, 1891-03-14
SOME PLEASING FIGURES.

The question of state ownership Of pub
he lands has begun to take hold of the
people. Some such action is now abso-
lutely essential for self preservation.
When our own representatives in con-
gress, for reasons that cannot be regarded
but as purely selfish. euter into a c1mbiu-
alton to destroy immigration by DrIcri
callY tying up the publi5 lands. with tn,
laws subject to frequent radical change,
and land matters continually in a state of
turmoil, they see the necessity for a more
settled and equitable policy in this direc.
ton. The waters Of the state are now BY
congressional act the property Of the
state. Without irrigation it is impossible
to secure remunerative agricultural re-
suits except 10 some few favored localities
where the land has long ago been
secured by private owners. 1t is there
fore essential that there should be some
disposition made of the public land so that
it may be utilized TO the best advantage.
The belief is rapidly gaining ground that
this can be successfully accomplished in
only one way, which is to vest the owner
ship Of the land and water in the same
hands In no other way can satisfactory
results be secured. The growth Of the
arid region is retarded by the exacting and
vexatious restrictions with which congress
aud the land department see fit to sur
round the titles to the government lands
These public functionaries seem to IN
agine that the arid belt presents even su
perior agricultural possibilities TO the
tallow bottom lands of the rain belt re-
gions. They have not yet reached that
stage of practical knowledge which enables
them to realize that the conditions in
the arid region are entirely new and
can no more be fitted to old time
ideas than a square plug can successfully
be inserted in n round hole. Perhaps
they are not very much to blame Tor this
lack Of knowledge when our own repre-
sentatives lend themselves to the criminal
folly of such legislation as passed CON
Oress with their consent at the session just
closed. But there is beginning to be a
Weakening and the people will soon rise su
peror to their so called leaders and insist
upon the great reform in land matters
whose ultimate end must be state owner
ship.
To bring home to each man and woman
in Wyoming the importance OF this result
we have collected a few figures aud will
make a few comparisons. 1t is not vet
known with definite cxactness Just how
many acres Of land can be brought under
cultivation, even through costly irnisa-
ton methods, in Wyoming, but State En-
sineer Mead believes the amount may
safely be plsced at least 81. 600, 900 acres.
The census bureau has lust issued a
bulletin which deals with the subject Of
irrigation in Arizona. They have in that
territory 65.s2i acres of land under Irri-
CATION. Ninety-three per cent of the ir-
rigators Iun an average Of 43 acres each.
The average cost Of the land to the own-
ors, including the original purchase price
and the cost Of preparing the land for
cultivation by irrigation. was $500 per
acre. To this is added the first
cost of water right, S7.O7, making
the total cost OF the land $40. % per acre
The land has an average selling value OF
$50 an acre. On the small farms the
average value Of the yearly product is
$40 IS an acre, that Is to say, observes
the writer of the bulletin, ''the farmers
10 the main, il their statements are correct,
must have supported themselves and
made their profits u Of the gross earn.
inEs averaging 1920 each.
If those 1000, 600 acres Of Wyoming
land could be brought under irrigation. as
they only can through state ownership Of
the lands, they would be worth on the
Arizona valuation the enormous sum OF
$l2O, 900 600. If each family owned 100
acres Of this land, an amount at least
twice as great as is ordinarily needed under
such conditions, it would add 25,OO0 fam
lilies, or about 125, 600 people, to the pop
ulation. The yearly profits alone to these
$4,000 families on the same basis Of calcu-
lation would be SIS, 900, 900.
As this land Is now held it is utterly
valueless to the government and almost 70
to the state Under the condition OF state
ownership it would of itself make of
Wyoming a prosperous and compare
lively wealthy commonwealth. Wouldn't
it pay the general government to try such
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