The Philipsburg mail., 1899-08-25
WEALTH IN arid LANDS
Require Only Irrigation to Make
Them Product ye.
STORAGE RESERVOIRS NEEDED
The West Should Present a Solid Front
That Is the Only Way That RecOg-
milton Can BE Demanded
From the East.

Every great project of any age and in
any country has always been attained
through united effort. "In union there
is strength" "United we stand, di-
vided we fall" These notices are pecu-
liarly applicable to present conditions in
the west. For many years the whole
western country has been trying to get
irrigation through one method or an
other. That the methods employed have
not been as entirely satisfactory as the
benefits which arise from irrigation
would suggest is shown not only by the
fact that over 100000 acres of pro-
ductive land subject to irrigation devel-
opment are yet arid, but by the evident
reluctance of capital to enter this field.
After much wrangling and cross fire
fighting during the past ten years, the
leading men, newspapers, congresses,
commercial and organized bodies in the
west have "gotten together" on an lrri-
cation policy. Granting that the west
is a unit in favor of irrigation, and a
unit in favor of definite irrigation pol
icy, there is yet the opposition of the
entire east to overcome, so that the alb
solute necessity for unity of action and
demand is evident. The Los Angeles
Times, than which there is no more
capable nor resolute advocate of western
development and irrigation, calls atten-
tion to this policy and the great neces-
sity for entire harmony of purpose and
action in working to secure advance
ment through irrigation.
A BROAD POLICY.
The policy referred to is that storage
reservoirs should be built by the national
government under the river and harbor
appropriations, as recommended by the
engineer corps, and that the public
grazing lands should be leased, but
without cession of the title to the states,
and the rentals devoted to irrigation de-
velopment. Heretofore the west has
been unable to secure any eastern recog
milton along these lines because it has
been divided and antagonlstlc, one sec
tion wanting one thing and another
something else. But now organization
is telling and the west is practically to-
gether on this subject. With the west
united, the conversion of the east is not
such a problem. It requires, us the
Times says, only that the vast possibili-
ties of the wealth lying latent in the
arid lands of the west, and requiring
but irrigation to be made productive,
should be strongly brought TO the atten-
tion of the indus, rial, commercial and
manufacturing classes and organizations
Of the east.
Is GAINING HEADWAY.
The national" movement has already
secu, ed good headway in the west and is
gaining ground constantly as people
awaken to the importance of the policy,
but the Times urges that 1t is mistake
to do anything at this time to weaken
the movement, and it deprecates the
idea of California convention to devise
some means for state irrigation which
will in any way conflict with the de-
mand for national aid. It also opposes a
plan whereby the title to forests in Cali
fornla would be granted to the state
university in trust, to be leased and the
revenues devoted to specific purposes.
In fact it stands firmly against all
schemes for state cession. saying for
California what is true to more or less
extent in all the western states and ter
ritories
NOT GRAZING LANDS ALWAYS.
1T will not do to assume that the
foothill lands of the Rocky mountains
Will he forever devoted to grazing. The
time will come-when water for their
irrigation has been proylded-t' at these
mountain slopes will be dotted with
orchards and vineyards and picturesque
rurul homes, such as cover the hillsides
of France In other words, the public
lands should be held by the government
as sacred heritage for those who may
come to the west. looking for homes, and
which, under wise irrigation policy,
they will find responsive to their toll and
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