Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-09-23
orr LAND QUESTION.

THIS New York EreHiq0 sun has
undertaken 10 "sit down" on the sug'
Restions made by the late Irrigation
Congress. It. main protest Is against
giving the several States and Terri.
tories Of the West anylspecial lufisdlc-
ton over their arid lands. ltquolcs
the case Of the governments ceding Of
swamps md overlooked lands 10 certain
State, for the purpose Of reclamation.
According 10 rs testimony thence
forth all the available lands In the
States 20 favored became swampy OF
overlooked, AMI hundreds Of thou
sands II acres entered upon this basis
became very fruitful farms without any
reclamation ave a throc.ply barb fence
around them.
While nil this might DO true Of the
lands named, when used as guide to
the dlstflbutlon Of the arid lands Of the
West, II IL entirely inapplicable. TAX
Ing Utah for an example, II every foot
Of unclaimed land IN the Territory
were declared arid without quallilca.
tlou, II would not Ia any way stretch
tho popular or technical definition Of
arid lands. Aud W. believe this rule
would apply pretty generally through
out the Wet.
rheru are, 70 be sure, vast tracts Of
grazing lands which produce certain
kind OF desert grass without irrigation.
but without irrigation they oouli not
under any circumstances be- used for
any other purpose than grazing, and
would. therefore, DO sought after by
small holders In no case without the
hope Of bringing water onto them.
AZ far M. any extensive land grabs
are concerned, which alone would
make the soil desirable under IL pres
eut condition, the plain spirit Of the
Irrigation Congress was against any
thing Of that sort and II 40 expressed
Itself. a clear majority OF that body
was In favor OF limiting all private
grants to $50 acres, and We regret that
this expression was no, embodied Ia
the resolution as finally adopted.
We have not tho spacu 10 overhaul
the Sin's various endeayor TO Justify
IL position but here !. passage that
touches upon the question which Is u
more than ordinary algnlncanco'
''Buttho second effect OF such land laws
O.. not M clearly mischicyous. The sec.
ond effect "a that lands really add are
taken over by the state snd part u
those will bo yally irrigated by works
ortho sort described by tho promoters of
tho grant bills. No far a, these works arc
OF genuine utility they are likely to 10
erected by capitalist, and stock com
panic,. Thoy, TOO, may DO likoned TO
railways, not only Ia magnitude, but Ia
engineering character. Upon the lands
they roach th0y contcr an enormous In
crease In value. aud this il mono tho loss
In addition To the wealth OF the State boz
cause IL goes Into tho private pockets Of
tho individuals who put their money
into the enterprise"
This "second eiiecp' here described
was not In any sense the purpose Of
the congress. Had 1t been NO, II would
have been very decidedly "Islsohlev-
GUS" The Idea Of likoning vast
schemes Of land monopoly to railroad
enterprise Is tbs most conspicuous al.
lacy which the Sun has given us on
the irrigation question. Monopoly
In railroad bmlding, while II has many
evils II likewise has IL returns Of good
10 the public. Besides this, Tor the re.
suits Of railroad monopoly thoro IL a
remedy, for monopollzed land there il
none, save that Of revolution. Tho
building Of railroads, with monopoly
Of transportation ~ a consequence, Ia
| yet one Of the great symbols OF prog.
reas, AMI IA as accurate an index "a
possible Of the advance OF civilization.
The aggregation Of land into enormous
private holdings l., on the other hand,
as perfect an example OF refrigeration
a. these times afford. II Is sure and
direct course toward barbarian. Tho
great basis Of American civilization Is
personal independence, and where
Is that principle 40 strongly
fortified a. In the absolute
Ownership ofprlyato landholdings?
On this question wo say most en-.
phntically that rather than have this
Western Territory plastcred over
with enormous private grants
thoughN It were the only possible
means available 10 bring them under
cultivation, they would better lay idle
and barren Tor hundred years, mo.
vlded thai whoa they were reclaimed
a proper and equitable distribution
would result.
There arc great many honest
Americans who might carr nt Uhi.
{ principle, but It 10 tho la.y ono o.,