The herald., 1893-10-14

hhHe Tile DIOpUbiblUn iJI btdt6
sioners in order that the subject might
be fully discussed and deliberate action
taken thereon after the fullest discus
sion by press and public.
Adjourned to 80.
Afternoon.
Chairman Emery had to rap with his
orangewood gavel again and again this
afternoon before he could get the dele
gates seated. There was semi-tropic
manana feeling in the warm air and the
eastern delegates appeared to be some
what under it's influence. The Address
to the People was distributed, and an
earnest buzz of conversation filled the
hall, and the chairman gave up the task
OF calling to order until half hour
more had passed. He then thanked the
interior department for sending Major
Powell here, and then the major took
the stand, as he announced, to discuss
the address to the people. He alluded
to the great work OF progress in the west,
but said that the creation OF small
homes was the moet promising feature
OF the county, and from that point OF
view he would base his remarks. He
gave a study of rainfall, showing that in
the Potomac valley one half of the rain
fall is run off and evapOrated. This
! proposition increases as one goes west,
the evaporation increasing over the run
off. 1t is only the run-of portion that
can be used for irrigation. The point
he made particularly was that there is
not enough water. including all the
brooks. rivers and storm water to irri-
| gate all the land. Only a small portion
of the arabic arid land can be irrigated.
There is only a little portion OF the great
| public domain that can ever be re-
claimed because of the insuf6ciency of
water. Ii all OF the waters that can be
used we're only for those lands now under
private ownership, there would not be
enough left for the government laDds.
There is not water enough, in fact, and
there can never be enough conserved to
irrigate lands already owned by individ-
uals. Not one more acre of land should
be granted to individuals for irrigation.
for either the land now owned by the
government or the lands now owned by
individuals must be sacrificed one to the
other. This is strong statement, but
| have made a study OF the matter, and
have had many assistants to help me,
and am very cure that am right.
DR.. Towers of Arizona interrupted
here anu showed that enough water
went to waste down the Colorado every
year at flood time to irrigate all OF Cali
fornia.
Miliay OF Arizona here said that
Major Powell had furnished the figures
on which DR.. Towers's statement was
based.
Mulholland OF Inyo said that in
Owens valley 100000 inches of water
went to waste every winter.
Numerous other citations were made
from Major Powell's reports which it
Was thought tended to controvert his
astonishing statement.
A stormy scene followed. and the
major replied, saying that 100000
acres Of good land were annually given
away. In Arizona it took two acre feet
of water to irrigate the land. If you
put roof over all the land to gather
the rainfall, could you get enough to do
that? The rainfall was three, four or
five inches. What would that do 10 ir-
rigate that land? An acre foot ia II
inches. You could not irrigate your
land. 1t ie plain proposition that
there is not enough water: as / said, to
irrigate the land now owned by indi-
vidurls. This is seli-evident TACT.
The storm here broke out again, and
Chairman Emery tried in vain to shut
off some OF the Arizona delegates. AT
last be got order and requested that the |
major be permitted to explain.
saButit would not go. Hinton of New
Mexico asserted this statement of Major
Powell was black eye for irrigation.
The papers would publish his allega-
tior, and it would injure the interest of
the whole country.
Atlast the major got the floor again,
and reiterated the statement that ii the
entire water supply was used in the
lands now owned by individuals there
would not be enough. Locally there
were places where there was a surplus
of water, but the proposition In the
main was correct, and was q simple
mathematical proposition that there is
not enough water available for the arid
region to irrigate the private lands.
This cannot be controverted. This ia
unpleasant information for you, per-
haps, but it is true.
1t does not matter to me whether l
am popular or not, but want to say to
you thatyou are piling up heritage Of
conflict and litigation. l am old. but
yoc young mon will see it. reiterate,
there is not enough water for all the
arabic land, andit is o mathematical
fact.
Under this fact it ia we'll for you to
consider whether it is wise for you to
urge the further utilization of govern
ment land for irrigation purposes.
Another storm of criticism arose, and
a point of order was raised shutting off
the major.
The major said he did not want the
floor and got bit angry.
A flow of motions and amendments
followed, and some very rude remarks
were made about the major, but at last,
by unanimous request, he came for
ward again.
He simply made the point that the