The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-08-24
WITH A VERY HIGH HAND.
The Way Major Powell Has Been
Carrying on the Geological
Survey.
He IL Much tho Worst Enemy of
the West In Many
Years.
Productive and Irrigable Lands Tied Up
by His Arbitrary and Ignorant
Proceedings.

rSpecid Correspondence of TIE INDEpENDENr.]
WASHINGTON, Aug. 2l.-There is no sub
iect in which tho people of the west are
more interested than that Of irrigation; to
them il is mostsimpoFtant. For'some time
past I have Neen accused, in various ways,
of personal animosity against Maj. Powell,
director Of tho geological survey, whose
friends insist that my opposition to his
phemes arises from purely personal mo-
tiyes and mot from any desire on my part
10 subserve ths public good.
It is perfectly natural for Maj Powell
and those with whom he divides the vast
lump sums appropriated by congress to
misrepresent any person who has the cour-
age to call attention to their extravaganza
and waste Of the public money. Probably
I should have been ignorant of the methods
adopted for lobbying through congress past
appropriations for a so-called scientific
bureau if Maj. Powell had not seized upon
the public lands of the United States as
an excuse for depicting the treasury s,nH 40
made to locate and set apart reservoir sites
for the purpose of storing water for irriga-
ton. It was necessary and proper that
these sites should be reserved, because their
occupation under the land laws of the
United States would prevent their use by
for this purpose yrs inserted by the senate
in the sundTy civil appropriation bill. That
amendment was further amended in the
house of representatives, on motion
of MI. Breckenridge, of Ken.
lucky, 90 as to withdraw from
settlement all lands to be irrigated by the
reservoirs and other hydraulic works, the
survey of which was provided for in the
original amendment. 1t is alleged that this
reservation was made at the suggestion ot
Major Powell. Whether that be true o,
not he has been very active in preventing
its repeal. short statement will show
why he 10 anxious that no settlers shall
make homes upon the public lands until he
has accomplished other and Interior designs
of vast magnitude.
The same act which appropriated 500 nm
for the survey of reservoir sites and the
segregation Of the irriRable lands from
other lands contained an appropriation of
dry civil appropriation bill of 1889 contained
$4,000 for the survey of reservoir sites
and the segregation of the irrigable lands
and also an appropriation of $500, 600 for
topographic surveys. Major Powell took
the position that reservoir sites could NOT
be set aside nor the irrigable lands segre-
gated from other lands without a
complete topographic survey of the whole
arid region, which involved millions of ex.
penditurs and unlimited delay. He accord
ingly used not only the 100000 appropri,
ated in the two years for topographic sur.
veys for that purpose, but he also used more
than one-haf of the money which had beer
appropriated for irrigation surveys for his
Topographic work.
Maj. Dutton. Of the regular army, was as
siRned 70 the duty, under Maj. Powell. Of
experimenting the irrigation survey and
that purpose as Mai. Powell would allow
which was less than one-half the amour,
eDpeopriated. In making the irrigation
uoSyeys no ~ was made oe the topograph