The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-07-26
STORAGE RESERVOIRS
GOVERNMENT IRRIGATION TO
RECLAIM ARID LANDS
HOMES FOR THE UNEMPL0YED
q. n. Maxwelps Suggestions as Part
Of the National Policy Of Inter-
nal Improvement


A fair-slzed audience was present yester-
day in the assembly rpom Of the chamber
of commerce to hear George II. Maxwell lec-
ture on irrigation. 1t was unfortunate that
the address could not have been more widely
advertised and the hall filled with a large
assembly to hear the important phase of
the subject that Mr.. Maxwell SO forcibly
and convincingly presents. The speaker
was introduced to the audience by General
Forman, president of the chamber Of COM
merce.
Mr.. Maxwell advocated the construction
of federal storage reservoirs as recommend
ed In the report of Captain Hiram NJ Chit
tenden as part of the established policy
of national internal improvements, giving
to the arid regions their fair proportion Of
the total disbursements for internal i'm
provements to be used for the construction
of reservoirs. He argued strongly that
there was no difference In principle between
building levees on the Mississippi to save
the adjoining territory from destructive
floods, or building storage reservoirs to save
the lands in the arid regions from destruc-
ton by drouth.
1t was. he said, impossible for him to pre-
|sent the arguments in favor Of this policy
as strongly as they were presented by Cap
tain Chittenden In this report, and that the
federal government itself in this report had
pointed the way to the people of the whole
arid west for the reclamation and develop
ment of that vast region which must re-
main a desert forever unless these reser-
voirs are built, and as Captain Chittenden
had shown in his report, the federal govern
ment was the only source to which the pub
lie could look for their construction. The
great problem Is to get water cheap enough
so the men who must till the soil could bear
the burden of the water charge and prosper,
and IL the storage reservoirs were built by
the federal government as part Of the
policy of Internal improvements the bur =
den of their cost would not have 70 be
loaded on the cultivator of the soil. The res
ervoirs would be built just as river and har-
Dor improvements are built, to promote the
prosperity Of the people and the develop
ment of the material resources of the ma
ton.
He quoted the words of Joseph Chamber
lain when colonial secretary of Great Brit
ain: Get population, and all else shall BE-
given unto you," and contended that 1t
would enhance the prosperity of the
whole nation just as much to reclaim
and people arid America as 1t had promoted
1t to populate the great Mississippi valley.
Truer words were never uttered than when
Speaker Reed said EVERY wise man agrees
that beyond the Mississippi lies the great
wealth of the days to come but this wealth
| could never be created without water, and
Ii, was wholly beyond the scope OF private
enterprise or even the resources OF many
of the states to build the great storage res
ervoirs necessary to store the waters IL 1t
Twas ever to be done it must be done by the
| federal government.
| In many cases where the water could be
go provided by storage the distribution of 1t
| could be made by the cooperation OF land
| oWners but there would be cases where the
state could not get the benefit Of the bounty
| Of the federal reservoir unless it would
build the main distributing systems. If we
| mad federal reservoirs it would Eecessitate
state distribution works.
The speaker went with considerable detail
| into his views as to how such a state sys-
TEN could be framed so as to do away with
all possibility of risk or loss to the state.
He proposes that no such state works should
| be built except where the land owners will
voluntarily create d lien on their lands to
guarantee an eventual return to the state
| for It's investment. long time to be given at
| low interest, and every land owners share
Of the burden to be segregated and appor-
toned according to benefits.
He urged strongly the soundness of the
policy of the federal government construct
| INK the necessary irrigation works to re-
VII LOW d. fha mot ay-r ich
| to be sold with the land, and the irrigation
system, when all the lands under 1t were
sold, to go to the land owners, 80 as to unite
| forever the ownership of the land and water.
He contended that the time was ripe now for
this policy because all the government lands
capable of supporting homes without irr-
cation were exhausted. and there were hum
dreds of thousands Of wage earners out Of
work who could be given employment In the
work of retaining the arid lands and they
would then be enabled to get homes on the
| very land which their labor had reclaimed,
so that they would become self-sustaining
| and independents
| Professor Wickson of the state university
| was present and is In the southern part of
| the state to conduct series of farmers In
stitutes. Professor Wickson has published
| a book on California fruits and has another
| in preparation on the flora of the state. On
| these subjects he is regarded as the greatest
| living authority.
Accompanied by Professor Cook of Po-
mona, Mr.. Maxwell will visit Fallbrook on
| Monday and Tuesday of next week; Pomona
Wednesday and Thursday; Lemon Grove
Friday and Saturday; Tustin Monday and
Tuesday of the week following; Fullerton
Wednesday and Thursday; Rivera Friday