusion, Senator
Carter said: "Your people should
have their titles, and that without
delay."
Senator Warren also promised as
sistance in correcting defects In the
land laws and said the people of the
valley could appeal to him and bis
colleagues as to ' their own represen
tatives. He said he had tried and
would continue his efforts to pro
cure modifications of land office prac
tice and ameiidments to land laws
compelling contestors of claims to give
bonds for the costs of proceedings and
t h- expenses pf contestees.
There was nothing equivocal about
Senator Jones' remarks on the propos
al that the Reclamation Service take
over the valley canal system. He
eaid: "I find, that in inoifc places
whero the government has charge of
reclamation work, thrf people wish It
hadn't. There U no necessity for the
government taking charge of irriga
tion here." . .
W. F. Holt told the senator* that
the valley may need come govern
ment aid in ' solving the problem of
control of the Colorado river and ir
rigation of tbe whole delta. He quot*
, Official Paper of Imperial County and City of El Centro.
p<\ eminent authorities on land val
ues, who had estimated the future
value of the delta, under a compre
lif3nßivG/ system of Irrigation, at $350,
000,000, and said he believed he could
see even greater possibilities with
out overworking an optimistic tem
perament. The present actual value of
$30,000,000 had been . created out of
nothing in ten years, and this year
the valley would send $3,000,000 worth
of products to market. It was plain
to all that not one tenth of the pro
ductive capacity of the delta region
had been developed.
Director Newell, of the, Reclamation
Service, said in part:
"There seems to-be some fear that
the government is going to ram the
Laguna dam , down your throats, but
there is no ground for such a suspi
cion. The government is not a
knight-errant, going about looking for
someone to be aided in spite of him
self. The Reclamation Service was
asked to determine the possibility of
building a canal from the dam into
the vafTey. Such ■ a canal is possi
ble, but it will bet expensive and
you must decide whether or not you
want to build it. Nobody is going to
build it for you. If we can be of
service and you want our aid, we shall
be glad to cooperate. You are the
judges and you pay the bill. The
question of how the canal system
shall, pass into the hands of the peo
ple is one that remains to be solved.
I hold that the land served must
own the canals eventually."
The senators came into the valley
by way of the heading over the line
of the Inter-California railway and
saw the main features of the irriga
tion system. Their special train ran
from Calexico to Brawley and back
to El Centro by daylight, and they
went to Holtville by motor and saw
where the cities of the valley get
their light and power. At the Hotel
Oregon they met many citizens of the
county and pumped information out
of them, and in the evening they were
the guests of W. F. Holt at dinner.
They intended to go to Imperial after
dinner, aud the speaking was cut
short to enable them to start early,
but their train, could not be moved
until after midnight and they were
averse to facing a chill wind in au
tomobiles. The senators said they
were too tired to make the trip, and
they turned in early and went on
their way as soon as the law per
mitted the train c^ew to work.
Accompanying' the senators were:
F. H. Newell, D. D. Henney and L.
W. Hill, of the Reclamation Service;
C. S. Fee, N. R. Martin and H. W.
Smith, of the Southern Pacific; W.
F. Holt, a reporter of the Chicago
Record -Herald, an official reporter and
an assistant sergeant-aUarms.
DEMONSTRATION TRAIN
Project Under Way For Sending Out
Through Southern Cotton Belt
Car of Valley Products.
One of the most interesting pro
jects for publicity discussed at the
meeting- of the\ Imperial County
Chamber of Commerce, v^ast Wednes
day, was that of sending out through
the cotton belt of the South a car
fltted up with a display of cotton and
others Imperial Valley products, |in
charge of two attendants; who will
be able to give interesting talks on
the valley and its resources and op
portunities.
It. is believed that a campaign of
this kind during the , ensuing three
months would bring a great tide of
immigration to Imperial Valley, and
especially would bring the experienc
ed cotton planters of the South, to en
gage in the new industry here.
It is said that the Southern Pa
cific Company has Indicated its will
ingness to assume the burden of
transportation if .the valley Chamber
of Commerce will fit up the car and
furnish the proper attendants.
The project wua .'considered so fa
vorably by members of the Chamber
of Commerce that George A. Carter
its president, was made a committee
to investigate and determine a definite
plan of action.
HAND CRUBHED
Forest Frye, a brakebeam tourist,
had his hand crushed between the
bumpers of freight itacs at a point
on the main line of the Southern Pa
cific in Imperial county, 1 the flrHt of
this week. He was takeu to Yuma
for surgical attention, and Imperial
county will foot the bill.
EL CENTRO, CALIFORNIA, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1909.
GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA'S
VISIT TO IMPERIAL VALLEY
Comes With Carloads of Capital and Conservative Energy to
Aid in the Development of the American Nile and Recog
nizes Wondrous Possibilities of the State's Youngest
County. Three Million Dollar Company to Begin Oper
ations Below the Line Under W. F. Holt's Management.
A carload of capital and construc
tive energy came into Imperial Val
ley this week and got as busy as a
dynamo in a power house. W. F.
Holt brought the load in his private
car "Francisca". There were really
two carloads, an extra Pullman being
coupled to the "Francisca" to carry
the overflow. The cargo consisted of
the Governor of California and stock
holders of the Inter-California Land
Company, representing a capital of
$3,200,000 invested in a project to de
velope and colonize 32,000 acres of
rich delta land just over the ( Mex
ican boundary in the domain of the
C-M Company.
The syndicate was organized by
that human dynamo, Gen. M.,H. Sher
man of Los Angeles, and the members
made it a condition of investment
that the affairs of the company should
be managed by the "Little Giant of
Imperial Valley", W. F. Holt. Mr.
Holt, .therefore, is president and gen
eral manager of the company. It is
the purpose of the company to es
tablish a town on the line of the
railroad, probably at or near Coco
pah station, and to reclaim and put
into cultivation the entire tract of
32,000 acres. The land is all under
the main canal of the valley irrfga
tlon system and has water rights by
virtue of the terms of the Mexican
concession to the C. D. Co. The com
pany probably will put. in cotton;
sugar cane and beets *and other crops
on a large scale and establish var
ious industries, but the details of its
operations have ( not been worked out
yet.
The visitors arrived at the Califor
nia-Mexico ranch near Calexico on
Tuesday and were entertained hos
pitably by Manager Bowker. They,
inspected the lands below the line
during the day and had a feast of
the good things of the valley at the
hacienda in the evening. Wednesday
morning the party came to El Centro (
and made a trip to Holtvllle, where
the Governor was received by a large
delegation of citizens and all the
school children of the city at the
station. Governor Gillett talked to
the children and made friends of aU
the kids in Holtville. After inspec
tion of the power plant, the visitors
returned' to El Centro where another
delagation of school children and cit
izens met the Governor at the sta-
tion. The Governor climbed upon a,
baggage truck and" made another lit
tle speech to the youngsters, and
then shook hands with all of them and
talked with them as if he were the
big, jolly uncle of every kid in the
bunch.
An informal, free-for-all reception
was held in the lobby of the Ore
gon, -and at noon the visitors and a
few El Centrans were the guests of
Gen. Sherman at dinner. There was
no formal speech -making at the din
ner, but there was much talk about
cotton, the visitors having an* un
quenchable thirst for Information on
that subject. After dinner the visi
tors were driven out to cotton plan
tations and to ranches where they
could see the products of the val
ley.
At 2:30 a public reception to the
Governor was held in the opera house;
at 6 p. in. the party dined at the
Oregon, aud at. 7:40 the carloads of
capital, enterprise and good-fellow
ship were coupled to the northbound
train and were whisked out of the
valley.
, J. Stanley Drown acted as chair
man of the meeting at the Opera
House and after some songs by the
school children and music by the De-
Legro Orchestra Governor Glllett was
introducted by Mr. Brown and was
enthusiastically received by the au
dience.
The Governor said:
V Qov. Glllett's .Speeqh
"I cannot convey to you the great
pleasure I have experienced, in the
last two days, In going over this
uew soctlon of the State and ob
serving what the people are doing
here in the way of development and
improvement.
"When I was a school boy, study
ing geography of the United States,
.this section was marked on the map
in large letters, 'THE GREAT AMER
ICAN DESERT,' and we were taught
that life could not exist here below
sea level. Everything that made life
miserable was found here. My child
ren and children's children, when
they study their geographies, will
find in place of the desert the great
flower garden of America.
"I can look forward and see what
this country is coming to. It is the
roost talked of region in the United
States today. Everywhere people are
talking of Imperial Valley. In Sac
ramento, San Francisco and Los An
geles, and in the smaller places, you
will hear the question asked: 'Have
you seen Imperial Valley?'
"This is a remarkable country.^and
it is certain that it is to be one of
the best cotton-growing districts in
American. Nature has given to you
Kere the soil, perpetual sunshine and
an abundance of water to raise the
crops that are necessary for civili
zation. It has been said, and his
tory teaches that it is true, that mud
and civilization go together.
"There are a great many things.
I think, that the State ought to do
for. .you. It should help you to work
out the problems of agriculture and
I. think that the State of California
should come right down to the heart
of this valley and establish an ex
perimental station that will help all
of you. We have one in Riverside,
and they are established in a few
other counties, and as soon as I get
back to the northern part of the
Slate I shall make it my business to
go before the Regents of the State
Uuiyersity,, over which I have the
honor to preside, and tell them to get
busy in this section.
"I came here for the purpose of
getting acquainted with you, and to
see if I could learn something of
this great section of the State." I did
not expect to find a valley of this
kind; I have been wonderfully sur
prised at its material advancement
and development. I have been in all
the valleys of California, and over
most all of the United States, and
I have never found a valley of the
size of Imperial Valley that has so
much fertile soil and such great pos
sibilities for development.
"This is no longer the Great Am
erican Desert, but it is going to be,
and is rapidly becoming one of the
richest section of the State of Cali
fornia.
• "There is no other State In the
Union that can compare with the
Stale of California, and Imperial Val
ley will not stand second to any
other section of this magnificent
State."
Governor Glllett closed his address
with a beautiful tribute to California,
with Its wonderfully varied stretch
of seaboard and inlands, its favorable
climatic conditions and its wonder
fully productive power,, and to the
high clans of its citizenship..
General Chaffee Talks
Lieut. Gen, Adna R. Chaffee spoke
briefly, telling of his surprise at the
remarkable development of Imperial
valley, although he has been more or
less ' in touch with it for the past
four years. lie said:
"I *wan In thia valley two years
ago, and lit that . time I marveled
sit what had been accomplished with
in such a short stretch of years. My
surprise has been by this
visit. Everywhere we have been. we
have found great 1 .progress since the
former visit; wide stretches of land
have been brought under a high
Btate of cultivation, and material
prosperity is to be seeu on all sides.
Your ranches have made wonderful
development and your towns have
grown In proportion. Here in El Cen
tro two years ago' I saw that the
foundation had been laid for a fine
city. I note that you are fulfilling
your' destiny and that this young city
la forging ahead with great strides.
"•I believe that you have yet. many
avenues for advancement, and one of
the chief of these at present Is the
cat tk< Industry. The time should
soon come when you will produce
here a great stock Industry, and the
cotton Industry, just established, Is
to be an Important factor to this end.
Like the Governor, I am deeply im
pressed with the future Importance of
of this great valley, destined to be
come one of the richest parts of our
State."
Members of the party were: Qov.
J. •N. Olllett, Lieut.-Gen. Adna R.
Chaffee, member of the Los Angeles
Aqueduct Commission; Gen. M. H.
Sherman, of the Los Angeles- Pacific
Railroad Company; Maj. John R. Nor
ton, capitalist of Los Angeles; Al
fred Holman, of the San Francisco
Arganaut; Harry Chandler, business
manager of the Los Angeles Times;
W. W. Wilcox and Dan Johnstone, of
Colton; W. F. Holt, George I. Coch
raii, of the Pacific Mutual Insurance
Company; Wm. M. Bowen, former
president of the Los Angeles City
Council ; H. J. Whitley, founder of
Hollywood, and' one of the most
widely known town and colony pro
moters in the West; Ross Whitley,
son of H. J. Whitley; O. T. Joh'nsos
capitalist and owner of the Wesii^ia
ister Hotel, Los Angeles; R. P. Davi^:
sugar beet manufacturer; Ueorjgo V.
Scott, capitalist, of San Francisco,
W. H. Davis, C. H. Lancralerv W^j
Mcßean and J. R. McKinnie, of Los
Angeles.
NOTABLE REALTY DEAL
Bothwell Ranch Passes Into Posses
sion of D. A. Crawford — Big Por- "
tion to Be Planted to Cotton.
One of the most notable realty deals
of the season was closed last week,
when D. A. Crawford became the pos
sessor of the 1200 acres heretofore
held by George W. Bothwell. The
land lies northeast of Brawley.
The consideration was $90,000, part
of which is taken in trade, the Both
well interests taking in exchange for
the valley land a sixty-acre tract near
Ontario, set to oranges.
The entire valley ranch is "under
cultivation and well improved. It has
been rented to T. W. Doddell and J.
C. Milner, who next season will place
five hundred acres of it in cotton.
They will sow 1000 acres to barley
this fall.
MUST NOT DIVERT WATER
Directors of Number Five Adopt Reso
lution Regarding Abuses of Rights
Iri That District.
At the last meeting of the direc
tors of Water Company No. 5, held
at Holtvllle, a resolution was adopted
which provides that it is a breach of
duty by any stockholder to whom
water is delivered through this com
pany for use upon land on which
water stock is located to wilfully di
vert any part of this "water upon
other lands on which no water stock
has been located.
The directors provided that such
breach subjects the person commit
ting it to summons for a hearing be
fore the board, and if the board de
termines such a breach has been
committed it shall assess the person
so offending $5 for the first offense
and $25 for each subsequent offense.
The determination of the board of
directors shall be conclusive upon the
corporation and stockholders. Fur
ther deliveries of water to the of
fending stockholders - are to be de
nied until the assessment is paid.
The board adopted the following
resolution: "Resolved, That this com
pany hereby agree to pay its propor
tional share of the cost of defending
any suit brought by the California
Development Company against Water
Companies Nos. 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8, to
collect the ten per cent allowance of
gross deliveries agreed upon by eald
companies, and we indorse the em
ployment of Judge Farr as a salary
of $100 per quarter as special council
for seepage and evaporation commis
sion." '
W. T. mil 1b down from Redlauda
this week, looking after property in
terests. He will remain la El Cen
iro until Tuesday. $&&£
No. 33.
PRICE OF COTTON
ADVANCES HALF CENT
Third Carload Ready for Ship
ment From El Centro to
Oakland Mills
Prospects of at Least Twenty Thous
and Acres of Cotton Plantation in
the Valley Next Year— Companies
Organized to Handle Large Tracts
— Los Angeles Wants Cotton.
El Centro's particular show place
these days is the gin and compress
of the American Nile Cotton 1 Com
pany, located directly east 'of the
Southern Pacific railroad, a short way
from the passenger station; Not a day
passes but that strangers in the val
ley find their way to this point of
attraction, and to many the workings
of a modern cotton gin are a reve
lation. . " • :'v : i v :- ■'■ ':!••:
The wagons loaded with ' their
fleecy burdens drive into the pas
sageway between the gin house and
the storage sheds, and over the load
is swung a metal pipe fourteen inches
in diameter. . ■ Suction carries the 'cot
ton from the wagon > into this pipe
and delivers it to the gin, where the
stands of saws pull the lint from the
seed. The lint is elevated to the
second floor, where it is delivered;
into the compress, while the seed
falls from the gin into a trough with
an endless screw" and is carried to
a chute that delivers it to the stor-
age bins.
One hundred and twenty-three
bales of cotton had ' been ginned at
the El Centro mill up to nobn" yes
terday. Two carloads had been sent
out to the Oakland Cotton Mills, and
another carload ; is about ready for
shipment. Many bales have been
hauled ' out for temporary storage at
the ranches. • ..-■, i it !• «. ;
At the Meloland ranch Joseph R.
Loftus has a gang of thirty- five cot
ton pickers in the fields. ' Two car
loads of the seed cotton per week are
sent in from this ranch to ; the . gin,
over the Holton Inter-Ui ban Railroad.
At the Wilsie ranch, the McClan
ahan and Walsh fields are presenting
busy scenes, and almost daily the
loads of cotton from this ranch pass
through the main street of El Centro
on the way to the gin. Other ranch"
ers in this vicinity" are picking their
crops as rapidly as possible. ,
L. E. Srack, secretary of .the Im
perial Valley Cotton Growers' Asso
ciation, yesterday received from a Los
Angeles firm and order for two car
loads of cotton. ; The price offered
was thirteen and a half cents per
pound. This "is the price offered at.
present by the Oakland Cotton Mills'.
The prospect for next season's
acreage continues' to expand daily.
It is now known that next season a
large 4 planting of cotton seed I will be
made An the lands south of the in
ternational border, which are held by
a strong syndicate of Southern Cali
fornia capitalists. Brawley has * or
ganized a cotton company, and those
interested therein state that fully 1
1000 acres of cotton will be. planted
in the immediate vicinity of that town.
Calexico will have a large acreage.
Holtville will doubtless stand next to
El Centro in the; area devoted to
this crop, and from all parts of the
valley come reports of. land to be
placed in cotton next spring. While
there is no definite wayto determine
the exact acreage of. the next Bea
son's crop at this stage, it now ap
pears probable it will reach fully
20,000 acres.
TEBT OF THE BPITE ORDINANCE
Arthur Lindley, driver for a local
livery stable, waß arrested by City
Marshal Bradford, Thursday, evening .
while hauling a load of four barrels,
alleged to be beer, through the streets
of El Ceutro, on the way for delivery
at the Preston & Gibson pool hall.
The hearing will be before City Re
corder F. G. Havens Mouday fore
noon. The ordinance alleged to have
been violated is notoriously invalid,
having been passed by only two /
trustees to "get even" on the city
for the breaking up of an illicit bar
conducted by themselves and the
then attorney for the city, and It re
mains to be seen whether the arrest
was made for the purpose of getting
the ordinance tested In court . or In
uerauance of another Job of the dis
gruntled Buzzard's Roost Btateameu.