Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-08-05
REDEEMING ARID LANDS.
. Good Work stlrsed In the senate.

The ection taken by the senate last
week In appropriating $3.50 900 for the
purpose OF investigating the extent to
which the arid region of the United
States can be redeemed by irrigation,
is the first step In what, IL %persevered
in, will prove the most notable intel
nal improvement ever undertaken by
the COVER lment.
The plan, as partially developed by
Maj. Powell, director OF the geological
survey, is to locate and construct res.
ervoirs Of the headwaters Of the vari-
Gus watercourses traversing the arid
lands, in which the surplus water that
goes 10 make floods and freshets shall
be confined, and at the proper season
distributed either through natural
channels or large irrigating canals
throughout the lands requiring this
artificial aid to cultivation. 1t will be
u work Of vast extent and very great
cnst, but when il Ia remembered that
four-tenths of the arear OF the United
States now arid and worthless for pur-
poses of agriculture, will be reclaimed
and made fertile, 1t does not seem.
that any cost would be too great for
the successful accomplishment of such
an object.
Senator Bowen, Of Colorado, In sup
porting the measure said:
The point had very nearly been
reached when the country would have
no land surplus. The arid land classi-
1ication embraced the eastern portions
of California, Oregon, Washington
Territory and nearly the whole Of
Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New
Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and
Montana; while the western portions
Of Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and
Texas were, in some spssons, seriously
affected by drouths. If nature had TO
be depended upon for moisture, there
could net be raised on all this vast do
main a single buehel of wheat; while
wherever moisture was supplied, those
verdureless deserts changed a. If by
mage and became the garden spots Of
the word.
The undertaking is something that
concerns Montana very materially, as
with the exception Of a few fsvorably
located spots, there Is no arabic land
In the territory that il entirely indie
pendent Of artificial irrigation, and in
most localities the cost Of getting water
on the land il 30 great that it cannot
be undertaken by individuals aud set
Element iso to sparse to induce capital
TO step in and take chances on what
the returns may be, and a. long as
this condition Of affairs exists we can
not look for any improvement. But
with the government taking hold Of
the matter and building main canals
through the arid regions, the cost will
be SO reduced TO the individual that
he can easily afford the COS; OF the
ditch that will irrigate his land, and
the fact that irrigation Is possible will
speedily bring settlers on the lands
and increase the taxsble wealth Of the
state immensely. No better use can
be made OF a portion Of the surplus
that Is now causing the country 30
much trouble, than to exp"nd it In
this most importantcfpub improve
meuts. A singular feature of the vote
by which the appropriation was made,
is that of the eighteen senators who
voted against IT, all but four were DEM
ocrats; the four republicans were ALI
son, Dawes, Edmunds and Plumb:
II is somewhat Of a surprise that ALI
son and Plumb, both western men,
should have felt 1t a duty to oppose a
measure SO important to the west;
Dawes aud Edmunds know but little
Of the west and have less sympathy
for IL, but the time Ia not far dist NJ
when the despised territories will have
both voice aud vote In the affairs ol
the nation, and such measures as affect
them as vitality es this n under con-
sideration will have full protection
and support.