The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-13
Organized Effort Will Be Made In
Next Congress.
HOSTILITY OF THE EAST
DEFEATED EVERY EFFORT TO
RECLAIM ARID LANDS.
Western Members Will Organize and
Go In For Five Million Dollars For
Irrigation Purposes -Wyoming's
Goose Egg and Senator Warren's
Wrath-Made Hard Fight.
(speeial correspondenee.l

Especial Correspondence)
Washington, D. c., March 9.-The
senators and representatives from the
Rocky mountain states who remain in
the city since adjournment are united
in the opinion that a formidable effort
will be made in the new congress to
secure arid land legislation upon a
large scale. The utter failure of the
late congress to do anything looking to
the solution OF the irrigation problem
has outraged the senators and repre-
sentatives from the arid land region.
Although the late unlamented congress
was one OF the most protligate in the
history of the country, expending near
| ~ two billions of dollars of the peoples
| money in all kinds of ways, the paltry
appropriations asked Tor irrigation pur-
poses were denied.
| Senator Warren of Wyoming made a
spirited fight for recognition of irriga-
! ton appropriations, but was defeated
| during the vigils of the last long night
of the session. Senator Warren had
I extra good reasons to be offended at
| the work of the closing hours of the
| congress. Not only were the Piney and
other reservoir appropriations defeated,
| but every one of the Wyoming appro-
priations which himself and Senator
| Clark had added to the appropriation
| bills were defeated. Included in this
list we're the appropriation for an army
post near Sheridan, the Evanston pub
lie building, and even the appropria-
! ton to render the foundation of the
| Cheyenne public building safe against
| treacherous soil.
Senator Warren, who is still in the
city, has not yet fully recovered his
equanimity. He is naturally uncom-
monty urbane, and takes victories or
defeats with equal ease. Asked this
evening as to what he thought of the
way Wyoming Jared in the closing
hours of congress, he said:
Eve We're slugged, and slugged to a
finish. All that Wyoming gets out of
the last congress can be expressed by
one great, big, fat goose egg" And
then the senator mentioned place not
/ published in universal aliases.
There is no doubt that if Senator
Warren and his associates from the
western states had adhered strictly to
their original purpose of talking both
the sundry civil and river and harbor
appropriation bills to death, they might
have forced favorable action on the
small irrigation items contained in the
| bills for the fiscal year, but the fight
was not prolonged, although Senators
Warren and Carter each made a long
effort, and Senator Warren's speech
was a notable contribution to irrigation
literature, although delivered under
circumstances of great difficulty, and to
kill time, rather than to afford instruc-
ton.
AN ORGANIZED EFFORT.
1t is, however, now seriously proposed
| by group of western senators and
Representatives to organize early in the
compel heavy appropriations for this
purpose. 1t is even proposed by some
that all appropriation bills shall be
blocked unless the appropriation COM
mittee agrees to insert $4,000, 900 for ir-
rigation purposes. AS this is an increase
of about 500 per cent over the small ap-
preparations asked of the late congress
it will be understood that the arid land
representatives have really "blood in
their eyes Senator Wilson of Wash
ington, who retired at the close of the
old congress, put the situation very cor
rectly when he said that during his
term in the senate it had been very in
| teresting to see western senators put
items in the appropriation bills in the
senate and then watch the eastern SEN
ators knock them out again in confer
ence. Senator Wilson was very near tine
truth. Eastern senators have over and
over dSdil ueEedleu APPROPRIATIONS
placed in these great bills for the bene-
fit of the western states. If the proposed
arid land legislation ever really Easses
it viii be largely due to hostility
aroused in many states against the
drastic reign of the committee on ap-
preparations of the senate and the con-
troll Of that committee by senators from
eastern states.
Some of the western senators have
held that each of the states should con-
troll its own irrigation improvements
and that there should be no effort tc
obtain government largesses for this
purpose The advocates of government
appropriations for irrigation have
sought to place them upon about the
same basis as river and harbor appro-
priations, while the western senators
! and members who have opposed this
course, have seemed to favor granting
the arid lands to the states as public
lands, and permit each state to dea
with them as its legislature saw fit
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
While Wyoming was a Ctorm center
for the slaughter of appropriations dur
ing the last days of the session, all hel
neighbors Jared we'll in the matter OF
public buildings. Salt Lake City, Lead
vile and Butte being among those cite,
with. new postoftices. 1t is announce.
at the Office of the supervising architec
that all these cities will probably sat
work begun on their buildings befor,
congress, convenes in regular session
The new supervising architect, Mr.. ]
K. Taylor, has shown much industry
and efficiency in the conduct of tn.
business of his office, and has caugh
up all the long-delayed business of tn
office, so that he is enabled to start il
very nearly fresh on the many new
buildings provided for at the late ses
sion.
The serious illness of Chairman
James K. Jones of the Democratic ma
tional committee, has caused the post
pone5ment Indefinitely of a number o
important conferences regarding tn,
future development of The Nationa
Democratic society and the preliminar,
canvas looking to the reafTirmation 0
the Chicago platform. The disting
uished senator is, however, now rnucl
improved and win probably be able t
take UP the work within a fortnight
No doubt is expressed among Demo
cratic congressional leaders of the abii
ity to control the next n-~-onal conven
tion for free silver and the accompany
t ing issues as easily as the convention o
1886.
, Senator Jones of Arkansas passed
/ comfortable day and his physicians las
night said he was resting quietly.