The weekly tribune., 1891-06-19


II, tural products of the state. The waite
of the Dearborn and Sun rivers and tho
Of the intervening streams have be,
Il taken up and are now being conductt
on the fertile bench lands of northel
Cascade and Choteau counties. A
other large enterprise assures Chestnl
valley bountiful supply Of water. b,
the waters that all these combined aqu
ducts, canals and bitches carry are onl
= a drop in the bucket compared to whf
could be proftably used upon the ari
lands of the state.
During the session of the second legis
lative assembly of the state last winter
bill. embodying the features of what
called in California, the Wright irriga
ton law, was introduced in the house b.
Mr. HASTE Of Cascade county. The bill
was an excellent one and should have be
come law, but in the hurry and furr.
of an extremely limited working session
it was smothered in the committee room
and there left. The law is eminently
practicable and has stood the tests Of
the courts. Under it thirty two irriga
tion districts have been organized in
California and others will follow suit
As stated by the San Francisco Chronicle
this law provides for district system of
organization, by which the people in any
given section, the lands of which are
irrigable from common source, may
from an irrigation district similar to all
intents and purposes to municipal cor
poration-as city or county Having
determined upon the source of supply
and the most feasible manner of con-
structing the necessary works, estimates
are made of the cost of such works and
the people interested are empowered to
vote bonds to defray that cost. These
bonds are a first lien upon all the prop
erty in the district to be benefited, and
the payment of interest thereon and
their redemption is to be made through
taxes regularly levied and collected in
the same manner as in the case of city
or county bonds.
Manifestly such security as this pos
sesses features scarcely surpassed by any
other that could be mentioned. 1t is. in
reality. first mortgage upon all lands in
the district. But, unlike the money
oaned upon mortgages, the proceeds of
these bonds are directly devoted to the
of the value of the original |
security, thus giving them an added
'alue which is surpassed by no other
orm of bond. AS stated, however, the
'ill never saw the light beyond the COM
of the house. But it is a
.ood law and could have done the state
10 harm, while the possibilities of it's
loing good were beyond estimation.
With the great Missouri river flowing
trough the finest irrigable lands in the
'orld, carrying volume of water which,
utilized, would irrigate large portions
t northern and eastern Montana and
he western Dakotas: with markets in
~ StotS WHICH ult
pom eastern producers of wheat and
our, and oats and barley, and poultry
nd eggs, and pork. bacon and hams.
nd butter and cheese. thus draining ,
[ontana annually of hundreds of thou ,
lnds of dollars which should remain in !;
to enrich home farmers. is it not high !
me that steps be taken to reclaim the ,
id lands of the state and make them o
ting homes for contented, prosperous ,
'ople? Would it not be in line with 9
'udence. economy, and the interests of v
e people of Montana if steps were taken =
apply the vast volumes of waste waters "
wing out of the state to the rcdemp- :.
N of its irrigable or arid lands: The t
swer is evident. The state should take S.
id of this matter. In the meantime n
q next Legislative assembly should y
We the people the Wright irrigation law
one of like features to the end that
e vast sums of money now sent out OF -,
e state for agricultural products may :
kept in it. %