El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-07-27
THE IRRIGATION AMENDMENT.
Two Opinions From Prominent People
on the Subject.

on the Subject.
State Senator BOwSer, of Dallas,
talks as follows on the proposed irriga-
tion amendment that is to be voted for
on August 3:
81 shall vote for the irrigation
amendment and hope to see it adopted.
What irrigation has done for CalifOr-
MIA, Utah, Nebraska, Colorado and
other states, it will do for Texas, and
even more, because the soil and climate
of west Texas is capable of producing
a greater variety af products than any
Of the states entioned. Irrigation is
no eXperimen emit in Texas. 1t has been
tested sufficiently to convince the most
skeptical mind. There can be- no Oh
lection urged against the amendment
on that ground. 1t has been applied
for years in a small way with the most
satisfactory results and the people of
west Texas row ak that the cOnstitu-
ton he so amended that they may
organize irI igation districts that they
may adopt 1t on a more extensive plan.
L adopted the amendment affects only
west Texas, and then Only such lands
as are susceptible to irrigation, by a
vote of a majority of the owners of
land to be affected 1t is strictly
local option measure, and we of north,
east and south Texas ought to give
them an opportunity to avail themselves
of it. If adopted the results will bepe-
fit the whole state by increasing its
population, productive capacity and
taxable wealth and to that extent de-
crease the burden of taxation of the
people OF middle, east and north Texas,
for it will make west Texas one of the
most prosperous sections of the coun-
try. In settling that section it will
create a market for our school lands,
that are now drug on the market, for
it is well known that almost the entire
school lands Of the state are located in
the arid and semi-arid region Of Texas.
These lands now are pra :tically worth
less, but with irrigation will produce
sugar, wheat, oats, alfalfa, potatoes,
corn and all the vegetables and
most of the fruits in the highest
degree of perfection. Experience has
taught US agriculture in the west
is practically a failure two years
out of three at least, and in large
part of that territory has impoverished
nine out OF every ten farmers that re-
lied on agriculture. This is direct
loss to the state, for the wealth of the
state depends upon the prosperity of
the people. We would have a poor
commonwealth indeed if the people
were all poor, and higher statesDan-hiD
dictates that every public man and
every patriotic citizen should study all
economic questions and further those
| that promise good to the people. If
| the amendment is adopted and the
| plan proves a success it will help our
neigh oors in the west. They are de-
serving people, have made the most
| heroic effort to subdue that arid land
and merit our warmest sympathies.
Almost the entire amount of money
spent in building dams and canals will
| be expended for labor, giving employ
| ment to thousands of cd, honest
workmen who are now idle. With ir-
| rigation Texas can produce enough
sugar to supply the people of the Unit
| ed States and keep within her borders
more than 500 900, 900 that now go to
J the people of foreign countries annual
| ly. The plan is fair and just. 1t pro-
poses to tax only such lands las are
benefited not including the lands of
| the state, and yet these public lands
| that are now worth ST and 50 per a ere
would as soon as they were brought
into an irrig alton district and the
work cOmplet. be worth from $40 to
SIS per acre. Land values that have
| followed irrigation in other states
prove this beyond question and make
| these estimates within the minimum
| prices.
| There is another important consid-
GRAFTON and one that have not touched
upon, and that is the theory advanced
by some of our sc entific men that our
storage of large bodies of water will
largely increase the rainfall and in
time make that section as seaSonable
as our own. All Things considered, [
believe that it is the duty of all pa
triotic citizens to vote for the amend
ment-a duty to the commonwealth,
AID duty to our brethren in the west
land | will cheerfully accord the
amendment my humble SUPPORT
Mr., 9. L. Wakefield, vice president