The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-12

Indian reservations, and practically all
of it is held in fee by the United States
government. Three plans for the recla-
nation of this land are proposed, viz:
l. Reclamation under the present land
laws, the homestead and desert land
act. 3 Reclamation by the general gov
eminent through appropriations and
surveys 8. Cession of the lands to the
state in trust.
Reclamation under the present land
laws is rejected (a) because these laws
commit the land to unrestricted pr1-
vate enterprise under conditions which
mean the virtual confiscation of the
canals built to reclaim them; OBJ be-
cause these laws encourage the waste
full use of water by failure to place
restriction on the construction of canals
and bitches and also by failure to pro-
vide for the utilization of natural
drainage by the construction of storage
reservoirs.
Although reclamation by the general
government is desirable and has proven
historically a success in Egypt and In
dia, where the experiment has been
tried, it is deemed innpracticable.
(a) Because it savors of paternalism,
and would be resisted by the farmers of
the east, south and middle west, who
could never be convinced that it was
right to put money in the federal treas
TO Create III Tic NCotr anu
thus bestow expenditures upon men
who would become their competitors in
the agricultural market of the world.
(b) Because conditions vary so much
in different parts of the arid region that
water laws applicable to one state
would be ill-suited to another, and
hence, any attempt to secure-unity of
management and enforce a uniform
system of laws would work great
hardship on present irrigation inter-
ests.
The plan that is recommended by Mr.
Brough is the cession of all irrigable
lands in Utah to the state upon condl-
ton of their reclamation and delivery
to actual settlers To this~end he pro-
poses the opening of the Uintah res
ervation to public settlement and the
Immediate transfer of all lands now
held in fee by the government TO the
state. His reasons for this recommeh-
dation are:
(a) Irrigation, in its final analysis,
is distinctly a local problem, and the
people of the arid states are more likely
to be thorough students Of its posi-
bilities than government oihclals o,OOo
miles away.
Oh The possession of all the irrigable
land in the state would enable the state
to exercise a systematic supervision
over the water supply 1t controls
(c) State cession would vest the con-
troll of the land and water in the same
authority and thus prevent the epecu-
lation incident upon divided ownership.
At present, according to the common
law. the state is the owner of all unap-
propriated waters, and the government
is the owner of all unappropriated laId-
I'D Historical precedents exist for the
2 l,n
able one being the disposition OF over
400, 600 acres of swamp lands
problem more urgent of solution
than state cession, because the adVlS-
ability and success of policy OF state
cession really depends on its correct So
luton, is the formulation of system
according to which the lands should be
administered in the event they were
ceded to the state. Three plans are
discussed, viz: I'D Administration of
the state itself. (2) Administration by
public corporations with water dis
tricts organized under the laws OF the
state. CD Reclamation by private en-
terprise operating under grants from
the state, with proper restrictions I'M
posed upon the grants.
The plan of reclamation and admin
istration by the state is rejected be-
cause of the necessity which 1t would
state for the construction of the requi-
site irrigation work, because of the
sacrifice of the revenues now accruing
from the ownership OF private property,
because of the introduction of COM
plexity in administration, and, finally.
because of disposition on the part of
taxpayers to demand lower prices for
the products of state industry.
Reclamation under the district sys-
Ca1f 10 &c
nounced impracticable for Utah, be-
cause the two conditions on which dis
trict organization depends-population
and a common source of water supply
do not exist in the southern part of
the state.
THE CAREY SYSTEM.
The theory which Mr.. Brough favors
is that adopted by the last legislature
in accepting the Carey grant reclama-
ton by private enterprise operating
under grants from the state, with
proper restrictions imposed upon the
grants. The specific plan proposed is
this: That the state should make con-
tracts with reliable private corpora
lions acting as construction compan-
les, for the reclamation and settlement
within a given period, OF the lands to
be reclaimed in the state. the sum
charged the state by the construction
company TO be specified in the con-
tract. The power of fixing the price per
acre for which land and water must be
sold to settlers should be vested in
state board of control, which, in turn,
should have charge of all the waters
of the state, with authority to inspect
proposed irrigation works. and TO su-
pervise them while under construction.
When the sum specified by the contract
has been realized by the investors in
the irrigation enterprise, the proceeds
from the sale of lands, if any, should
revert to the state. In all contracts the
ownership of water to be inseparabie
from the ownership of land. The mer-
its of this plan are pointed out by the
author to be:
/ Both the investor and the settler
would be surrounded by the most am
pie safeguards in the all important
matter of water supply.
3. CAPITAL would be furnished Sc
curity upon the land as well as upon
the water supply, in case "a sale cover
ing the specified sum was not obtained
by the company
2 The Intervention of the state
through a board of control would pre-
vent any danger of the company reap
ing exorbitant profits, leaving the cor
porations entering the field mere con-
struction companies.
Fourth-The work for delivery and dis
tribution constructed by corporations
would be more efficient and durable than
those constructed by the land owners
themselves.
BOARD OF CONTROL.
A most practical and timely proposal
is that the supervision, protection and
conservation of the waters user for IL
rieation i'm the state should be vested in
= state board of control. composed of
state engineer and representative irri-
gators from all sections of the state. This
recommendation is made GsD because IN
der the present method of using water
for irrigation in the exact order of set
tinrrner1f known as the privitY of ri/Hls