The morning call., 1893-10-14
THE LOS ANGELES CONGRESS.

The arguments EN- bodied in the set of
resolutions laid before the irrigation con-
gress by Abbot Kinney of Los Angeles
appear to be uDanswerable. No plan
which contemplates the transfer of the
arid portion of the public domain to the
States or Territories in which it lies can
be devised which will not in all probability
be defeated by the tricks of corrupt
schemers. If tomorrow all the arid land
in California was transferred to the State
it would be next to impossible to prevent
its falling into the hands of ring.
Moreover, no system of irrigation can
accomplish its object unless it deals with
the source of supply as one entirety and
the field to be reclaimed another. In the
region in which arid spaces occur there
are five sources OF supply-the Missouri.
the Arkansas. the Colorado. the Snake and
the Columb bia. Each of these flows
through several States and Territories. In
order that the source shall fulfill it's useful
ness the cooperation OF all the authorities
which control any portion of its course
must be cordial and absolute. The Dako-
tas must TO some extent sacrifice their own
interests in order that Kansas and Ne
braska shall reap the full benefit of the
Missouri; Idaho must let Eastern Oregon
have its share Of the waters of the Snake;
Colorado must not grudge to Kansas fair
proportion OF the stream of the Arkansas.
But all experience proves that it is futile
to expect unselfshness from States. The
State which being nearest to the head
waters of stream holds mortgage on
its contents will not spare literally to
States further down.
A comprehensive system of irriga-
tion-and no system which is not compre-
hensive will accomplish results-must
therefore be undertaken by an authority
whose power is not circumscribed by State
lines; In other words, it must be under the
control of the General Government; and
the real question of the hour is not how
water shall be best husbanded and dis
tributed, but how Congress can be induced
to take up the question of irrigation in the
West, with the prospect of expending
many millions of dollars in the hope of q
future return. As business proposition
the question needs no argument. Com
pIehensive irrigation means creating a
dollar by spending 10 cents. But causes
which need no explanation have dulled
the ear of Congress to appeals from the
West, and it will need long and patient
argument to convince dwellers across the
river valleys that their interest as well as
ours requires the reclamation OF the
Western arid area.
1t Is well that such bodies as the Los
Angeles congress should lay sound views
before the East for future digestion. They
can undertake one branch of popular edu-
cation, while scien tific research is conduct
ing another. Presently both lines of in-
struction will converge. and the irrigation
of Western dry places will appear TO be
the most effectua way of draining Eastern
wet places. No year passes that millions of
dollars worth of property are not de-
stroyed by overflows of the Mississippi.
That will continue to be the case until the
surplus river waters are systematically
diverted into reservoirs and distributing
canals and lifted by engineering devices TO
dry plains which are barren for want of
them. The richest soil in the Union is
contained within the State of Louisiana !;
bEt its practical value is gravely impaired
by the very embarrassment of its wealth.
An alluvium which is underlaid by water
at a depth of only three feet yields SO rank
a growth that useful crops are choked by
parasites. Louisiana has an area 10 per
cent larger than that of Cuba, but it raises
less than one-third as much sugar. Ii the
Mississippi and its continents were tapped
at intervals and the surplus water drawn
off, the whole bayou region would be con-
verted into plantations and the dreams Of
the early French settlers Of the Lower
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