The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1894-04-20
IRRIGATION OF ARID LAND.

The Only Permanent Solution of a Very
Important Economic Problem.
Uncle Sam has no good lands fit to make
farms out of left to be had for $1.25 per
acre, as was the case some 80 odd years
ago. The reclamation, therefore, of our
semiarid lands by irrigation is a live sub
ject that is stirring not only the jewellers
upon the great plains, but men who are
looking about now for homes. Kansas,
Nebraska and Colorado have vast area of
semiarid lands, and just how to irrigate
these lands is the thing we all want to find
out about Judge j. S. Emery, national
lecturer on irrigation, pleads for national
aid through the columns of The Irrigation
Farmer. He says:
The first step is step to be taken by the
government. Not that we ask this govern
ment from It's treasury to construct the in
strumentalities of irrigation, bit what we
do ask is that the preliminary cost of ascer-
tanning The economic facts necessary to in
duce capital to enter upon the completion
of this work shall be borne by the govern
ment of the United States. Let 1t once be
shown by conclusive data that reasonable
reward awaits the Investment of capital in
the reclamation of arid lands, and private
yate capital will rush in and compete such
reclamation. Show private capital that it
has chance, and it will not hesitate to
build storage reservoirs, both in the noun
tains and on the plains, where such reser-
voirs are practicable, in which storm
waters may be gathered and held for use
in the dry months of July and August for
yyor,Iiurr off anon faiIuroc
AS soon as the general government shall
make an irrigation survey of arid America,
private capital will hasten to do the rest.
Such survey would indicate the proper
reservoir sites for water storage, would
also indicate the amount of land such reser-
voirs would irrigate, together with the
lines of bitches and canals needed to con
duct the stored waters out onto such lands.
the approximate ascertainment and publ
cation of the possibilities for the reelama
ton of the sterile portions of our public do
main. as we'll as for such arid lands as
have been sold heretofore to private par
ties, supposed at the time to be good farm
ing lands. Just as soon as this work shall
be done we shall see arid and semiarid
America transformed into the finest and
richest country in the world.
The second step to be taken in getting
irrigation on practical basis is to have
passed a code of laws suitable to the situa-
ton and adapted to the purpose. Such
code must be made up by the joint or
concurrent action of those states in which
water districts may be situated and the
general government holding lands in such
water districts or owning the water sheds
and catchment areas, which supply the
waters required for irrigation therein To
secure legal machinery TO protect water
rights and to develop irrigation TO its full
est extent throughout arid America will be
work of time and labor. But not till this
is done will private capital go into the irri-
CATION business on large scale IFriga-
ton districts as nature has determined
them are to be laid out and these laws
made to develop them. These districts will
often be found to lie in several states and
to include amounts of public lands still
held by the general government. The con
current action of such states, together with
action Dy the Washington government,
will be required before these natural irri-
| CATION districts can be tanned over 70 the
! people inhaBitating them. 10 be controlled
and governed by such people in ali things
! touching wafer and water rights