, 1899-03-16
ARID LAND QUESTION.


The Washington correspondent of
the Salt Lake Herald says in part:
The senators and representatives
from the Rocky mountain states who
remain in the city since the adjourn
menU Of congress 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 last congress to
do anything looking to the solution Of
the irrigation problem has outraged
the senators aGi representatives from
the arid land region. Although the late
unlamCnted congress was one of the
most profligatcd in the history of the
country, expanding nearly two billions
Of dollars of the peoples money in all
kinds of ways, the paltry appropria-
Jions asked for irrigation purposes
were denied.
Senator Warren of Wyoming made
a spirited fight for recognition of irri-
cation appropriations, but was de-
feated during the vigils of the last long
might of the session.
There is no doubt that if Senator
Warren ard 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 long eff
forts, and Senator Warren's speech was
a notable contribution to irrigation lit
erature, although delivered under cir
cumstances of great difficulty. and to
kill time, rather than to afford instruC-
ton.
1t is, however, now seriously pro
posed by a group Of western senators
and representatives, to organize early
in the new congress to force the fight
ing and compel heavy appropriations
for this purpose. 1t is even proposed
by some that all appropriation bills
shall be blocked unless the appropria-
ton committee agrees to insert IS 900,
600 for irrigation purposes. As this is
an increase of about 500 per cen over
the small appropriation asked Of the
late congress, it will be understood that
the arid land representatives have re,
ally 'blood in their eyes" Senator
Wilson of Washington, who retired al
the close of the Old congress, put the
situation very correctly when he said
that during his term in the senate il
had been very interesting to see west,
ern senators put items in the apprOpri-
alton bills in the senate, ard then watch
the eastern senators knock them out in
conference. Senator Wilson was very
near the truth. Eastern senators have
over and W. again defeated appropri-
atoms placed in these great bills for
the benefit of the western states. If the
proposed arid land legislation ever
really passes it will be largely due to
hostility aroused in many states
against the drastic reign of the COM
mittee on appropriations of the senate
and the control 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 to
obtain government largesses for this
purpose. The advocate of government
appropriations for irrigation have
have sought to place them upon about
the same basis as river and harbor APP
preparations, while the western sena-
tors and members who have imposed
this course, have seemed to favor
granting the arid lands to the states as
public lands, and permit each state to
deal with them as its legislature saw
fit.