Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-10-20
SATURDAY MORNING, Ocr. 20, 1888.
HAwLEY AND IRRIGATION.

JONV Va AAA6c6 VIZ 6AO"o oANAAS
river valley-a matter of much
greater importance to our people
than the tariff or Mormon or any
other question. On this particular
point Idaho's eloquent Jim said:
There is another question that in
teresss .the'people.of thisssTerritory; it
is the irrigation question. We heard
but little Of that from Mr.. Dubois the
other night, although he did say that
Congress had passed bill appropria-
ting 500, OOO.forss..the purpose fssde-
veloping the arid lands OF the West.
Immediately he claimed some credit
for the passage Of that bill, but he for
got to tell you that the bill was not
passed for the benefit OF Idaho; that it
was not provided in that bill that any
portion Of that amount should be used
in Idaho-And l tell you now, and you
will find it to be the truth, that not
one dollar of that 500, 900 will find its
way into this Territory or be expended
here b. the government. Gentlemen,
this is question that involves greater
interests than any other in this Terri
tory. Take it from the eastern boundary
Of this fair Territory, from where the
rising sun glanceing over the great
Tetons, throws their gigantic shadows
over thousands Of acres OF as fertile
land as thatsscompostng.' the valleys OF
the Mississippi or Ohio, on down the
winding shores OF Great river until the
Oregon line is reached, and the Snake
bidding farewell to the great plains
plunges into the mighty canon and
hurries to meet the Columbia, we find
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS miles Of as fertile
land as can be found on the surface o.
the Globe land that will one day be
covered with pleasant homes and thriy-
ing cities. True, today, it seems an al
most desert waste, yet it needsssbut the
touch Of water to make it bloom and
blossom as fair as the fields of any Of
the older states. The time is coming
when this great valley with its land
unexcelled by any..in the world, will be
inhabited by millions Of people where
there are but so few today. We are
eingularly blessed by having in our
midst the water by which this land
can be reclaimed. We are not like
the people in Nevada, Utah and Ari
IONA, who have the land perhaps, but
not the water. We have the noble
Snake river with it's scores OF tributaries
running in fromithe. north.and south,
filled with vast volumes Of water that
can be placed uponsthese lands at but
a comparatively small expenditure Of
capital. lsIt..has beensproposed.a ndssaid
that Congress,,might make such appro-
priations for artesian wells as would
enable the settler to obtain the water
by such means. 1t has also been pro-
posed to dam up the water in the nat
ural reservoirs in the hills, sswhere it
comes down gulch and creek in vast
mes.during the.spring and thus
husband the precious fluid for use dur
ing the summer months.
It is possible that Congress will
make neutrality-suspicious. for the pur-
pose of digging artesinn wells and CON
structing reservoirs in the mountains
but never did l believe that we can
obtain appropriations from the gov
ernment in such amounts as will enable
lis to build canals OF sufficient capacity
to reclaim the main body Of lands in
Snake River Valley. The question is
"If.Congress will not do it how can We
do it ourselves; what plan can be de,
visedi" A great many years ago,
forget the date, but it is some so or GO
years ago, Congress inaugurated sys-
tenn in regard to swamp or overflowed
lands in the differant states. It was
found that no crops could be raised on
them without the expenditure OF large
amount oil money for drawing the wat
er OF those lands and consequently no
one wanted them. Congress would not
or could not do this, they would not
make the necessary appropriations, it
was business, as they considered it,
In which the people as whole coun-
try could not engage. What did they
dot They washed their hands of the
trouble by giving these lands to the
several states in which they were sit
uated. Apply this same plan, this
same idea, that was actually adopted
by the general government at that
time in regard TO swamp and over
flowed lands AMI apply this same prin-
ciple TO the arid lands Of Idaho, Utah
aud Nevada, and the same exists for 30
doing that existed in the other case.
! believe that but very little earnest
work before Congress would cause these
arid lands to be treated the same as
were those swamp lands; cause them
TO be donated to the states and terri
. - 4. Il