The herald., 1894-09-17
IRRIGATION AND irs FUTURE.

must have besn q most ridiculous fizzle
from start to finish. The gsniaI well
come, the open-doored hospitality OF the
convention held in Los Angeles only q
year before, was replaced by coldness
and formality that did not sit we'll on
the stomschs OF the big hearted western
men who comprised the majority OF the
conven tion.
There was no unity of sentiment, no
common labor for the common good.
Each state or territory had different
scheme to suggest and each sche me
looked toward individual. aggrandize-
ment rather than the general benefit OF
the states including arid lands. Some
states wanted the government to furnish
subsidies for building canals, while
others wanted the government TO cede
the arid lands to the several states and
let them take the lands as subsidies for
building the canals. And in all their
deliberations there was not one move
ment made to check the great, crying
evil of today in sll the irrigation states.
which is the deliberate and wanton
waste OF water. Several months ago
the HERALD called attention to this evil
and cited Santa Clara county as an
example.
| There is plenty OF money to build ir-
rigation canals west OF the Missouri, If
there could be any means devised to
protect the settlers in one state against
the deliberate and wanton waste of
water in another. Where q large but
non-navigable river runs through two or
more states. such legislation on the part
OF congress is absolutely necessary be-
fore any capital can be had to embark
in such enterprises. The HERALD there
fore begs leave to suggest the following
plan of handling the water proposition
as best for all parties concerned. 1t Ia
the creation OF national board Of irri-
CATION, to consist of members appointed
as follows:
1. The surveyors-general of the states
OF California. Nevada, Oregon, Wash>
ington. Idaho, Montana. Colorado. Ne
braska and Kansas; and the same off,
GERS in and for the territories of Arizona,
Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming.
2. Two members OF the United States
army engineer corps, to be detailed by
the secretary of war.
8. An engineer and chairman of the
board, to be appointed from civil life by
the president of the United States.
By this means it is believed that
ample provision could be made for q
proper distribution OF the water supply
OF the several states without wasting it
or giving to any favored region more
than its due and just quota 1t has al
ready gone abro ad that a really diligent
mar can .nnaka mora -rea->@..-r,r. -;s.;,
farm OF 20 acres than he can maks on bO
acres OF non-irrigated land, and not work
half as hard. In obedience TO that be-
lief there is daily and hourly exemplit-
cation of Bishop Berkeley's saying:
WESTWARD the star OF empire takes its
way" The Kansas and Nebraska farm
ers, tired Of cyclones and cloudbursts,
come to Southern California, while the
Vermont farmer, for whose toll disci-
plined nature the blindest OF snow
storms can have no terrors, betskes him
self to Kansas. Nebraska or Dakota.
For the present writing no federal
legislation is needed, but we must look
into the future and anticipate the COM
ing OF the day whose bright dawn al
ready crimsons the eastern sky. Under
the bene6cent effects of irrigation
Southern California has now valuation,
for eight counties only, greater than the
total valuation of taxable property in
the entire state up TO 1866. And vet all
this accumulation of wealth, this ag-
grandizment of individuals and corpora
tions, is not q tithe of what is yet to
come. Every incoming train brings
sturdy yeomen from the Mississippi
valley states, who come here to make
the rugged places smooth and two blades
of graas grow where one grew before.
This is why the irrigation problem is
deserving of timely recognition at the
hands of the federal government. If
the land belongs to the government, the
water goes with the land, and the title
thereto lies within the government. 1t
is for this reason that the federal author
ity should be exerted promptly towards
the proper protection and conservation
of an element which is so clearly to be
made the source of unlimited wealth.
The creation of national irrigation com.
mission may not build any canals by the
direct effort of board so constituted
but it will at least keep our water sup
ply from going to waste az it did in the
beautiful and fertile county of Santa
Clara. Gold was once king, and 30 was
cotton, but we are already living in ar
age when water has dethroned both o
them. The wealth of every Pacific stat
(save Oregon and Washin gton perhaps
must depend on proper conservation O
its water supply.
SEVERAL days ago some fruit grower
! in the vicinity of the Cucamorga rancl
h;rad thraa coachloada nj haathan Chi