Omaha daily bee., 1891-05-25
cloud the reciprocity outlook, and give
peculiar interest TO the commercial pro-
jects OF European governments.
,EDrNG ARID LANDS TO STA rEs.

CEDTNG ARID LANDS TO STATES.
One Of the most important solutions
passed by the commercial conve ntion ut
Denver was that in favor OF the general
government ceding it's arid non-mineral
lands, under proper conditions, to the
various states within whose boundaries
such lands are located. There was a
sentiment in the convention that the
reclamation OF these lands Is work
which should be undertaken by the gen
eral government, for the reason that it
will involve an expenditure which the
states may not be able to assume, at any
rate for long time. But this
view did not find very strong support,
and the other proposition was adopted
by large majority.
1t is perhaps not to be doubted that If
the reclamation of the arid lands is left
to the general government it will be de-
layed much longer than if the states are
given an opportunity to reclaim them,
and perhaps will never be done. There
is very strong sentiment in the coun-
try, particularly in the east and south,
hostile to the general government hav.
ing anything to do with irrigation be-
yond making surveys for reservoir
sites, and it will be long
time before this can be overcome, If it
can ever be. The discussion of this sub
lect in the last congress gave an oppor-
tunity for an expression of this feeling,
and it has also found denunciation in the
eastern press. 1t is deprecated, and no
argument that can at present be urged
will change it, Those who advocate ir-
rigation by the general government can
not hope for the success of their plan, at
least until the country west Of the Mis-
slssippi is strong enough to domi-
nate congress. Long before that
time comes large portion of
the now arid regions should
be made to contribute to tho resources
and wealth of the nation.
On the other hand, if the non-mineral
arid lands were ceded to the states it
would become available as security upon
which the states could borrow all the
money necessary to build reservoirs and
construct canals and irrigating bitches.
This idea was very we'll illustrated by a
delegate in the commercial convention
from Idaho. He stated that there are
lO,OOO,0OO acres of arid land in that state,
3,OO0,OOO acres of which can be irri-
gated by ordinary methods, that is, with
outincurring any extraordinary expense,
leaving 100000 acres that will have to
depend on system of expensive high
line canals and storage reservoirs If
irrigated this land would be worth SO
an acre, or more, but calling it no more
than five dollars an acre, and the gift
would be worth to the state S35, 900, 600.
This would furnish ample security for
all the money that could possibly be
required to irrigate this land, ami it's
productiveness being assured every
year it would not take many
years to repay the cost. There
are obvious advantages in letting the
states having arid lands manage irriga-
uion enterprises themselves, for being
the immediate concern of their own peo-
pie it is reasonably to be presumed that
they would get better results from them
in every way than if such enterprises
were under the control of the general
government. The resolution adopted
by the commercial convention unques-
tionably represents the intelligent SEN
tlment OF the west in this matter and
ought to have weight with congress.