Many letters of indorsement of the Kettner bill and amendments now incorporated in H. R. 11553 have been made by public bodies, and many business firms of various portions of the United States within the past few weeks have written personal letters to Members of Congress indorsing this measure. I have made a list of a portion of the letters so written and of which I have received copies from the All-American Canal Association and the Imperial irrigation district-all were written within the past two months. I have the originals and copies in my possession, but desire to withdraw them for further use. The names of those I have selected are as follows: Driggs Ordnance Co., guns, ammunition, New York.

Yarman & Erbe Manufacturing Co., filing systems, Rochester, N. Y.
American Locomotive Co., New York.

Edison Electric Appliance Co., electric appliances, Chicago, Ill.

Clifton Manufacturing Co., manufacturing cotton goods, Waco, Tex.

Fairmont Gas Engine & Railway Motor Car Co., Fairmont, Minn.

W. F. Myer (Warner Jenkinson Co.), St. Louis, Mo.

Warner Jenkinson Co., manufacturing extracts, St. Louis, Mo.

B. W. Ayres Co., dredges, South Milwaukee, Wis.

D. & W. Fuse Co., Providence, R. I.

Conduit Electrical Manufacturing Co., electric protective equipment, South Boston, Mass.

B. F. Avery & Sons., harvesting machinery, Louisville, Ky.
Marion Steam Shovel Co., Marion, Ohio.

Parke, Davis & Co., drugs, Detroit, Mich.

Leopold Vaelpel & Co., duplex recorders, Portland, Oreg.

The R. Hardesty Manufacturing Co., manufacturing steel products, Denver Colo.

Hoedenauer Alfalfa, etc., Co., product grinders, Peublo, Colo.

H. & M. C. Co., paper, San Francisco, Calif.

Wm. H. Hoegee Co., manufacturing, Los Angeles, Calif.

Scovel Iron Store Co., Los Angeles, Calif.

W. P. Jeffries Co., engravers, Los Angeles, Calif.
A. Carlisle & Co., engravers, San Francisco, Calif.
The Brininstool Co., paints, Los Angeles, Calif.
Oliver Chilled Plow Works, San Francisco, Calif.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Los Angeles, Calif.
W. C. Hendrie & Co., rubber goods, Los Angeles, Calif.
Ingersoll, Rand Co., Los Angeles, Calif.

Pacific Mill & Mine Supply Co., Los Angeles, Calif.

Fletcher & Framdies, wholesale lumber, Los Angeles, Calif.
Rosenberg Co., Los Angeles, Calif.

California Corrugated Culverts Co., Berkeley, Calif.

Haas. Baruch & Co., Los Angeles, Calif.

Neumark Bros., Los Angeles, Calif.

Curtis Williams, Los Angeles, Calif.

The Worthington Co., Los Angeles, Calif.

Western Equipment Co., Los Angeles, Calif.

J. P. Sherberman, San Francisco, Calif.

Louis V. Vetter, Los Angeles, Calif.
Southern Sierras Co., Riverside. Calif.
The A. Lutz Co., San Francisco, Calif.

Rapid Blue Point Co., Los Angeles, Calif.

Western Pipe & Steel Co., Los Angeles, Calif.

National Smelting Corporation, San Francisco, Calif.
Layne & Bowler Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif.
Hercules Powder Co., San Francisco, Calif.

Western Rubber & Supply Co., Los Angeles, Calif.
Atlas Imperial Engine Co., Oakland, Calif.
The A. Lutz & Co., San Francisco, Calif.
Channel Commercial Co., Los Angeles, Calif.
L. W. Blinn Lumber Co., Los Angeles, Calif.
Sun Tent & Awning Co., San Francisco, Calif.
Eccles & Smith Co., Los Angeles, Calif.

A committee of 15 was appointed by the conference.

Mr. Nickerson, the chairman of the irrigation district, and I were selected as a committee of two, together with Dr. Mead, to select that committee of 15. Dr. Mead's duty was to select the State committee, ours the valley committee, which were instructed to work for the amendments proposed there.

Mr. WELLING. What proportion of the committee were members of the Imperial Valley?

Mr. KIBBEY. Of the committee of 15? Every man on the committee of 15 was a resident of Imperial Valley.

Mr. WELLING. Why did Dr. Mead and the Berkeley contingent have anything to do with the selection of the committee, then?

Mr. KIBBEY. He did not, excepting-probably I did not make myself understood-we had two committees, a committee of 15, of residents of the valley; a committee of 8, I think, of State officials, to represent the State in assisting the committee of 15 of the valley. In other words, the committee of the State was merely advisory to the committee of 15 in the valley. The names of the committees, including the committee appointed by the California American Legion, are as follows:

Marshall De Motte, chairman State board of control; U. S. Kingsbury, surveyor general of California; W. F. McClure, State engineer; Elwood Mead, chairman State land settlement board; B. H. Crocheron, State college of agriculture; C. H. Lee, State water commission.

Imperial Valley committee of 15, W. H. Best, president Water Co. No. 5; R. D. McPherrin, director Imperial irrigation district; F. C. Hevener, president associated chamber of commerce; Will Edgar, president Water Co. No. 12; G. L. Marsh, director Water Co. No. 8; D. F. Harbison, director Imperial County Farm Bureau, all-American association; Burt Sears, director Imperial County Farm Bureau, all-American association; W. F. Beal, member county board of supervisors; O. N. Shaw, president Imperial Valley Wool Growers' Association, all Americans; Leroy Holt, president all-American Canal Association, all Americans; Mike Liebert, director Imperial County Farm Bureau, all Americans; Arthur Nelson, development agent, county of Imperial; Walter E. Packard, University of California; T. A. Johnson, director California Chamber of Commerce; R. A. Holt, member county board of supervisors, all Americans.

State legion committee.-W. B. Kibbey, chairman, El Centro, Calif.; P. I. Dougherty, Davis, Calif.; H. H. Sortor, Tulare, Calif.; H. W. Niehmeyer, Marysville, Calif.; H. F. Waterman, Fresno, Calif.

Mr. WELLING. What proportion of the people of the Imperial Valley do you assume got behind this proposition at the time of this meeting?

Mr. KIBBEY. I don't think that there are 50 people in the Imperial Valley who do not agree to this plan.

Mr. WELLING. Did you recognize that, or was it recognized by the community as a pretty general reversal of the attitude theretofore taken by the Imperial Valley with reference to this legislation?

Mr. KIBBEY. It was recognized as being a reversal of the former committee's acts in suggesting the sale of the lands. Now, in that connection I will state that the people of the Imperial Valley do not believe they can deal with the public lands, but before the soldiers left they said to the boys in a mass meeting: Boys, when you come back, this land on the East Side Mesa shall be set aside for you, for soldier settlement." Now, as I say, the people of the Imperial Valley had no right to say any such thing as that, but that was in their

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mind, that the soldier settlement would be made. When the Lane bill was first talked of they figured that soldier settlement would come under that.

The CHAIRMAN. Who was it said that? Was it those having to do with conscription or enlistments?

Mr. KIBBEY. Some of them, yes.

Mr. WELLING. Well, isn't it a fact, Mr. Kibbey, that these boys were in France or in the training camps long before the Lane bill was ever thought of?

Mr. KIBBEY. Before the Lane bill, yes; but before the Lane bill was ever thought of the people of the Imperial Valley had said to the boys: "When you come back we are going to give that land to you to settle there." When we first got into war that was the idea of practically everybody in the Imperial Valley.

Mr. SUMMERS. That antedated the Lane bill?

Mr. KIBBEY. That antedated the Lane bill and followed our entrance into the war.

Mr. BARBOUR. But the Imperial Valley project was already under way at that time, was it not?

Mr. KIBBEY. No; there wasn't any bill

Mr. BARBOUR (interposing). But it had been contemplated?
Mr. KIBBEY. Yes; for many years.

Mr. HAYDEN. As I understand your statement, the people of the Imperial Valley, all the interested parties, consulted together with respect to this legislation and it clearly represents the desire of the great majority of the people there that this land on the East Mesa be set aside for soldier settlement, if it is possible to do so?

Mr. KIBBEY. Yes, sir.

Mr. HAYDEN. And that in carrying out that idea you have prepared this section of the bill which does the things that the great majority of the people of Imperial Valley want to have done?

Mr. KIBBEY. Yes, sir; exactly. There is another thing that I want to call your attention to in connection with this. The House of Representatives recently passed a resolution which I have called the Jones bill, which provided that in opening any lands to entry soldiers should be given a six months right of homestead entry. I understand that resolution is in the Senate now, and I am told this morning that there isn't any question but it will pass the Senate. Now, if those lands were opened to entry and this bill does pass it would give just one of the things that we ask here, but if you sell the lands you are taking it out of the operation of the bill. In other words, in one bill you say to the soldiers: "We are going to give you that land or give you public lands when they are opened for entry," and in another bill it is proposed to take them away from entry, so you are taking the cream right off of the milk.

Mr. WELLING. In view of the fact that you say there is practically a unanimous feeling in support of the proposed provisions of this bill to-day, why was it that you expressed in your opening statement here just a few minutes ago the disinclination of the board of directors of this water organization and the official bodies-you mentioned two or three which I do not now recall-to join you in the meeting? Mr. KIBBEY. I thought I had explained that the other day. Probably you were not here.

When the original valley committee came back to the Imperial Valley they said: "Take this bill. If you amend it and put these soldier amendments in, Congress will kill that bill." They convinced the people of the Imperial Valley that that would be so. That was the reason that we had a hard time in convincing them that Congress that we did not believe Congress was so constituted. Every member on that committee came back and said that, as I said the other day, and in talking with them when we tried to pin them downwe held meetings for that purpose-when we tried to pin them down to some definite statement that some Member of Congress had made, we could not. We tried to pin them down to some statement that some departmental official had made and we could not. They said it was a sixth sense formed from associating with Members of Congress.

Mr. SUMMERS. Just at that point, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Kibbey, I would like to say that I should be more favorable to this or any other legislation that made it possible to permit the soldier to go onto the land under favorable conditions to the soldiers. I want that in the record right at this point.

Mr. SMITH of Idaho. I don't think that your position is different from that of any other member of this committee, Mr. Summers, and we might all make that statement.

Mr. WELLING. I say amen to that.

Mr. BARBOUR. I will go further and say that I think it is also the opinion of the Members of the House.

Mr. HAYDEN. When you say "we," you mean representatives of the American Legion in the Imperial Valley who are responsible for the idea of having incorporated in this bill a provision that preference shall be given to soldiers in entering lands on the East Mesa?

Mr. KIBBEY. Exactly; and I would state in that connection that following the Berkeley conference we went before our State committee

Mr. WELLING (interposing). What do you mean by the "Berkeley conference"?

Mr. KIBBEY. The conference called by Dr. Mead, after he had been appealed to by members of the legion and Spanish War Veterans to consider this bill, which was held upon October 1 at Berkeley, at which all of these representatives that I have been talking about were present. That is what I designate as the Berkeley conference, where these amendments, or amendments along this line, were first suggested by a resolution. The resolutions are in the hearings here now. So whenever I speak of the "Berkeley conference," I mean what has probably been mentioned to some of you gentlemen at least as Dr. Mead's scheme.

Mr. SMITH of Idaho. Let me ask you a question. This 50,000 acres that it is proposed to turn over to the State of California is to be given over to the soldiers under the California law?

Mr. KIBBEY. Under the California land settlement act as amended the soldiers have the preference right to the land.

Mr. SMITH of Idaho. On that 50,000 acres of land?

Mr. KIBBEY. For soldier settlement; yes, sir.

Mr. HAYDEN. And you will note, Mr. Smith, in the last proviso, to clinch the matter, the bill provides that in the event the State

exercises its option to take over this 50,000 acres, the State shall agree in a contract with the Secretary of the Interior that persons serving in the military or naval forces as aforesaid shall have the preferential right of purchase, so that there is no question but that the ex-service men will be protected.

Now, you mentioned, Mr. Kibbey, that after the action taken at the Berkeley conference this question was submitted to the State organization of the American Legion.

Mr. KIBBEY. To the State convention.

I was made chairman there of the land committee of the committee upon resolutions of the State convention of the legion.

Mr. WELLING. I am intensely interested to find out, if I can, Mr. Kibbey, just where the sentiment grew up for the changes that have been demanded in the original Kettner bill. Did it come from the influences of the State government, represented by the university group at Berkeley, or did it arise within the Imperial Valley itself? Mr. KIBBEY. Well, now, I will tell you just exactly the facts. I was sitting at a lunch counter one evening with Mr. Nelson. Mr. Nelson had returned from France. He was on our committee, and he was compelled to leave the other day. He has been with us up to the time that the physicians ordered him to leave. Mr. Nelson, sitting at that lunch counter with me, said, "Kibbey, do you know any Members of Congress?" I said, "Yes; I know one or two, and I know one or two Senators." He said, "The Spanish-American War veterans have asked our committee to amend the bill so as to give the soldiers a preferential right, and they failed to get any action. What do you think about it? Do you think it would kill the bill?" I said, "No; I do not." He said, "Would you mind telegraphing to some of the Members of Congress whom you know, and Senators?" I said, "Yes; I will telegraph to them." I did telegraph them.

Mr. TAYLOR. Whom did you telegraph to?

Mr. KIBBEY. I telegraphed to Mr. Hayden and to Senator Ashurst and Senator Smith, of Arizona. Mr. Hayden, subsequently replied. Mr. Smith was absent. Senator Ashurst telegraphed back that he thought such amendment would be of great aid to the bill. As I say, Mr. Hayden was not there; but I subsequently heard from from him and was satisfied that he thought the same thing. Then when I got that telegram, a delegation went to see Mr. Kettner. Mr. KETTNER. You were one of the delegation, were you not? Mr. KIBBEY. No; I did not go. Mr. Nelson was one.

Mr. KETTNER. And what did Mr. Kettner do?

Mr. KIBBEY. Mr. Kettner expressed the same idea, that he thought it would help the bill. Then following that we took the matter up with the legion in Los Angeles and asked them-because they knew Secretary Lane personally-the members there-asked them to telegraph Secretary Lane and find out what he thought about it, and I am informed he telegraphed back that he thought it would help the bill. Now that started with Mr. Nelson and myself sitting at a lunch counter in El Centro, both of us residents there. Mr. Nelson is county development agent, and I have been a resident there since January, 1914. Then, Mr. Nelson and Mr. Wylie Weaver, who were members of the committee which went to see about it, came back