Arizona republican., 1899-12-30

land owners and to the public in gen eral. Thus it happens that although irrigation works indirectly repay many times their value, yet they cannot be made financially successful. By in crease of population and of trade, and the growth in value of taxable prop erty. the community as whole i5 made richer, while the investor becomes poorer. Under such circumstances it is apparent that further development cannot take place unless the con- munity as a whole, the state or na- ton, builds these important works of reclamation; private capital cannot be expected to do it.
 It is undoubtedly true that an ex- ceedingly large proportion Of the val ues virtually created by a meritorious irrigation enterprise, will inure to the benefit of the 1and owners and the pub lie generally other than those who make the expenditure to build the works. This must be so to a greater or less extent in any line cf human effort. Communities are created and land values frequently quadrupled by the building of a needed railroad. But is it human nature that people will de cline to repay the cost of an undertake ing and a reasonable profit on the in vestment, if by so doing they can make for themselves four or five times the amount of payment?
 In a settled community the cost and the yearly income can be determined and secured in advance. Success is then only a question of the desired re- lation of the one to the other. When new arid lands are to be reclaimed, the building of the works creates all val ues
 For instance, f1 the Salt River valley there are opportunities to build irri gation works which will reclaim lands now utterly vaiueless. When irrigated these lands will produce an average net yearly income of at least $2O per acre A market value of from $50 to S1OO peI acre for these lands with a water right guaranteeing an adequate supply is as certain as any values can be. Thero has always been an intense demand for such lands. A Gozen experiences prove that they will always be secured before the works can be completed. Can any one conceive how it could be otherwise? As the iaNds are valueless without the water right, and without it no title to the land ca-I be secured in the nature of things. it is as certain as anything can be that there will be lively demand for these lands with water tight at a satisfactory price. One year net income. as stated, will pay for a water right at a price sufti cient to build the works and yield Q handsome profit on the investment. In practice these water right contracts carry a regular annual income. This in fairness ought to be and generally is large enough to pay a fair dividend on the investment, while not a burden upon the producer.
 It is certain the lugubrious reason ing and prognOstications of these ad- vocates of governmental construction have no application to cases such as we have just outlined. In fact, they ad- init there are exceptions. Their fault is, we take it, broad generalizations which in effect negative the admitted exceptions. The truth is their funda- mental theory can only be supported by generaliza tions so broad as to be inconsistent with the facts. It would probably be unfair to ascribe to them a deliberate rule or ruin" policy. Their course of conduct, however, leads nat urally to the same results.
 The government ought to build some water storage reservoirs in Arizona and elsewhere. It is understood the only obstacle is the jealousy of the farmers of the middle west. This ought not to exist: it is childish and unreason- able. It i'll becomes a mother, when a daughter goes out to found a home of her own, to be jealous lest some of the daughters furnishings be nicer than those to which the mother has been accustomed. So it is shameful that people farther east, whose children have settled the Rocky mountain pla- teau and the Pacific slope, should deny these children a fair division of the national revenues, lest they manifest a prosperity galling to eastern sensibili- ties. These people ought to remember that for years and years the market value of their lands was far above their