Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-10-10

tfklBbItou anu Aflu lhuub nRn u0lDneO IT'S
tour OF inspection, which lasted So days
and took the inquiring statesmen through
Is states and territories. Some OF the
ground they travelled over figured on
maps as late as 1850 as 'rrhe Great Amer
lean Desert" Over this region, taking
in Utah and portions Of Wyoming, Idaho,
Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and
Nevada, the annual rainfall now ranges
from 8 to is inches. To the
eastward, extending over three
degrees of latitude in width and
from the Dakotaa southwark through
Nebraska and Kansas into Texas, lies the
arid region of the great plsins, with IN
annual rainfall of about Is inches. Here
in the ante.railroad days the now nearly
extinct bison roamed in immense herda,
finding good pasturage in ths short and
hardy but exceedingly nutritious grass
that seemedtopossess just enough vitality
to exist through the rainless months of
summer. The cowboy has long since
superseded the Indian, and vast herds of
SAhl-o AAOW AOtd thO WIN bthUl0
roamed. And the day has come
when the agricultural ia enoroaohing
upon this pasturage, this "dessrt" of
generation ago, and trees and field crops
are being planted westward Of the lOOth
meridian. With the approach of the far
mer and timber planter come schemes
and development Of schemes for sup
piemsnting the scanty rainfall; since much
of this land is naturally fertile and only
needs water to make 1t very productive.
In some sections, notably in the james
Valley OF the Dakotas, artesian wells
have been found available; in Montana,
Southern Idaho and Eastern California ir-
rigatiug ditohes have been made good use
of, in other districts it is proposed to ex-
tend the irrigating ditch system by dam
ming streams and thereby creating large
reservoirs from which the bitches may be
fed. In this improvement the much
abused Mormons were the pioneers, and
Senator Stewart, in an interview, frankly
accords to them also the credit OF solving
the problem that individual and corporate
oupidity has presented elsewhere--that
the water must be irrevoeabIy related to
the soil. With the Mormons water rights
and lend rights go together; one acre
Of land representing one share OF
water. In other places capitalists
have constructed reservoirs and
charged the land owners rental for the
use of the water. But monopolistic water
rights such as these, the Senate commit.
tee believe, will not long be tolerated.
'Land tillers and water USERS" Senator
Stewart says, twill willingly pay large
price outright for their water convent
ences and rights, hut they will as surely,
having the vote, legislatively squeeze the
rental plan out OF existence As to
the length that the general govern
ment will be asked to 60 in
cooperation with the states and
territories in the development OF the
systematic irrigation of this great region,
that will apparently depend upon the
size Of the surplus in the United States
treasury; but the people of California,
Idaho and Montana seem to have supple
mented the Mormon lead in demonstrating
their own capacity to extend the ad.
yantages Of irrigation so as to keep pace
with the actual nead for it; that ia to say,
"a fast as the laud grows valuable enough
70 make irrigation profitable the means
| for doing the work are generally obtain
able.
The Australian ballot system has
worked admirably II Montana, in
Connecticut, aud in Chattanooga, Tenn
in which latter city The Republicans
elected their mayor and majority OF
oouncilmen, and we are informed "less
money was usaf at tho polls and there
was less illegal voting than in
any previous election In Connect.
cut the telegraph informs US ''tht
numerous changes wrought in some
localities are taken IS signifioan,
illustration of the way it (the Australian
system) might operate if universally ap
piled. Norwich, for instance, went
Democratic for the first TINA since tn,
organization of the Republican party
rhs town was known as the citadel Of
Connecticut Republicans ani the score
ballot which prevented the driving O
the mill hands TO the polls tC
vote On bloc at the behest Of
their employers had undoubtedl,
much to do with this change of faith.
I. the lost Delaware Legislature ha(
given this State an Australian ballot law
probably Republican employers in viii
mingson would not have regarded as /
hardship the refusal Of oollsctorato ALLOW
them to purchase poll tag receipts il
blocks But the last Legislature, bein,
Bepuolican, lite the poll tax recsip
buyers OF Philadelphia, was not buil
that way.
II is somsthlng Of an anomaly il
State politics to ind the political oppo
uents OF the states chief executive com
, m0u3lng big course on the most iul
. portsut Of national issues, as is don
} in the following extract iron
the platform Of the Democrat
convention in Massachusetts "W
give our hearty support to til
. petition of the present Republics
!. s0veFnor Of this state and other leadin
q iron and steel manufacturers OF both pc
e htical parties addressed to the New Eng
9 land members of Congress- askin
9 for free coal aud iron ore and lowe