The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1895-01-19
Irrixat,onO once More


ten articles for the press, spoken 10
season and ouG OF season, been twice
before our state legislature to call their
attention to the absolute necessity OF
changing our constitution e we are ever
to have any valid. practical irrigation
laws, and even assisted il drafting the
law under which the public wells in this
county have been constructed. Having
done all this at my own expense, and
that, too, under the ridicule of some of
my own home citizens, no wonder that
feel disheartened and often think that
will never asgin speak or write about
this matter. AS l look out upon the
scene and fully realize how Indifferent
the press and the people have been for
the many years past, wherein they have
made no effort or provision to enter upon
any extended system of irrigation, which
alone would have saved this people from
their present calamity, and behold the
deserted farms all around me with, here
and there, a few scattered homes with
nothing for the faithful mother to burn
except the offensive refuse Of the barn
yard to cook the meals and protect her
little ones from tie biting frests-ne
vegetables OF grain of any kind for them
selves or their animals and no money
wherewith to purchase the clothing and
the other necessaries of life, say, as |
fully realize all this and then think of
what unparalleled prosperity might have
prevailed among us today had our legis-
lature and people thought less Of party
politics and entered heartily upon this
Genifjcent Undertaking five years ago,
there is in my soul a commingling of
disgust and pity.
With your patienceI will once more
try to call the attention of our people
and the present legislature to a plan for
the complete irrigation OF the state,
which has been pronounced, by nine
tenths of the persons to whom l have
submitted the same, to be the best plan
that has been suggested. In fact, with
all the hundreds Of men with whom l
have conversed on this subject only one
has declared the plan "chiidish."
The plan is this: Let our constitution
be so amended as to allow the state to
borrow on long time, all the money that
may be needed to properly irrieate the
arid portions of the state. Then have
the legislature provide by statute for the
loaning to The individual citizen owning
100 of land and needing an artesian
we'll for irrigation. sufficient Of this
money to construct the same and at the
same rate Of interest paid by the state.
Then provide further that this money
is not to be paid to him until the state
treasurer is satisfied that the we'll is
fully completed ard the water flowing,
then the loan, when 50 made, to be a
perpetual lien upon the premises on
which the we'll is located, and, every
year thereafter, during the life of the
loan, an annual tax be levied thereon
sufficient at the end of a certain number
of years corresponding to the period OF
the state loan, to recover back into the
state treasury the interest and the prin
ciple.
This plan would relieve every citizen
of the state not asking for aid from
paving single farthing toward irriga,
ton, The burden would wholly rest on
those farmers who must have irrigation
and are possessed Of the requisite real
estate and are willing to give the same
as security for the loan, This plan will
enable each farmer to have we'll Oh his
farm just where he is pleased to have it
and he would get his money at 3 OF 4 pei
cent lntererest--a most important con
sideration.
The farmers do not want the state nol
the counties to put down their " Ill
through public officials, for it wou {
mean large and useless expenditure OF
the money in Official fees. They havt
always get to use the water and they
know far better than any public Officer
or other outsider where best to put thei
wells.
The great object of this plan is, 1st, tt
secure complete irrigation of the arit
portion OF the state by procuring sutfi
cent money to enable the present popu
latio'u to accomplish the same and retair
their h ONES; 2nd, to obtain the money fo
the peop le at the lowest possible rat,
Of interest.
It is we'll k, ,own to us all that til,
present farm po, 7ulation are too mpover
ished by urouth to be able 10 construc
these wells unaided. They have not 20
the securities by which they can bta
the money of capitalists, and If they had
they would have to pay fui. Ten OF twelv'
per cent; and were the COUNT ss 10 borrow
the money they would have to 'ay iron
6 to 8 per cent, while the sta. 20 cal
borrow all the money needed at 3 Or
per cent-and some think for even lie, ss
Had this course been taken four or five
years ago, for the probable expenditure
of $3,000,000 by the people, through the
aid of our state, we would have retained
hundred thousand of our original
population and there would be today
scattered all over these plains extensive
groves OF forest trees, orchards of hardy
fruits. shrubbery, berries and tame
grasses of every kind to ornament and
bless tho farmers homes; besides full
$3.50, 100000 added to the property yalu.
alton Of the state. Such a benefcent
plan is impracticable and childish, is it?
Take any other course that has
been suggested and you delay the ac-
complishment of this irrigation until
you have actually forced the great mass
of the remaining population in the snb-
arid region out Of the state-and what
care we for that incoming future popu-
lasion when we have been financially
ruined and driven like tramps to the