The record-union., 1897-09-29

cure the blessings of liberty and happi-
ness to ourselves and posterity,' can no
longer forget her posterity than a faith
er can his child. Forget them, say,
by Withholding from them for settle
ment the many thousandsof homes that
lie in this Western country-homes that
are their birthright as much as the
homes eads that are now the castles of
so many true, brave and noble Ameri-
can citizens. Heretofore this Govern
ment has been most generous with her
free homes for her people.
The people living in this section are
most patriotic, and many Of the two
million or more idle and homeless peo-
pie in the crowded and congested cities
of the East are looking for the time
when these Western lands are made
available for a settlement. Philanthro-
pists and humanitarians see the great
opportunity for solving one of the most
vital and serious questions of the times
the settling Of the worthy unemployed
and homeless upon these lands. while
politicians and statesmen realize the
fact that if they do not carry it into
practice that the safety and perpetuity
of this Government lies in having
homes for its worthy, homeless citi-
zens.
The time has come to the minds of
all who fully know the condition of the
East and the West that this country
can no longer remain half settled and
half unsettled. any more than it could
have remained half free and half slave.
Individual cooperative efforts have
gone as far as they can go. Uncle Sam
owns this unsettled land, and it has
now come to the parting of the ways
either the Government must open
these lands for settlement, or turn
them over in fee simple to the States
and Territories in which they lie, that
they may open them for settlement.
"The settlement of the West means
only that the products of the soil go
East for the products of the loom and
the factory; that the settling of the sur
plus population in the West relieves the
East of great financial burdens which
give Only temporary relief. The open
ing of the West will not only give
homes to the present homeless, but to
future thousands, instead of forcing
them abroad, like England, France and
Germany do their homeless people, for
want cf territory.
'If any bill is passed for the recla-
nation of arid and semi-aTfd America,
it must first be drafted by this body
of the people of the West. The last
Irrigation Congress passed d bill, a very
good cne for a starter, known as the
Public Land Commission Bill 1t was
introduced in the House of Represent
atives near the close of the session, and
awaits resurrection. 1t has firm sup
port in both houses, and with proper
efforts on the part of this Congress
could become a law.
More acres are under cultivation by
means Of irrigation than ever before,
and perhaps more miles of irrigating
bitches have been built in the last few
years than in all previous years.
Through these annual congresses an
impetus has been given another line
Of industry that has worked night and
day to perfect pumps and machines to
draw water from the bowels of the
earth at such a minimum cost as to
make it profitable to iTrigate in this
way. The ingenious mind has been set
to work to conserve the storm waters
that run in torrents to the sea- The
ewes of the East and South have been
opened to the fact that they, too, can
ditch, drain and reap the water at
proper times and receive better results.
eve irTigationists are satisfied that
Congress will have to adopt our plan
Of preventing the overflow Of large
streams by the storage of the waters
near the heads of such streams in such
a manner as to feed the streams at
times of low water and at other times
to be used in irrigation, navigation ana
manufacturing industries; and. IN TINS
way. the damage to life and property
now caused each year by oVerfioWs Will
be prevented, and large tracts of arid
lands can be reclaimed by these waters
and opened for settlement.
The people of the nation would soon
find it a paying investment if Congress
would apply the appropriations annu-
ally made to prevent floods, temporary
makashifts. to the storage of the wa
ters. as we'll as for the use of agr1cul-
ture and horticulture.
.'Following in the wake of irrigation
and closely allied to it is colonization
The people of the West do not want
those lands made tillable unless they
can teem with the life and are settled
with the best brain and Drawn of the
old and the young, rich and the poor,
who desire homes in this sunset land
of America.
The question of the possibility of 10
eating and tracing underground
streams of water was the subject or an
extended and carefully prepared paper
bv DIR. J. G.. Sutton of RusslyvanIa, ..
Dr Sutton at the outset admitted that
this subiect was an unpopular one, in
asn7,ch as it invaded a field heretofore
held by water witches, or those clallil-
ino 70 he endowed with divine pow
err: aided by a forked stick. His ex-
Derience was, however. that by tolloW-
ing the ordinary rules of sclentlhc re-
search the location of sub-surface wa
fer was possible. and having no connec-
tion with superstition and other rubbish
surrounding the subject, upon the es-
tablished theory that the earth is
magnet. he gave in detail the results
of his investigations covering a period
of twelve years Water and matter
surrounding it under the surface were
magnetic to such a degree, DR.. Sutton
claimed. as to influence action above
ground. He concluded:
u have been cautious about falling
into the error of assuming more than
my experimental results seem to JUS
tify. And now. dogmatic as the asser-
tion may appear. I declare to you that
have been fortunate enough to devise
an electro-magnetic device so finely
sensitive TO variations in the earth's
magnetism that I am enabled to ac-
curateIy trace and map sub-surface
streams of water"
Dr. Sntfon,s paper was the last set