The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-09
II frat came up In Nebraska, where thsre
. convention held In February last


II first came up In Nebraska, where thsre
was . convention held In February lnat
injecting tho interests Of that stnte. In
that convention "a resolution was intro.
duced looking to tbs calling OF an inter
state Sonass:s, .nS S.r ssls LAKE! LAKE y 70 hs saG
This congress- was called together by Coy.
Thomns, OF Utah. In September last, and
there WAS assembled representatives from
all tho states and territories, sxccpt ono OF
two. which ars embraced in what 70 called
panss OF county which lies west 81 tho one
hundrsdth meridian OF longitude. There
wors presented d great many ras0luti6ns
which had due consideration, IN commit
too OF the whole nj discussed these propo-
. .hi 9 ans, ps.ttcul.,,y .as,,s ens +. . NH oa ~
lizsd sentiment OF that convention, after
long discussion. and az presented
to tho Helena convention. Rep
resentative men wers In the Salt
Lake convention. Many OF them
1ien s sop m engages eSar N ! s nn. pssot =; . o. e. ,at,9s-
Ihsre were gentlemen from Idaho largely
identified with the interests of that state, as
much no, perhaps, ~ the distinguished gem
tleman who frst opened this argument i
interested in Montana; mon, perhaps, Just
tho question Of fraud and traps. Thors
were 200 representatives from the territory
Of Utah in the convention. Throughout all
the arid region it was represented BY the
best and most intelligent men Interested in
this proposition. MI. Clark said he was
resent Montana with his colleagues from
Gallatin, Msagher, Missoula, Lewis and
Clarke and two or three 0tiler counties. H0
believed his colleagues would bear him out
that that convention was not run BY any
- $500 kG II 4 49, = A~-~ ~ kEA ~~k
ern Paoiic was represented there. Gov.
Warren, OF Wyoming, was there, but MI.
Clark did not know that he was identified
with railroads. He failed TO SEQ that there
was any trap sprung on the delegates ~
Salt Lake. 1t would be 9 reflection on tho
posed Of 500 members. to say that they
would allow q couple Of railroad mon to
spring a trap on them.
He believed the insinuation Of Commo-
dore Power was an unjust reflection upon
men engaged in other pursuits than agri-
culture. 1t would Seem from his dispOsi-
ton that deleRates were not wanted here.
MI. Power appealed to this people Of the
plains. The speaker would venture to say
that the mining people had just as deeply
at heart whatever concerned this great
state as the gentleman from Choteau. II
they had any great mining question for
consideration on which they wanted aid
from the national government they would
invite the mon from the plains to meet and
oo-operato with them. We are here to go
hand in hand, building up tho interests of
the state. He took issue with the distin-
said what We wanted in Montana was not
more mines but moro irrigation. WHAT we
want is greater developments Of every in
terest in the state, and the mining and
farming interests should move forward
hand in hand in the progress Of the state.
L III, - ~ 49, t~E. rrr #
portant one. Nothing, he felt, had ever
been presented for consideration TO any
body OF men in the territory or state a. in
volved interests affecting our progress and
prosperity and great future, az this one.
In all this great arid region there is NO por-
absolute certainty without irrigation. Irri-
cation is not . new question. 1t 10 as old
almost al the human race. Back in the re-
mote ages of antiquity when man first
struggled for subsistence irrigation began.
Ruins Of great irrigation works are found
A%qusducts md reservoirs are to be seen
that were constructed before the time Of
Solomon. When Pizarro went to Mexico
he found great irrigation works which car
ried water to make the land fertile. In
Persin md India irrigation has been prac-
next to the United States, ia the greatest
producer Of wheat in the world and for
which the British government expended
$120,000,O0O for irrigation enterprises.
II remains for the bold pioneer of the
western country to improve on the crude
and to reduce them to practical and
scientific methods BY the aid Of en-
cheering skill, and we have reached
so far as irrigation goes, perhaps,
the maximum results. What is our condi-
ton to-day? II 10 now at o standslill. It
is now high time that We should take up
this problem. Montana presents a field for
carrying out this project, perhaps better
and more favorable than any other state of
the union. We.have here in Montana per-
haps moro than 2O,000,O0 Q acres that could
be brought into cultivation il We had the
water. That requires money. The soil is
known to be of great fertility. The pro-
position presents itself, how are we to re-
claim this land? Now. there are people
who believe hat the best way to accomplish
this is to ask the government to cede these
lands to the states, and this was the senti-
ment Of the Salt Lake convention, with
which we are asked to ~co-operate. We
ought to have full discussion upon this sub
ject, so that we may arrive at a conclusion
that will not afterward cast any reflection
upon our action here. The statements that
there is fraud are too indefinite. We
should have the reasons why we should not
endorse the Salt Lake platform.
The first interest taken by the govern
msnt in this question was in 1884 or 1885
under the direction of the agricultural de-
partment. In 1883 there was an appropria-
ton for the survey of lands for irrigation
purposes, of 800, 900, and in 1889 another
of $3.50, 900. or the 100000 under the di-
r%ectlon OF Major Powell 100000 was used
for the making Of maps, and of the $780,
600 appropriation, $3.50. 600 was devoted to
the survey Of what were deemed irrigable
lands. So that but a small portion of the
original appropriations we're left to be de-
voted to the purpose for which they were
intended.
Commodore Power here interrupted and
said he wanted to correct Mr.. Clark; that
altogether up to the present $S89,ON had
been appropriated. u
Mr.. CLARK continued by saying that what
he stated as to the appropriations applied
to 1888 and 1885. Notwithstanding these
appropriations MAJOR Powell diverted the
greater portion of them to provide employ
ment to his friends. In referring to the
proposition Of ceding the lands Mr.. Clarl
said he had confidence in the ability of tbs
state to take care Of the.lands, and in the
integrity of her legislators. He believed
that the state should also own the timber
lands. In reply to a question from Com