St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-31
REDEEM1NG ARID WASTES.
Discussion Over Bowers Amend
ment Providing for Irrigating
Desert Lands.


Discussion Over Bowen's Amend
ment Providing for Irrigating
Desert Lands.
Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, July 3O.-The senate
spent most of the time at to-day's ses-
sion considering the sundry civil appro-
priatiOn bill. An amendment offered
by Mr.. Bowen, looking to the survey,
location and reservation of reservoir
sites for irrigating purposes, raised the
irrigation problem, and led to long
discussion. The senate adjourned with
out finishing the bill. After the trans
action of some routine business the
sundry civil appropriation bill was
taken up and several unimportant
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS
were offered and agreed to. Mr.. Bower
then offered an amendment appropriate
ing s250,000 for the purpose of investi-
eating. The problem of irrigation,
he said, was neither new nor tentative,
for half the cultivated land on the face
of the globe was utilized by that means.
The subject had received worldwide
attention for centuries. A large part of
the arid lands in the United States
would remain SO forever; but the por-
portion which could be redeemed and
made useful was sufficient to make
their reclamation a matter of profound
interest. Mr.. Bower said the appro-
priation asked was based upon con-
Sideration OF the
HIGHEST NATIONAL IMPORTANCE
and public policy, and if the general
reclamation of arid lands could be ac-
complished-and of this there could be
no reasonable doubt-the amount asked
to lnaugurate the experiment was but
tlfe veriest trifie.
MI. Allison, chairman of the commit
tee on appropriations explained why it
was the committee had not recon-
mended this amount, which had been
referred to the committee, and cOnsid-
cred by it. The committee did not think
it wise at this time to enter on work
of such great magnitude as the location
of reservoirs. and the dedication of pub
lie lands for irrigating canals. Maj
Powell, director of the geological sur.
vey, had told the committee that the
WORK OF SURVEYING
and locating reservoirs would cost s4,-
900 or 100000. So this appropria-
ton would only be the entering wedge.
Mr.. Teller questioned the accuracy of
this estimate. He placed the cost of
proposed work at S1,250,000, and added
ironically that perhaps that sum might
be more than this government could at
ford to spend on the irrigation of four
tenths of the area of the United States.
The time would come, Mr.. Teller said,
before long when this government
would have to do what every govern
ment in the world had done in arid re-
gions, put out its money to build reser-
voirS
AND IRRIGATING CANALS
Senators Jones, of Arkansas, Morgan
and Henderson spoke i'll favor of the
amendment, and Mr.. Plumb opposed it.
He thought it best to leave some of the
great areas of public lands for future
generations, He saw in the amend
ment means of speculation in the
public domain. This was not the time
for such work, as there was no need
for it. Mr.. Stewart, replying to Mr..
Plumb. said it was an anti-monopoly
propOsition-a proposition to preserve
the lands for the people, and to pre-
vent the monopoly of the headwaters of
the great rivers. Mr.. Voorhees,, in adj
vOcating the amendment, said
THE PROPOSED PROCESS
of migration might be delayed, but it
would come at last. Replying to some
remarks by Mr.. Plumb disparaging to
Maj. Powell, he said that that officer
was one OF the great, useful and scien-
tific men of his age, who would be re-
membered by his works long after sem
ators were all forgotten.
Mr.. Coll favored the proposition az
one of the wiSeSt conceptions it was pos
sible to consider. Mr.. Beck protested
against locating sites for reservoirs IN
til the rights of actual settlers were pro-
tected by carefully drawn laws. 1t
was scheme which ought not to be in
dorSed without
MORE CAREFUL CONSIDERATION.
Mr.. Harris wanted to know if, after
obtaining information and locating
sites, the government was to go on and
construct dams and reservoirs. Mr..
Teller said the government was to find
out the facts, and afterwards decide
what was best to do. The government
was not committed to anything except
to procure the information. 1t might
be the policy of the government to say
to Colorado, for instance, "You can
store within your borders 10000 acres of
land with water. If you do we will
give you the land, but you must store
it on such and such terms. Finally, in
order to meet objections advanced by
Mr.. Reagan and others that lands sur
veyed for reservoir sites would be
TAKEN UP BY SPECULATION
an amendment was adopted, providing
that all the lands which may be desig-
mated for reservoirs and canals for irri-
CATION shall be reserved as the property
of the United States, and not subject to
entry or settlement until hereafter pro-
vided for by law. After further discus
sion Mr.. Bowers amendment, as
amended, was adopted; yeas 90, nays IS.
1t appropriateS S250,O00 for the purpose
of investigating the extent to which the
arid region of the United States can be
redeemed by irrigation and the segre-
cation of the irrigable lands in such arid
regions, and for the selection of sites
for reservoirs and other hydraulic works
the work to be done by
THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
under the direction of the secretary of
the interior, the lands designated for
reservoirs and canals for irrigation to be
reserved as the property of the United
States, and not to be subject to entry or
settlement until hereafter provided by
law. Mr.. Spooner offered an amend
ment appropriating S75, 900 for public
building at AtchisOn, Kan. Without
action upon the amendment (which was
stated to be one of about fifty similar
propositions to be offered), the senate at
5:45 p. m. adjourned.
GENERAL DEFICIENCY BILL.