Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-12-21
4 Great Experiment..


| Youth 5 Companion.
One of the most important, and yet
one OF the least noticed, measures
adopted 10y the present Congress at
its recent session embarks the United
States, indirectly. in the work of re-
claiming arid lands by means of ir-
rigation.
The reason why so little attention
has been paid to this measure is, pro-
badly, that it was not passed as
separate bill, but as an amendment to
an appropriation bill. Every one Oh
jects to the principle of forcing through
Congress, by attaching to appropria-
ton bills, which must be passed, bil1s
which are not likely to be enacted on
their own merits; but some good,
and now few bad, laws were placed
on the statute book in this way.
The measure now referred to gives
to each OF thirteen States and two
Territories so mnch desert land not ex-
ceeding one million acres, as it may
irrigate, reclaim and cause to be oc-
cupied by actual settlers.
The government, therefore, does
not actually 60 into the work of ir.
rigation on its own account; but by
giving away possible fifteen million
acres OF land, it practically subsidies
an attempt on the part of the States
in the arid region to make these now
desert tracks the home of great num-
Der OF people.
Any State which intends to accept
the terms Of the donation must file
map. to be approved by the Secretary
OF the Interior, showing the land which
1T proposes to irrigate. When the
track of land has been reclaimed, and
at least twenty acres of each one
hundred and sixty acres has been
cultivated by actual settlers, the area
irrigated, mp to the limit of one million
acres, is to be granted to the State.
The surplus remaining from the sale
OF reclaimed land, after the State has
been reimbursed for its expenditure,
is to become a trust fund to be used
in reclaiming other desert land.
These provisions are intended to pro.
tect the government, and prevent the
absorption OF land by private persons
or corporations, for purposes OF specula
ton, which has been found to be
possible under the swamp and desert
lands acts heretofore passed by Con-
gress.
The government has thus given to
each State in the arid region an i'm
mense domain. in the hope OF provid-
ing independent homes for many
thousands of settlers. All the land in
this region which can be cultivated
without irrigation, or by such irriga.
ton, as the settler himself can supply,
has now been occupied.
No system OF irrigation has ever
been undertaken in this country by
the general government or by State.
All that has been done has been &C.
complished by private enterprise-com-
monty by corporations organized for
the purpose. This system, with water
taken from flowing rivers, has opened
to profitable cultivators a great deal of
land which would have otherwise re-
mained desert.
But it is not practicable for private
enterprise to consummate q really ex-
tensive system of irrigation, because
such system would call for more
water than the flow of rivers supplies
and would involve the construction of
great reservoirs in the mountains to
catch and hold the heaviest rains and
the melting SHOWS of spring, and supply
vast regions with the hoadred water as
| it is needed.
Such a system calls for large ap-
pro priations from the general govern
ment or from States. The present &C.
tion of Congress is looked upon as an
experiment, which if it succeeds, may
lead to systematic irrigation by the
general government of the lands re-
naming in its possession.
1t is estimated by the late head OF
the United States Geological Survey
that there are at least forty million acres
which readily be irrigated and made
productive by general system. The
extent OF irrigable lands may be much
greatce than this. Ordinarily the farms
into which irrigated lands are sub
divided are not larger in extent than
eighty acres. Assuming that they
would be as large as this, such a sys.
tenn will provide homes for five
hundred thousand families.