The St. Johns herald., 1889-09-19
The Arid Land Law.
Department of the Interior, ! Washington, Aug. 3, 1889. {

cclVed t1e resolution alopted ID. the constitutional convention trans mitted by you to me through tele gram. A full reply to this ques ton, think, is found in the follow ing provision of the appropriation act of October ?, 1888, which reads as follows:
 "For the purpose ofinvestigatine tue extent to which the arid region of the United States can be redeem ed by irrigation, and the segrega- ton of the irrigable lands in each arid region, and for the selection of sites for reservoirs and other hy- draulic works necessary for the storage and utilization of water for irrigation and prevention of floods and overfows, and to make the necessary maps, including the pay  of employees in field and in office, the cost of all instruments, appara tus and material, and all other nee essarv expenses connected there with, the work to be performed by the geological survey, under the di- rection of the Secretary ot the h. terior, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars or as much there of as may be necessary is appro- priated.
 And the director ofthe geological survey, under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior, shall make a report to Congress on the first Monday in December of each year, showing in detail how the said money has been expended, the amount used for actual survey and engineer work in the field for loca- ting sites for reservoirs and an item ized account of the expenditures under this appropriation. And all lands which may hereafter be designated or selected by such United States surveys for sites for reservoirs ditches or canals for ir rigating purposes and all the lands made susceptible of irrigation by such reservoirs, ditches or canals are from this time henceforth re- served from sale as the property of the United States, and shall not be subject, after the passage of this act, to entry, settlement or aecupl- ton until further provided by law.
 Provided, that the President may, at any timee in lis discretion, by proclamation, open any or all of the lands reserved by this provision to settlement under the homestead laws"
 This is the law of today, unre- versed, unrepealed and in full force. You perceive its vast extent and the immense consequences that will follow therefrom in the direction that your resolutionsspoints unless there be further action in regard thereto by Congress. It follows necessarily that the speculators, cor poratiuns or other persons referred to in the resolutions are under the effect of this law and unable to at tain the advantages that you say they are seeking; unless the law is repealed or the. president opens the lands to settlement under the homestead laws. The government must have, and will take eventual ly, absolute control of every acre of arid land that may be redeemed by the system of reservoirs. canals and ditches, as provided in the ap- nroniation oct mentioned
 The subsequent appropriation act has not affected the above provi- sion. This, I think, is full solu- tion of the whole trouble between the Territories of Idaho and Utah, and parties entering upon these lands in either Territory will be subjected to superior title and fur ther control of the United States. 1 have directed the Commissioner of the land office to notify the