The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-06-01


thu Be eaeSsed To compete with Amer
seaa saeesssA possessing the wants OF
ht90er c9vSiA1attcn, but I do believe tn
esucy u expanstoA which viii give us
Nba control Of rMsAe markets which would
- stepoing stone to others in . wider
eo0A of influence which such control Will
enable us 10 exercise.
In such n policy VIC would have the
support OF American labor because (,
would mean keeping our factories run
ming and giving American labor eonttnu-
Gus employment Some OF our most In
telltgent labor leaders have been induced
70 range themselves against the cause %
expansion and against their own inter-
ests BY the boEy OF imperialism which
has been suddenly sprung upon us. The
best horse viii shy at an umbrella IL IL
h opened suddenly In hts face, but let
him see II and that n fs not dangerous
and he viii go quietly on about his bust
ness- ] prophesy that little time VIII
Clear the atmosphere and show us the
way In which we can press forward, lead
ing the nations In the march for COM
face Of the globe has such resources in
field. forest. mires and factories as the
. United States. No nation has such "A
command of the great forces that now
control the worid-steam. electricity and
machinery. No country has such an in
genious, intelligent. energetic and pro-
gressive population. Surely with the pre-
cedent and experience of the other great
section of the EngIish-speaking rare we
can solve the problem that now confronts
us and realize the destiny which an over
ruling providence seems To have created
for as"
Heterogeneous W. II. Siosson, of Tex
~, spoke OF Kansas and the deep-water
ports on the Calf.
Fred ". Bentley. OF Wichita. spoke on
Equitable Freight Rates"
Reclamation Of ARID Laads.
Al the evening session Hon George w.
Maxwell, OF San Francisco. representing
the national irrigation congress. spoke
on ''The Creation of an Inland Empire
He urged the reclamation and settlement
Of the arid region that il being advocated
by the National Irrigation congress.
which In that the Federal government
should give to the West its share OF river
and harbor appropriations for building
great storage reservoirs io save the wa
tiers In flood times which now go down in
great volumes. carrying destruction with
them. and that title to the public lands
should BE- coded TO individual settlers
only. and not ceced TO the statss. also
that the grazing land OF the West should
be leased to the states al lower rates and
the proceeds used for constructing irri-
III this policy were adopted those who
are now ttsling arid lands with INSULT
cient water supplies would have what
they need and new settlers would flock
10 the West eagerly as they did to
Oklahoma. The men who broke the
prairie In Iowa and Illinois did not have
much money. but they had grit and In
dussry. and by their labor they built
homes and populated two great states.
Open the arid West IN the same class of
men by holding out the magnet OF cheap
land and free water and new tide of
immigration will float into the West
Illustrated lectures we're delivered by
DIR. II. c. Frankenfieid. of the United
States weather bureau, and r. II. Newell.
photographer of the United States geo.
logical survey DIR. e'rankenfleld spoke
on foods and food problems.
Newell an Water storage.
r. H. Newell. photographer. United
States geological survey, read il paper
entitled water Storage" He said:
..T%, most important problem that can
merysf or o.a.rwiSe in the Vest Is that
of sne tncreaset utilization AMI develop
ment Of the vacant lands. both In public
and private ownership Before this aues-
fion rest Of the other matters sink into
CON parst"s, tnsigniiieance. for without
an .croAss In population and productive
capass.s .ae West cannot continue tn
furnish market for the manufactures
or field Of operation for the varied I'm
duetries of the country. The utilization
OF the vast extent az vacant land IL not
something which should be lef, 10 the
farmer. II Is pre-emsuentiy a matter for
the business man. whether concerned In
manufacturing, transportation or Ia
handling the products OF others. In fact.
the farmer as such. has least concern
with the development of the varied re-
sources of the vast West. A. long as he
has a market for his produce II makes
little difference tn him whether the va
are populated. To the merchant. how
ever. the matter IL entirely different
Continued stagnatton err arrested develop
meni must Inevitably operate 10 reduce
his chances of financial success,
That development of the agricultural
resources Of the western half of the Ini-
teu states has practically come to a
standstili or at least is going on only at
the average rate Of the whole United
States There ara, Of course. local ex-
captions but In r.mpe risna with the con.
dillon existing ten years aga II appears
~ though development had stagnatea
The reason ~ this Is not difncult 10 give
The greater part of the lands are ARID or
eemi-arsa. and although among the rich
est In the world. will moi produce crops
except by the application of water Irrt~
cation has been introduced and carried
forward in favored localities all over the
West. and where the bitches have been
built nv the land owners the profits or in
creased land values have been enormous
The opportunities for continuing develop.
ments In this tins have nearly ceased be-
cause cf the fac: that these choice spots
have been taken There stu remain great
areas to which water can be brought
from rivers Of notable size: but before
this can he done large sums of money
must he Invested In the construction 90
expensive works. The experience % tn.
lass ten years has shown that these large
irrigation works de- nos pay. and prnba hl y
cannot, as rule I've made IL pay a fair
interest on the Investment
Nen~dts of Irrigation.
While Il has Neen demonstrated that
irrigation Investments on 4 large sac ID
not return fair .agsreSf 10 the persons
who furnish the money yef an ths ether
hand. there ~ no siouhE that 'akias, she
community nv wn0se tie hsnssafx are
FAR beyond the arss esNse. bat, unfGr.uua
". These BENEFITS 30 nat rebound - the
advantage of the nssa y no have surnis shed
the capital and hseT taken All me T3sks
and trouble 81 uaaasinN large enter
prise. These facts, although Yeeaxnts.,4 fnr