Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1893-10-06

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of the granary of the world, on less
than six million acres of land, cultivat-
ed under the same conditions under
which the lands of the arid west must
be cultivated, while nearly 100000
of the inhabitants of British India,
are supported by the productiveness Of
less than twenty-six million acres of ir-
rigated land. The reclamation of which
land at the public expense in the latter
country has prevented the regular re-
currence of the famines which devastat-
ed it,
Notwithstanding these facts, the
tendency is to treat the further ad-
ministration of the public domain as far
as it pertains to the arid region as local
in its character: yet, if the same rate
of absorption of the public domain con-
tinues for the next three years, as dur
ing the fiscal year ending June 80, 1892,
in which year, 1886, 552 acres were
entered, the lands available for settle
ment without reclamation will soon be
exhausted. The sole reason for the
failure of the government to act is, that
before the arid lands can ever be render
ed capable of maintainlng.life, money
must be expended in their reclamation.
The Cession of the Arid Lands to the
States and Territories.
As the easiest way to solve the pro-
blem, 1t has been proposed and at
least one of the leading political parties
endorsed the proposition by incor-
porating it in its national platform-to
cede all arid lands to the states and ter.
ritories, in which the same are located,
under such restrictions as to reclama-
ton and disposition as congress might
deem proper to impose. No worse
catastrophe can occur to the west than
such cession. 1t can only ultimately
result in the lands passing into the
hands of nonresident spectators, as
none OF the states in which such lands
are located, have the financial ability
to assume as public charge the ex-
pense of constructing the requisite
canals and reservoirs, while the terri
tories would, under the provisions of
the Harrison Act, be absolutely pro-
hibited from attempting it.
In effect, this treatment OF the ques-
ton would be merely an attempt on the
part of the national government to
place on the five million inabitants of
the states and territories afected-in
addition to the already heavy burdens
incident to newly settled sections-the
additional one of providing homes for
the increase of population of nation
already numbering over sixty-fve mil
lions. Were such a measure consumat-
ed, the states and territories receiving
| the lands, would at once find them
selves under the expense of caring for
an immense domain, over fifty per cent.
of which is still unsurveyed, trammeled
with whatever restrictions congress
might impose, and without the present
means, or the possibility for years to
come OF furnishing the capital which
must be expended before such lands are
salable.
During the fiscal year ending June
80, 1892, the expense of maintaining the
local land Offices in these states and ter
ritories alone, amounted to $55S, 1896. 80,
while the expense of surveying and pro-
tecting the public lands located therein,
was more than double this sum.
As the cession would not include
timber and mineral lands, or lands
arabic without irrigation, the revenue
which the general government now re-
ceives from the sale OF such lands to off,
set its expenditures would be lost to
the states and territories, thereby fore
ing them to provide-by an increase of
their already heavy tax assessment
Independently million and half
dollars annually for the care of non
productive and non-salable lands.
Texas, with millions of acres OF state
lands in its possession. unhampered by
any national restriction whatever, and
a population nearly double that of any
of the states which would receive these
coded lands, has thas far been unable to
accomplish in the slightest degree what
this gift" would morally bind the
states and territories of the arid region
to do.
In the contamination of such a ces-
sion, the nation would merely witness
repetition of the failure to secure
satisfactory results which has charac-
terized the administration of the vari-
GUS congressional acts from March End,
1849, to March II, 1850, granting swamp
lands to the so-called "Swamp Land''
states. The land claimed by the states
affected by these laws, amounts to &c.
271 ,541 acres, and of this amount there
has been patented to such states 3d.
$40, 313 acres, as follows:
STATES ACRES
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