Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1877-05-03

ana TO the States Interested, to secure aid for
'iat purpose, but Congress has hitherto.
wisely we believe. refused to aid any of these
projects further than to provide for examin-
atlens and reports upon the subject.
The whole subject should be left, as far as
practicable, to private enterprise, and the
Government should interfere as little as DOS
sible with the subject. 1t is certainly best
TO give the people an opportunity in the first
instance, and when they have failed to util-
lze both the water and the land it is time
enough to call for aid or legislative control,
but it is necessary that the people have an
opportunity to acquire title to the lands be-
fore private enterprise will undertake It re-
clamation of these deserts.
Experience has shown that the homestead
and preemption laws afford no means Of ac-
quiring title to desert lands. Those laws
require settlement and occupation as a pre-
requisite. Neither settlement nor occupa-
ton is possible without water. Irrigation
must precede the settlement. But this is
expensive, and settlers upon the public
lands are unwilling to construct the neces-
sary bitches and canals to irligatc lands to
which they have no title and 40 certainty of
obtaining title.
1t has been suggested that these lands be
sold in large quantities i'll order to induce
private enterpli:e to undertake the work
o. reclamation. Your committee fear
that any system Of sale whereby the
tile would pass before irrigation, wouil en-
courage speculation without inducing settle
nient. Ihe bill provides for the sale of d
section of land to any person who will first
irrigate the same, at the usual price Of $1.25
an acre. A more liberal policy has been
suggested of granting lands, after irrigation,
without any money consideration. But the
committee believe that when these lands are
irrigated they will be Of sufficient value to
enable the purchaser to pay the government
price charged for other public lands. Be
sides, the quantity allowed will be an addi-
tional inducement to settlers to undertake
the work of irrigation. At all events. it will
be time enough to make donations of these
lands when it is ascertained that settlers are
unwilling to purchase them. 1t is believed
that by far the larger portion of the lands
bordering on the streams, where sufficient
moisture exists for cultivation, and where
irrigation is cheap and easy, have been ap-
propriated, but the provisions of this bill
enable settlers, by combined effort, to CON
struct more extensive works and reclaim a
class of lands that are now absolutely worth
less. The bill, in its full text, is as follows
l,;II +o ,,ro,,;1a for tba cole of desert land
in certain States and Territories
Be it enacted, etc., That it shall be law
fill for any citizen of the United States, or
any person of requisite age who may be
entitled to become q citizen, and Who has
filed his declaration to become such,o to file
a declaration with the Register and Receiver
of the land district in which any desert land
is situated, that he intends to reclaim a tract
of desert land not exceeding one section, by
conducting water upon the same within
4 three years thereafter Said declaration
shall describe particularly said section OF
land if surveyed, and if unsurveyed, shall
describe the same as nearly as possible with
out survey. AT any time within the period
of three years after filing said declaration,
upon making satisfactory proof OF the re-
clamation of said tract Of land in the manner
aforesaid, and upon the payment to the Re-
ceiyer of the sum of one dollar and twenty
five cents per acre for tract of land not eX-
ceeding $40 acres to any one person, a patent
for the same shall be issued to him.
See. 2. That all lands, exclusive OF timber
lands or mineral lands, which Will not. Win.
out irrigation, produce some agricultural
crop, shall be deemed desert lands Within
the meaning Of this Act.
Sec. 3. That this Act shall only apply tc
and take effect in the States OF Callforhia
: Oregon and Nevada, and the Territories Of
. ;,,,cto,, TJabo Montana. Utah. w VOnl