Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-08-21
A Land system for the Arid REGIONS,


found under this head
Land System for the Arid Regions.
The peculiar conditions of the arid regions
the comparatively small section of land that
can be made productive of cultivation with
out irrigation the narrow strips of irrigable
land, separated from the timber belts by
broad, dry prairies of but little value for any
purpose except for grazing, and the compar-
atively small amount of timbered land, To-
Gated long distances from the irrigable por-
tions, present questions as to the proper
mode of disposing of the lands of these
regions by the Government that no other Sec
ton Of the country has presented. In the
Atlantic coast section and throughout the
Mississippi valley the lands, as compared to
those of the arid regions are of uniform
ch&racter-that is, nearly all are arabic and
productive, and as rule are supplied by ma
ture with an abundance of water in the annual
fall of rain. Timber in these portions of our
country was pretty evenly distributed, SO
that but few quarter sections of 160 acres were
to be found upon which there was not an
abundance of woodland for wood and timber
for building purposes and for fencing. Then,
too, in all these humid districts one hundred
and sixty acres, and even eighty acres was
sufficient to support an ordinary single family.
AL the grains and vegetables and fruit could
be raised, and the various kinds of domestic
animals could be kept on comparative small
areas the various textile or bre-bearing
plants could be produced, and water power
was plenty for propelling primitive manufac-
turing machinery, so that the conditions were
all present for the support Of a dense pop
ulation, and Consequently every nat
ural argument was in favor of dispoiDg
of the public lands in small sections and to
actual settlers. In all these settled sections
of our country it would no doubt be an ad
vantage if the ownerships of land could be
reduced in quantity and increased in num-
bers. But as we before remarked, the arid |
regions Of the Rocky Mountains present new
conditions, and these new conditions present |
new conditions as to the proper manner of |
disposing of the lands by the General Coy
eminent. We are aware that these new con-
ditions are very likely to be taken advantage |
of by men anxious to obtain title to large sec
lions of country, to induce the Government |
to take a new departure in its land system, |
and to follow after the old Mexican plan of |
giving the whole country to few men to in
duce settlement and development. We would |
not favor any violent change in this respect |
Al - i
conditions by the Government. The expert |
en- ee OF our own State in the disposition of |
our overhowed lands granted to the State on |
condition that they be reclaimed by the State |
is in point in relation to the irrigable land in |
the arid regions bordering on large rivers. |
Our overAowed lands could not be reclaimed |
without some general system should be
adopted, and the State in accepting the trust /
was morally obligated to adopt such system |
and see that it was effective before she parted !
with the title to the lands to be reclaimed. |
Notwithstanding this moral obligation, she |
was induced to sell all her interest in
the overfowed lands Internationally. and |
they very rapidly passed into the |
hands Of q large number of owners, wh) |
neither had or could agree upon any proper
system of reclamation, and who did not as
rune the obligation of the State to the
General Government to reclaim them. As
result the money the State received in con-
sideration for the title has been squandered
A few men have gathered up the scattered
titles, and the lands are unrecaimed, and of
Il Il. 1
and a constant drag upon the prosperity of
the State and it is probable that if
they are ever reclaimed the State will
still have to foot the largest share
of the bill, and receive only an iu-
direct benefit. Now the salvation of the
irrigable lands OF the arid regions bordering
the large rivers is very similar, so far as re-
lates to their reclamation, to the situation of
our overfowed lands They can only be re-
claimed by a general system which shall
utilize the water in the rivers and carry it
over and spread it upon the irrigable lands
bordering its banks. The land, are valueless
without the water, and the water can be of
but little value to any one except to be used
in making the land bordering it productive.
The Government should therefore adopt a
system of disposinG of this land that shall
bind the land and water together in
separately for all futsre time, and that shall
as certainly secure the use OF the latter
for the reclamation Of the former
The old rules Of riparian rights that have
grown up in other countries with entirely
different conditions cannot properly be APP
piled in the arid regions. because there they
have nosutficient amount of rainfall to allowof
successful agriculture without the use of the
water in the rivers, and these waters are just
as valuable, or must be made, to the lands
twenty and thirty miles away from the
border of the river as those directly upon its
banks. Then again, cur California experience
in reference to the relative position of mining
to agriculture is in point, and should, to GER
tain extent, guide the General Government
in the disposition or management OF the
land in the arid regions. Throughout all
this region there are already mining towns
and mining industries growing up in advance
of the agricultural industries, and these min
ing industries are acquiring rights to the
water, and other vested rights are accruing
which may as similar rights have here,
prove very difficult to handle. The de
bris question, that is now 90 importart
in California, should not be allowed to
repeat itself in many States that are to grow {
up in the arid regions east of US. These i'm