Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1895-03-01
THE IRRIGATION QUESTION
WHAT THE BOSTON POST THINKS OF
THE NEW WLST.

'on oSa s.iou'u De carer uIly PeTllSe
by every man who is disposed to thin
that the W. will not in the nea
future be first class country to ii
to. Under the head of "A Land O
Promise" it says:
A north and south line. draw
through the Dakotahs, Nebraska
Kansas and Texas, about half-wa,
between the Atlantic and Pacific
divides the United States into two sec
tons differing vastly as regards pop
nlation and development. On the cas-
OF this line are 1000, 600 people, with
surplus capital and resources largely
developed; on the west, an equal ex
tent Of territory contains only about
100000 people and offer vast unde-
veloped resources. At the east, the
population has crowded into the cities
and into the manufacturing towns
tenement house life has taken the
place Of home life for hundreds of
thousands; health and morals suffer
by the congestion. At the west. there
10 room enough for everybody, fresh
air and land and places for homes.
How can these conditions he aver
aged? How can the congestion Of
the East be relied by the abundance
OF the West? The opening Of Okla
homa and the Cherokee strip demon
strated the fact that the American
people are hungry for land.
The race for FIRMS when the terri.
tory was thrown open became a fierce
struggle between eager settlers. But
with the settlement of the sections the
agricultural lands Of the public do
main available for the people were
practically exhausted and of the
10000, 600 acres remaining, the great
est part is mineral, desert and swamp
lands. 1t is, therefore, by reclaim
ing for agricultural pourposes land
which now is unadapted to that use,
that the resources Of the West for the
relief of the crowded East can be made
available. And in this work, irriga-
ton is already playing a great part
and is destined to yet play a more
important one.
The promised land of the genera
ton of American citizens now enterin-
ing upon the stage is land which |
the irrigation ditch makes to blossom.
Their promised land is now a desert.
as was the land to which Brigham
Young led the prosecuted followers of
Joseph Smith. Utah was made an
agricultural paradise; and millions
)f acres await like development
throughout the section which we now
all Arid America.
This developement has already be-
gun. The importance Of the enter
'rize was recognized in the passage
~ Congress Of the measure known as
he Carey bill last Summer. This law
provides that each of States having ,
arge bodies of arid public lands NAV
elect tracts for reclamation. which {
he Secretary of the Interior shall
hen reserve for the purpose. The ,
tates must then cause them to be ir-
igated. and upon proof that the land =
as been reclaimed and settled in ,
acts not exceeding one hundred and !,
xty acres. of which at least twenty :,
rres shall be in actual cultivation.
atents will be issued to ''the State or !;
assigns" The States are per- p
lifted to adopt any plan they see fit
thin the above conditions. Under
is law total of 5000, 900 acres are
zen to immediate reclamation and
ttlement, or 100000 acres in each CT
the following States: California.
Idaho, Oregon, Nevada.
ontana, Washington and Wyoming.
ldoubtedly the law will soon apply
80 to Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. no
Here is the possibility. 1t remains in
induce the people Of the crowded -,
st to avail themselves Of it, as the
'rmons availed themselves of the ''
esight Of Brigham Young. Ninenty rel
of every hundred Of the Mormon Ja1
pile have proprietary interest in
soil today; and this interest has 4
n created by irrigation, giving Dur
lie to arid land and actually Great cor
more than $500, 100000 Of prop
, in the heart Of the desert.
he new promised land invites i'm
grafton, colonization and the ma GA
lal irrigation committee-the out A
70 Of the irrigation congress at nue.
lver last year-undertakes to show the
this can be done, through its ind
irman, Mr.. William E Smythe. 9
conquer and reduce these
Is, is work in which the surplus
49,, - No. E,c,ond ..: for