Arizona weekly enterprise., 1889-10-26

THE ideal farming community of
 the senate committee on arid lands Is
 at Fresno, California, where small
 holdings are cultivated thoroughly
 and the soil is made to produce it's
 best results by careful husbandry. The
 committee points with pride to this
 practical verifcation Of its pet theory
 that public land should be sold to act
 ual settlers only in small tracts and
 under strict homestead laws, and it is
 certainly bright picture of thrift and [ prosperity. Had the honorable | committee pursued its investigations d 1
 little below the superficial appearances
 its pretty sophistry would have been
 robbed of it's most plausible vitality
 and the cause and effect have been
 more clearly demonstrated. The lands
 in question were almost entirely taken
 up under the desert land law when
 filings were assignable, by parties in
 the interests of Haggin, Carr and Liver
 more. They were the despised "land | grabbers" that threatened to retard
 the development of the country by
 monopolizing all the worthless lands
 upon which they could fasten their far
 reaching tentacles. But these sagac-
 ious business men had a grand object
 in view that would benefit.the country
 and prove profitable speculation to
 themselves. They realized: the fact
 that it was next to impossible for a
 colony of settlers 10 bear the great
 expense necessary for the construction
 of large .irrigating canals and the de-
 velopment of water supply-a. work
 that would occupy years of time and
 toll before the lands could be made to.
 produce anything whatever-and they
 undertook this work themselves. They
 conveyed the water to the lands sub
 divided them into small and conven- tent tracts, and then offered them at
 fair prices to the settlers with the re- suit stated. It may be assumed, there , fore, that the prosperity of the Fresno , country has resulted from the induce ments the ability to obtain large tracts
 of land held out to capitalists, and the r repeal of the desert land act will close 7 this field of speculation and the conse- quent development of the country !, The work of constructing storage res p ervoirs in Arizona and conducting the l water to the irrigable lands are enter prises involving outlays that only large capitalists can engage in. The & ordinary settler upon public lands i, $ usually 8 person of limited mean: r who looks to the immediate return. : from the soil for the support of him :, self and family. He cannot cooper | ate with others in work requiring 9 years of unremunerative toll before j. water can be brought to his land, anC  d that promises only ruin and starva C ton. The capitalist must come t U his aid and there must necessarily b. S presented some extraordinary induce n ments for him to engage in remot W speculations. The government vii v profit by donating to persons who vii '' construct canals all the land the wa is ter will irrigate, under conditions tha d will effect it's disposal to actual settler d within reasonable length of time. !" this cannot be accomplished, the pres "a ent desert land law is the only hope C 70 the arid regions of this Territory an n- all the developments so far made ar re owing to its liberal provisions. w ,' have no complaints to make of il CT abuse and no land grabbers have a le tempted to monopolize large and d' le sirable tracts. We acknowledge tn ,,' ,u desirability of small holdings an ,e densely populated neighborhoods, bu 'n this result can only be accomplishe sd by the aid of capitalists and they mu: o' be assured of quick and sure intere: Inf upon their investments before the ld will risk dollar. The friends of tn IT. west in our national congress are urge rt to oppose the repeal of the desert ac W or at least to exempt Arizona fror IT, the provisions of its repeal.