The Arizona sentinel., 1899-07-29


 think that the average Arizona legislature would be a safe bodt of men to guard the interests of the territory when a body of land worth from five to ten millions of dollars was placed in it's charge and was at it's disposal?
 I am not of those individuals who think the average Arizona legisla ture is thoroughly bad, on the con- trary, l think the average Arizona legislature is as good as the average Arizona citizen, but do think that if congress should absolutely cede all the lands the government owns in Arizona today in a way the Re- publican advocates, that not one acre of it would be reclaimed and the title of not one acre would re- main in the territory after the lapse of wo'years
 Bat is the time when the govern ment may take hold of this project in "the dim utopain future?" I don't believe it is. Ever since the expiration of the second term of President Andrew Jackson a system ofinternal improvements more or less expense, has been carried out. An annual river and harbor bill carrying fifty or more millions is now passed with as much regular ity and witb more uniminity than any other of the great appropriation bills In the last river and harbor bill there was inserted by thesenate an item of "three hundred thousand dollars to begin system of na- tional irrigation for the arid lands" This the house refused to concur in and congress in it's last moments was held for more than five hours in deadlock over this item. Senators and representatives from the west yielded and allowed this item to go out only after the leading men of both senate and house had faith fully promised that the next bill should provide for this approprja. ton. In all human probability the next river and harbor bill will contain an appropriation of at least three hundred thousand dollars 'to begin system of national IT, rigation," and when such a system is once begun nothing can stop it except the government in an evil moment is induced to part with it's title to these lands. Every great scheme of internal improvement that the government has been in duced to foster and carry through has been by getting 8 small sum inserted in some appropriation bill to make surveys, estimates of costs, etc., etc. This is the way the 6oult St. Marie canal, the Sturgeon bay and Lake Michigan canal and Fox and Wisconsin river canal was started. The government has taken the same course with the Nicara guan canal-which it will probably appropriate for at the next session and it has substantially started on system of national irrigation by appropriating $20,000 to ascer- tian the coast of one reservoir in each state and territory.
 Every irrigation congress that has ever convened has resolved in favor of Q national irrigation sys- tenn and against any scheme for ceding the arid lands to the states and territories. There is TO divi- sion of sentiment upon this question in any other section of the arid west, except in Arizona. Even in Wyom- ing where the author of the Cary law, the Hon. Jas. NJ Cary, lives, the people are unanimous agaInst ceding the lands. This statement was made by Senator Warren of Wyoming on the floor of the senate last March.
 Now let the people of Arizona get in line with the people in other states and territories in the arid belt and all unite in favor of a na- tional system of irrigation and stop the foolish talk about ceding the lands to the states and territories and the government willin the very