The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-04

pfoNfHithtr toIlttfn DittSu Dg the Stdtt.
In order to prevent such locations this
bill provides that upon the filing in the
local land Office by the governor of an
application for the temporary segrega-
ton OF the tract of land which the state
proposes to reclaim Immediately. with
ou the approval OF anyone. the land
sought to be reclaimed shall be with
drawn from private entry for the peri
cd OF six months. and IL the state fol-
lows up the application the Ian shall
be Withdrawn from entry during h
construction Of the works necessary to
reclaim the land.
Thu Carey &C; adopts as its definition
of arid lands, desert lands. and the in
terror department has construed that
To mean that II any kind of tree or
shrub grows on land IL is not desert
land. In the arid region there are sew
eral species of trees that grow upon
land which canno produce agricultural
crops without irrigation. The mesquite
wood and he grease are low
bushes that will grow on absolutely
desert land. The new bill defines arid
lands to be those which viii generally
produce agricultural crops only by ar
tihcial irrigation. which I'm our judg-
ment and In the judgment OF the in
terror department is a much better def
milton.
This bill gives the period of ten years
after the approval Of the maps N
IidnS w NHt SFfiFAdis VI inf tttio
within which to cause the tract of land
applied for to be reclaimed. n report
says that under the present law there
is but five years more time within
which a state can avail itself Of the
Carey act. The work necessary to be
done in order 10 reclaim large tracts OF
land Is very great. IL involves the con-
struction of reservoirs for the
storage OF water. and for the construc-
ton OF large canals To conduct that
water tn the land sought To be re-
claimed. As hundreds OF thousands OF
dollars will nave To be spent In each
OF these enterprises. and as the selec-
ton OF sites for reservoirs. the drafting
Of plans. and the approval Of the OFF,
GERS OF the government mus neceSsa-
rily he slow. IL Is deemed that ten years
is not too long q time within which to
produce reclamation ~ the lands. This
bill. covering substantially the proNi-
sions OF the Carey act and adding a
number OF provisions reyeals the Carey
act and amendment thereto. hut con-
tains "A saving clause in favor % those
states that have initiated proceedings
under the same. and permits them Ia
perfect their rights under That law.
There has heen cSousul;aiion held with
the state engineers ~ most Of the arid
land states. and they hSve approved
the general features " this bill.
II appears TO the committee that the
time has come when II is necessary
that the national government shal
pursue one of two policies with respect
to the arid lands. The present land
laws OF the United States are inapplica-
BILE to the settlement OF arid lands.
When the general land laws were en-
acted they were intended for the ands
that received sufficient precipitation of
water to produce agricultural BPS
The march of population had not pro-
ceeded as far as that large domain
called the American desert. INT there
was no necessity of even considering
the mode OF tilling those lands. The
tillable lands lying east Of the arid re-
gion have nearly all been settled. The
development OF the arid land states has
been stopped by the fact that the home
stead laws cannot be utilized by loca-
ions upon that land. The procedure
which is described in the homestead
laws is not applicable to arid lands
The man In the parts of the United
States where rainfall exists in sufficient
quantities to raise crops has q right
under the present laws to locate 100
acres of land. build his home thereon.
cultivate 1t, and be independent: but the
man who goes out to the arid region,
locates his quarter section, builds his
house. n plows the soil. can not ordi-
narily raise a sprig of grass or a bushel
of grain. The result is he must aban-
don his land and lose all of the i'm
provements thereon. Something must
be done to relieve this situation, for the
inevitable consequence Is that the agri-
cultural resources of all the Western
states are now being retarded and no
development takes place because these
lands are without the possibility of
anyone ~cultivating them. The farmer
who locates a homestead in an arid
region must bring water TO his land.
Inasmuch as all of the land that lies
RnntiDIntG m tho Stlanms has hAnn