Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1890-02-24
THE POWELL IDEA.


The outlook for the adoption of some
definite plan of acton looking to the rec
lamation of the arid lands is not as fav-
Orable as the importance of the project
merits at the hands of congress. Early
in the session the subject came so promi-
nently to the front as to justify the ex-
pectation of great things in this line and
a long step forward, but as yet the senate
special committee, appointed to visit the
west during the summer vac 'tion, has
presented no report, and the DELAY is be-
ginning to assume significance not pleas
ant for western men to consider.
Senator Stewart, of Nevada, has intro
duced bill on the subject, but it is scarcely
up to expectations, and will have to BE-
materially modified, in one particular at
least, before it can meet the approval Of
the practical westerner. In this measure
Major Powell's pet idea of giving the
national government complete control
Of all inter state streams in the arid
region stands out very prominently, and
constitutes the chief objection to the bill
This provision practically ignores the
existence of state and territorial laws re-
Iatng TO water rights, and would pxtn-
guish all boundary lines in the formation
of IRRIGATION districts" to he designated
by and under the direction of the
interior department of the govern
ment. No act of congress can Justly
interfere with private water rights as
thew exist TO-DAY in the west. nor can the
constitutional claim of the state upon all
unappropriateh waters within it's bound
aries be jeopardized. Any measure which
congress enacts on this subject must
recognize both the rights of prior locators
and the rights OF the state to control its
waters. Again under the Stewart bill,
which seems in reality to be Major Pow
ell's own creation, it would doubtless re-
quire eighty or hundred years to map
the work is to be done under Major Pow
ell's supervision, which seems to he con.
ter plated in the bill. The idea of donat-
ing the government arid lands to the state
and territorial governments, upon condi-
ion that they reclaim them, authorizing
the issue of irrigation district water bonds
for that purpose, is an excellent
one. The provision that state or
territorial water commissioners, three in
number, shall be appointed by the gov.
ernor, to have general supervision of and
carry out the water laws, is also most
rommendable, and there are other worthy
features about the Stewart bill that would
come as boom to many struggling
western farmer. But the greatest care
should BIZ taken to have any law on the
subject adopte by congress of the sim
plest form possible. There should be no
complicated machinery of state about it,
nor should the government undertake to
force the states and territories by the offer
of these lands into any elaborate and
costly system Of water way improvements,
which is most apt to be the case if Major
Powell's long-drawn-out methods, such as
have characterized his work on the geo.
logical survey, are allowed to prevail.
After twenty years Of earnest effort the
state Of California has finally adopted
law for organizing irrigation districts and
providing for the issue Of water bonds,
which is as simple AS it is possible to have
it, and there are in it some excellent
features which are respectfully recon-
mended to congress in lieu of Major Pow
ellis suggestions.