The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-09-30

MIC ruprearroy SCHEMES HAVE
ALWAYS HEEy FAILURES.
bryan Visits the Congress ana
speech-yew onacers Eie'fea-
Paper. on the History and Proper
Manner of Building Ditches-

LINCOLN. Neb, Sept 2~-Beginhiils
at 3 O'Clock this morning. with sno.
recess Al noon and continuing until ia.e
ton;gn. the delegatss TO the national irri-
cation congress were surfeited with pa
pe-s on frrigation topics and discussions
which followed their presentation. AAe
congress today took action looking 10 us
indefinite continuance and providihs ioi
the incorporation Of the nauonai aSsoci
alton and adoption OF constnu,i0h slaS
bylaws. This action. which was
broachsd az the meeting at Phoenix.
Ariz., year ago. has been delayed
through a failure heretofore 10 recognize
the congress as a continuing body or 10
keen intact a record OF former procevu-
ingS
Ex-senator Carey. Of Wyoming. who
was honored by a unanimous election 70
the presidency. emphasized the necessits
OF making the association a distinct per
1uanent organization Interest IN the
subject, he said. was growing each year,
and the enterprise itself was broadening
and so developing as 20 compei recoshi-
ton OF the whole nation
The sessions today were marked WITH
an increased attendance. and papers, as
a rule. were pointed and interesting. Al
extremely long dissertation on rain-nah a
ing by q local theorist had the eject Oh
crowding out Of the programme mum
Der OF papers. among them that OF eN-
Secretary Heintz. which, however was
formally read and will form part or the
printed report.
AGRICULTURAL Problems of Arid Re-
gions.' was the subject treated by Dr.
Clark Gelpin. Of Chicago. whose FORMER
residence in Nebraska and other west
ern states furnished him themes for IN
teresting discourse
r. H. Breat. of Minneapolis. spoke ON
yrfe "a IN
Dakotas."
r. II. Newell. of Washington. d. c.,
reached his second paper for the day,
that OF this afternoon being the subject,
"A Public Land Commissioner" His
contention was that the present land
laws were not ADAPTED to present eondi-
tons.
''Cession Of Arid Lands 20 States was
treated by Judge Emery f. Best, assist.
ant commissioner of the general land Of
flee.
The following officers were elected:
President. Joseph NJ. Carey, Wyoming;
first vice president. s. 4. Cochrane, South
Dakota; second vice president, l.. w.
Shurtliffe. Utah; third vice president, S.
NJ. Knox, Illinois; secretary. Thomas f
Frost, Minnesota
Prof. Blount, of Las Cruces, N. NJ, read
a paper on the history of irrigation. and
+. II. Newell read a paper on The Recent
Progress of Irrigation" He said In part:
During the past few years there have
been comparatively few large irrigation
systems constructed. The principal deyel-
opments have been along the line of in
crease OF area cultivated under bitches al
ready built and the construction of small
irrigation works dependent for the supply
of water upon storage reservoirs or wells.
A period Of growth has been the result not
only OF the prevailing hard times, but the
1t.4r 80 tHA staet.
movement resulting in the building OF many
great canals during the years 1Ss9-1s92.
Nearly all the larger corporate enterprises
begun at that time are now In bankruptcy
resulting from one cause or another the
principal one being that OF the difficulty Of
disposing Of the lands and water rights
at remunerative figures.
I'm the study of the development of irri-
CATION and OF the utilization of the vast
area of vacant public lands. one of the
striking facts to be noted Is the difference
in results between those attained by small
and by large Irrigation work. Nearly all
or the individual or partnership bitches
have been successful and have yielded
large returns, while the reverse is general
~ the case with the corporate enterprises.
The small systems of water supply have
been built at the least possible cost by
men who expect to use them In the cult
walton or their farms and who have looked
not 10 possible profits from the handling
OF the water rights. but to the increased
productiveness Of the soil. Each man has
been Individually concerned in securing
economy In construction and operation.
bitches have been built to carry water only
to lands which It was intended TO Gull
tfvate Immediately, little or no expense be-
ing incurred In bringing water 10 areas
not Immediately needed for the produc-
ton or crops. Thus every dollar invest
ed whether in labor or cash, has aided
In increasing the value Of the harvest OF
each year. In striking contrast. the cor
porauon project was conceived less from
the point of permanent and beneficial
investment than that OF ability TO make
quick returns from the sale of stocks and
bonds. These schemes were Of course
doomed TO failure from the start. for the
active and energetic men who were push
ing them Immediately lost all interest the
moment they had made a sale or had oh
tanned heavy mortgage. and left the
wreck to drift helplessly on 10 be managed
by huctuating majority Of the creditors
The Ideal method OF operation OF these
large works should be to carry out on a
larger scale the principles through which
the smaller bitches have been successful
that each frrigator should be a proportion
ate owner IN the whole system and per-
sonally concerned in the management
economical administration and pavrneuf az
each persons share Of the expense the
amounts due being collected I'm the same
manner "a school taxes. The state OF
California leads IN the magnitude Of these
enterprises. considerable number Of dis
trfcfs having been organized a few OF
which have been successful. and especially
those In which the debts incurred were for
The most part furnished by residents IN
terested In the success OF the project"
How Shall We Build More Irrigation
works. was the title OF a paper read by
Secretary Heintz. Of California.
AFTER stating that tn no case Of auy g.fzs
could an Irrigation plant be made to nav
anything above expense the first year or
two, he went on TO tell the difficulties az
building a ditch and waiting for ssonsf,yn
ers 70 buy the water afterwards CaD5.al
is aware Of the history Of such schemes
and cannot now be enlisted In them. NOT
a single Irrigation project OF magnitude
on this plan Is paying
Nothing is more absurd than the talk
about monopOiists as applied TO water.
A sure recipe for being a successful water
hog could Re sold for a handsome figure
Who has seen any Of the water ha rons -
Of whom the politicians prate? Many a
man has tried to be one Of those barons
hut the sTnartest Of the lot has generally
found himself one Of the cornmonest of
the alleged common people. and too offe1
il has been so before the ditch was finish
Cd A very few have made money by
manipulating stock. but this did not come
out Of the consumer while most Of the
ruin has been wrought by selling water
FOR less than Il actually cost 20 bring Il 10
the land.