The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-01-06
IRRIGATION DEFENDED.
Reasons Why People OF Western KAN
sas should Have Government Aid.

To the Editor Of the indianapolis Journal:
Your editorial on Experience with a Des-
ert." i'm your issue of Dec. 10. and that item
on Dec. p. which says irrigation can
wait" strike your correspondent with Pc
culiar force. because he was I'm that eager
throng that i'm 1885 rushed into southwest
Kansas and spent ten succeeding years In
the heroic but thus far ~frUitless attempt TO
blot a desert from, the map OF the con-
tinent. Permit me 10 use "A little OF your
space in examining your position in con-
nection with the facts of the case.
You say that twenty-one counties have
lost three-fourths of their population since
1887, and say further: The inquiry Is sug-
gested why the government ever permitted
these lands TO be opened for settlement. In
an indefinite way it was known fifty years
ago that the western portions of Kansas
and Nebraska were little better than des-
erts for the habitation of man."
Let us assume that this is absolutely true.
Knowing these facts. the government sur
veyed this desert" and under pre-emp-
ton. homestead and tim~ber-culture laws
offered it TO the public upon condition that
the pre-emptor pay a filing fee of s.. and
after six months residence pay 500 per
quarter section. or 800 if il happened TO be
- "NtNg AAAAAN oAA OAa AAAAAA AAo
homesteader must pay sl4 filing fee. or SIS
if within railroad limit, and he could COM
mute, after six months residence, upon the
same terms as the pre-emptor; or the gov
eminent would give him leo acres of this
desert" if he would live on il five years.
The imber-culture filing cost the same as
the homestead, but the law was changed SO
that II a claimant failed to raise trees after
diligent attempts and continuous failures
/ n "a nnmhnr nf hA narl1 - fh~
facts and the government would give him
a. quarter section OF desert for 500. BY
means of these small contributions from
settlers IN western Kansas on government
lands which were known TO be desert"
Uncle Sam has received probably so. 0oO. Que.
The twenty-one counties to-day have one
fourth OF their former population. That
remnant Is composed of as heroic. faithful
ard hopeful people as ever contended
against adverse fortune and climatic hill
ORANGES. They realize that ten years is by
TAR too short a time TO develop any coun-
try: They now understand the conditions
which surround them and the adaptations
of their locations. They know that the
surface of western Kansas is a great in
ciined plane which ascends toward the
mountains at the rate OF seven feet per
mile. and that il is underlaid with "A vast
body OF sheet water which has "A constant
pressure and movement toward the east.
They are not able individually or collective
~ To develop a system of irrigation by
means of this underiow. The government
which sold these semi-arid lands TO these
settlers permitted Colorado TO come into
the Union with a priority of water right in
r rbrawd 3rlgnnating IN their state The
Centennial State" understood. the almost
fabulous productive quality of irrigated
lands and the necessity of having an
ABUNDANT supply at the proper time. Colo
RADIO irrigators now absorb the waters OF
the Arkansas and other rivers flowing into
our State just at a time when We need the
most water.
Now. in view of the fact that our govern
ment permitted these lands 10 be settled
| and received ahOift 'S0 00 0n from ni0naara
who in good faith moved themselves and
their substance into this desert do you
believe that the federal. government should
refuse to spend the paltry sum Of . or even
4 per cent. of what II has received IN order
to develop "A system which means so much
TO these people? They do not ask the gov
eminent to dig their bitches. but simply TO
| construct "A tunnel of such magnitude and
durability into the water and quicksand as
will permit a stream to constantly flow into
their bitches. Whether this can best be
done by a number of large well points. or
through brick work or into tiling. will be
part of the experiments. Your great Re-
publican journal surely would not pursue
these settlers like a wild-eyed Populist does
the money power You would not have
Uncle Sam say TO them: Il have your mil
lions: ! made a good sale of bad lands and
Will not give you a million or two. even II
1T would make a garden of all the West"
Think of the appropriations in the river
and harbor bill Goose creek is cleaned out
so as to be made navigable for flatboats I'm
time of high water. Levees are built TO
protect the Swamps of Louisiana from
floods. but the average statesman works
himself into "a frenzy over a proposition TO
use federal money upon an irrigation ex-
pertinent for Western settlers.
You say the East is not overcrowded, and
| yet your correspondent knows that within
fifty miles of Indianapolis land rents for "a
and s. per acre. and Will not produce as much
as irrigated Western lands. which can be
purchased with the amount paid for two or
three years rental in Indiana.
You speak of what was known of this
Western country fifty years ago. A little
more careful Investigation will show you
that the desert extended further east than
Kansas and Nebraska. A part of old Mis-
souri, was too far west for settlement. vet a
part of that old desert mas actually been
developed. But Kansas was born to be-
talked about, slandered and praised. IL is
certainly not an ordinary State. or il would
not attract SO much attention. IL is the
only State that ever raised wheat enough
in one season TO bread the inhabitants of
the globe for more than a week. She con-
tinues to be a great corn country. although
Mrs. Lease says that raising HI is moro
profitable. She has natural gas. coal, salt
and many undeveloped resources. The
western portion of the State has "A more
fertile soil than the eastern part. and only
needs a little more water in order to make
il the garden of the globe. Kansas will Vet