The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-07-22
ARIDLAND QUESTION
Senator Warren's Mastery Eff
fort in the Senate
ON ARID LANDS AND IRRIGATION
His speech Full of sound ana Interesting
Facts Concerning This Important Sub
ject-Resume Of His Remarks
HERALD BUREAU.
Cor. 18th and G Sts., N. W.,
WASHINGTON. ID. c.. july Il.

Governor Warren, Of Wyoming, ad-
dressed the Senate st great length today,
the subject Of his remarks being the arid
region OF the west Governor Warren has
long been considered an authority on irri-
Cation. He is chairman OF the Senate COM
mittee having this important subject in
charge and his speech today will stand for
many years uuequalied as an exposition OF
this topic IN exhnustiveness and interest.
1t is in fact complete
HANDBOOK OF IRRIGATION
filed with facts and arguments which the
senator was enabled TO contribute so
grossly and convincingly out of his large
experience and with additional informa-
ton gathered after a diligent re-
search and application from every
appropriate source Senator Warren ar
gued in behalf OF the value OF irrigation as
az aid to agriculture, ana it's special i'm
portance to the United States, and of the
necessity Of giving serious and helpful
consideration TO the subject of
IMPROVING OUR ARID LANDS,
without delay. After an elaborate review
o. history Of irrigation from the days of
the Garden OF Eden, Senator Warren
said that II is estimated by COM
petent authorities that outside OF
the United States in various coun-
tries of the world there are 13S, 900, 900
acres Of land under irrigation, supporting
SOO,C00 600 people. Ea asserted. zoo. that
the 1O0. GOO, 900 acres Of irrigable land in the
arid region in the United States would
furnish homes for 20, OOO,0O0 families, or in
fact, greater population than the country
now contains. Nor is the value of this
great territory matter Of the future. Even
now the aggregate annual value Of the
gold, silver. lead, copper, horses, cattle,
sheep and wool moved out Of the arid re-
gion is not far from $40 100000, while its
imports aggregate 100000 600. Over one
quarter of the worlds supply Of gold. lead
and copper and 40 per cent. of the world S
supply Of silver are produced within its
limits. This is accomplished despite the
fact that Subsistence for the miners has 10
be transferred a great distance.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS COUNTRY
if crops could be raised, within It's borders
would be phenomenal, while the wool crop,
already enormous, would be increased to a
UOluL ultu WDlAu LudhC luC u
foreign wool almost if not quite unneces-
gary.
The necessity OF prompt action by the
United States in view OF the fact that very
little land remains for settlement except
within the arid region, was emphatically
argued by Senator Warren, who also dis
cussed with careful detail the legal and
national considerations involved. Upon the
policy now to be adopted by the govern
ment depends the development or retard-
alton Of the new states Under existing
laws the state controls the waters within
its boundaries and the worthless arid land
now held by the federal government should,
IN Senator Warreu's opinion, be trans
ferred to the state, which would reclaim il
and add 1t to the productive area of the
country.
TIE granting Of lands 10 Illinois, Iowa
and other western states was cited as
showing how such action is not only estah-
lished by precedent, but has invariably re-
suited in material and financial prosperity.
Nearly every page Of the senator's ad-
dress was
FORTIFIED BY STATISTICS
kAlu6IBu VIII great care anu presenter IN
this connection for the first time, while
his argument for the REIMBURSEMENT by
the government to the states of its inter-
est in the arid lands was supported by
countless resolutions passed by representa-
tive conventions.
by the passage of the bill which formed
the text Of the speech homes would be
made for thousands of prosperous and
thriving people. Il would upbuild all in
terests, mining, manufacturing, railroad
buildings and agriculture and prevent
large holdings OF land for speculative pur-
poses. The surplus water, now rushing
past the vast territories Of the drought
stricken, thirsty land and inflicting meal
culabie damage to property, would by
proper storing and division, reclaim thou
sands OF acres. Public forests would be
saved from devastation by IRE and the
now arid mountain plains aud valleys
would be made 10 blossom like the rose.