Mesa free press., 1899-09-15
ARIZONA AND NATIONAL
IRRIGATION.

The coming Natiora: Irrigation
Congress, which is to. o.7meet at Mis-
soula, Mont, on the 25th Of thia
month, to last three days, is attract
ing more attention than any previous
gathering Of the kind. This is largely
due to the fact that the enterprising
press of the West has. during the past
year, been educating the people or the
country in regard to the vast impor-
tance of this arid land question.
Among the sections of the United
States THAI are interested in National
irrigation, none is more deeply so
than Arizona, the future development
of which great territory depends
largely on the development of water
to irrigate its vast stretches of plains
and valleys, now ARID, but capable of
producing every crop of the semi
tropic and temperate zones. It is,
therefore, not surprising to find that
the people of Arizona are taking a
keen interest in the coming congress.
As is generally Fnown, the Cover
nor Of Arizona is-unfortunately-an
advocate of the cession Of the arid
lands to the States and Territories in
which they are located. Consequently
as might be expected. Mr.. Murphy
has selected men as delegates to the
congress who favor that plan, which
The Times, and a great majority of
those who have devoted consideration
to the question, believe would De q
grave mistake. In addition, each
canal or ditch company has the privi-
lege of making selection Of one dele
gate, and these also have generally
selected men who ars in faver Of rri-
vate ownership.
The enterpfising farmers of Ari-
zona have, however, not been idle,
Yhile several Of the cities and towns
have selected men as delegates who
have the interests of the people at
heart The Mayor of Phoenix has
chosen w. T, Smith, also ex Gov.
McCord, who has contributed several
articles on national irrigation to the
Times 1t may be depended upon
that he will make strong fight for
national irrig gation in the congress.
An important addition to the ranks
of those who champion the cause of
national irrigation has come in the
person of E. P. Ripley, president Of
the Santa Fe system, who has written
a letter to Mr., McCord, which is pub
lished in the Phoenix Enterprise. In
this letter Mr, Ripley congratulates
Mr.. McCord on a Communication pub
lished by that gentleman in The Times
of June last, and adds:
Permit me to congratulate you on
the soundness of your position and
the sclearness with which it is ex-
pressed. There is no question in my
mind that it is the duty of the
national government to take charge of
and conserve the water supply; in no
other way can the vast areas Of arid
land owned by the government itself
be made of value, so that aside from
any benefit which may result to the
Territory, and aside from the pro-
vision Of an immense farming area for
our surplus population, the enterprise
should be paying one from a purely
business standpoint, and the enhance
ment of values of the government land
should more than pay the cost.
II hope you will go On with the
propaganda. You are certainly on
the right track and government money
spent in this way will do more good
and benefit more people than all that
has been appropriated in the river and
harbor bills for the last ten years"
The sentiment in favor of national
irrigation is growing apace and will,
doubtless, be crystalljz-d at the COM
ing irrigation congress, the delibera-
tiops of which bave an Important
bearing upon action by the other and
greater congress which meets at
Washin eton.-Lo Angeles Times.