Arizona citizen., 1877-09-08
New system or Irrigation.

There is no system of irrigation il
 Arizona that can last many years. Va
 rious sizes and lengths of irrigatinl
 canals and ditches are found in ever,
 valley Evidently all were made will
 reference to the ability and conve
 nience of the builders, and they could
 not have been made to form part o
 any one general and complete system
 which must eventually be adopted, tC
 the end that the water may be made tC irrigate the greatest possible area o
 land. Subject to the claims of thos,
 who have legal rights to water, there
 will have to be an entire overhauline
 of irrigating canals in Arizona-espe
 cially in the Gila and Salt river val
 leys. In the new system, no man
 however much water he may claim
 will be permilted fc have more water
 than he needs or in other words uses or causes to be used for irrigation
 He cannot be allowed to have a stream
 of water run through his land only as
 required for his actual necessities
 This may appear unreasonable 10 some
 who now claim and possess water
 above their wants, but they will find
 upon examination that it is reasonable
 and hat courts will hold accordingly. So long as the tillable land Is not all titled for want of water, no man will
 be permitted to possess water and let it run away without using it, if others demand it; and no system of irriga- ton which does not properly econo. mize the water can be permitted to remain undisturbed. IL is well known that the running water of Arizona is not sufficient under the most perfect system, to irrigate all the dry but fer tile land; in fact this is true of the great interior Territories and parts of California and Nevada, and in view of this fact, Congress has taken action looking towards a correct system of ir- rigatiOn and so has California, and the Supreme court of Nevada some years ago, after legal contest of years. laid down the doctrine that no man could control water above the actual neceSsi. ties of his crops, animals, etc, when others wanted it for cultivation.
 The system, or lack of system, of irrigating canals in Arizona. is not a subject of wonder. In no new country irrigation, has there ever heen other than a haphazard approprI- aIion of water by the people First settlers neither need nor have they the ability to provide a system such as. must be established when the popula- ton becomes dense. In Spain, Italy, India, and in fact in all old countries where irrigation is necessary, there Is. now hardly a trace of the first irrigat- ing processes. The British govern. ment found the system very defective in India. Owing to its imperlection, terrible famines were of frequent oc-' currence and occur to this day because the magnificent system projected by. the British government is incomplete. The half million people already per ished in the present famine in India, and the millions more that it is reported must perish before another harvest, night nearly all-perhaps all-have been saved, if all the water of the cOun- ry had been available for growing crops. To use the old canals, wells, . stc., made by the natives in connection with any perfect system, was impossl ole, so the government declared, in 1873, itself entitled to the use and con- rol of the waters of all streams flow ng in natural channels, and of all akes and other natural collections oi water, ard provided tor compensation O owners and claimants to such waters. t then proceeded with the best engin- .ers to lay out the grandest, most ex- ,ensive and perfect system in the world, he estimated cost of which was Sl69.- 5O,OOO.
 THE CITIZEN now refers 10 this sub ecI so that the present people of Ari- ona may begin to think upon a sub ect which they may have to practical y meet and solve. The present i'm ,erfect use of the water of our streams annot last for many years. Increase f population and consequent increas- q demands for water for the various , of life, will compel revision f its distribution. The man or men. 7ho lead aright in the matter, will arn the gratitude and cordial support f the people. {