The Philipsburg mail., 1899-07-14
NATIONAL IRRIGATION
Governor McCord, Of Arizona, Expresses Him.
self on This Great Question.
STORAGE RESERVOIRS, CANALS
The Proper System Is for the National
Government to COntruct and Main
tain Them Perpetually For
Benefit of the People.

Ex-Governor Myron H. McCord. of
Arizona, in recent interview in the
Los Angeles Times, expressed himself
vigorously on the subject of irrigation
for the west, and the question as to
whether the arid lands should be ceded
to the several states and territories.
Governor McCord said:
"a national system of irrigation is
no new theory with me. Three years
ago last January, in some remarks |
made before the Agricultural Asssocia-
tion of Arizona upon the subject of
Statehood and Irrigation,' / took oc-
casion to say: Every man who be-
lieves in the perfect developments of
our country should support a national
system of irrigation That is the only
way the vacant spaces in our national
domain can be rounded out and our
country made symmetrical Should
this great government take hold and
carry out such Il work, which it could
do and not feel the cost, even if it re.
quired 500, 1000, 900 or 5000, 600, 600,
the mighty west. which contains such
vast areas of now useless land. would
become veritable paradise. With Il
national system of irrigation millions
OF people from the east could find a
home III which peace and plenty would
reign.
Monopoiies Not Wanted.
1.-The governor Of this territory
(Hughes), in his annual report recon-
mends that the provisions of the Gary
act be extended SO as to apply to Ari-
zona. The Cary law gives each state
III the arid region million acres of
land, provided the state reclaims it,.
While | have great respect for the
opinions of Governor Hughes. yet upon
this question l cannot agree with him.
Such legislation is not what we want
The land would be utterly valueless tc
us, because we could only get it re.
claimed by giving it away, and il
could only be given away when an ag
gregation Of capital could be induced
to undertake its reclamation as a gift.
If corporation could be found that
would undertake it's reclamation Oh
those terms, and should succeed, they
would own the land, and of course have
the right to fix such prices upon it as
they desired.
Government should Retain Title.
''lf the government parts with its
title to large quantities of the public
domain i'll the arid belt, under the
operations Of the Gary law and kim
dred measures, it will prove a great
draw back 10 the scheme for the accom-
plishing of which tho entire west
should bend every energy and use
every honorable means, viz national
irrigation.
'Those were my views three and a
half years ago. and time has confirmed
me in the belief that they were then,
as now, sound. Eighteen months after
the address above quoted from was de.
llvered, in my report as governor, to
the secretary of the interior, 1 advo-
Gated national system of irrigation,
saying, among other things:
Land Sales Would Pay the Cost.
' The government could carry out
such work readily. The millions
that would be needed could best come
frem the nation, and, with a sale of
the lands irrigated, the money that it
cost could be returned to the national
treasury. With a national system of
irrigation millions of people from the
cOngested centers of population would
find homes in the west.
Not Alone An Individual Opinion.
"Now, these are my own individual
ODiu ions but I am pratified tO knoxy
that every irrigation congress that has
met in the west or elsewhere has re-
solved in favor of national irrigation,
and against cession of the lands to the
states and territories. Even the recent
congress at Wichita, while more of a
commercial gathering than anything
else, passed resolutions in favor of ma
tional irrigation, and refused to pass a
resolution in favor of cession.
"Those who favor the giving of the
lands to the states and territories say
it is idle to think that congress will in