The Florence tribune., 1899-07-01
The Arid Lands.
IFrom tho Los Angeles 7imes.l

Times regarding the irrigation of the arid lands, with special reference to tho contention. of Gov, Murphy of Arizona that these lanes shouldi be. eeded to the States and Territories, the Phoenlx Republican takes up the cud- gels for Gov. Murphy and his plan, and incidentally Gngaa few elods. of Salt River soil at the Times.
 The Republican says that Gov. Mur- phy has done more for Arizona than any other man in the Tesnitorys has made a national reputation while in Congress, and is recognized as one of the strongest men of the country. Granting that all this is true-and the Times has. Rexex intinated any thing to the contrary-it does not by any means follow, as a logical se- qnenee, that the views of Gov. Murphy in regard,to the disposition af the arid lanlds belonging to the goyernEaeasare wisesor correct.
 The Republican says there. is no present hope of getting Congress to vote money for the building of reser- voirs, because residents of the agricul- !, tural States east Of the arid region are against further competition in the rais- [ ing of crops, and. that, therefore, we eho.,l1 aIi s0;r, f, 4ha Y,aouan,ax,t for the cession of these lands to the States and Territories. The idea that be- cause the right road is difieult one to travel, we should take to the broad and.easy, road that leads to destruction is pusillanimous, and unworthy of Americans. For eastern farmers to oppose the reclamation of western lands, is. about as reasonable as. it would be for CsstforRia Arnss growers
 to object to the cultivation of oranges
 in Florida, or for the owners of alfalfa lands in this section to oppose the irri- ! gation ofsnere land in the fertile Salt
 River Valley. Besides, the argument
 of the Republican is not well founded.
 The irrigation of the arid lands-of the
 United States is a big question, involv- ing the expenditure of large amount of money. It'always takes time to ed
 ucate public opinion on these import
 ant questions and to get Congress to
 work. For ten years or more the
 Times has been hammering away about
 the construction of asdeep-water har-
 bor at San Pedro, the introduction of
 the beet-sugar industry into Southern
 California, and the building of the Mic
 aragua Canal. Barges are now dump l4iug rock for the breakwater at San Pe- Edro; there are three large beet-sugar
 factories south of the Tehachapi, and
 the entire country israroHsed to the great national importance of the Ewaterway through the isthmus, work
 upon which is certain to commence
 within a. very short time. Yet, when
 these crusades were commenced a ma jority of the people regarded them
 with indifference, if not with distrust. | It is the same with the great ques-
 tion of irrigating the arid lands,. and E.so making homes for. millions oi
 American citizens, at no ultimate cos,
 to the government. Congress is
 slowly, but surely, coming around to a
 .realization ofthe great importance oi this question, thanks, mainly, to the
 indefatigable efforts of few public,
 spirited citizens of the great West backed by several of the most inhuen
 tial newspapers At it's last session
 Congress almost agreed to appropriate
 $300,0 to begin work upou B system
 of national. irrigation foA the ariC West, and leaders of all parties agre,
 that at least so much should be appro l5 priated at the next session. The Con
 gress of: the United States, like other Dl great bodies, moves slowly, but we may be sure that the good seed which ha. , beensown willsoo bear fruit.
 U In a. communication published il the Times of Friday, ex-Gov. McCort s of Arizona advanced number of pow :. erful arguments in favor of Fedora
 irrigation of the arid lands, ant q against State eession.. Mir. McCort n l showed that, in Wyoming, where re : sidesthe author of the Cary act, for tn }, cession- of a million acres to eacl 7 State, the reclaimihg of public land e through that law has proved an igno 8. n1inious failure. It has been in opera - tion, nearly five years, during whicl time less than f9;000iacresof the mill
 ion acres ceded, or provided to b n cededS to the State of Wyoming, hay nj been reclaimed, most of this wor g having been done by small farmers D. who have taken out little ditch her a. and there. As Mir. McCord shows,
 arid land were ceded to Arizona,