The Florence tribune., 1899-09-02
EASTERN OPPOSITION.
It is Strong and Can be Overcome Only Through United Effort on the Part of the Western States and Territories.

The greatest obstacle in the path of storage of water in the West by the Federal Government lies in Eastern opposition among farmers. Many Eastern men cannot be convinced that the development of the West means sympathetic quickening in the East through increased manufacturing to supply Western communities, which will employ additional labor and cause an increased Eastern demand for farm products.
 An official of the Eastern Grange and member of other farmers organizations man liberal minded on most large questions-said, in discussing the question, that he could | not see anything but local benefit to the West to result from irrigation, and as far as Government assistance was concerned he was strongly op- posed to it. The whole people should not be taxed to help out few sparsely settled arid States.
 ''But how about doing the work through an equitable division of the river and harbor bill appropriations, giving tue West some sort of show against the immense annual expendi- ture in the East under this bill?D was asked.
 "No, no: it would be direct injury to the Eastern farmer. Eastern farm CTS don't want the opening up of more Western lands''
 Upon the suggestion that this was narrow view-to retard the develop ment of any part of the United States the reply was made that tine people as whole were not called upon to subsidize the West; let the Western States do their own developing. More over, he said, he believed the East, particularly the Grange and other farm organizations, would shut down l sqrarely upon such projects when the matter was brought before them as an issue. They only needed to under stand il to veto it.
 While this dog-in-the manager policy 1 is not general in the East there are undoubtedly many East erners who entertain just such narrow views, as was very clearly seen in the fight for national aid along these lines made in the last Congress. The West should not deceive itself in the belief that there will be no Eastern opposition to i Government expenditures for storage 1 of water This fact, then, simply emphasizes the necessity for the utmost harmony of purpose and action by the people of the West in demanding the 1 adoption by the Government of a l policy whose enactment means the future life of the Western country. The great arid West is no mere corner of land to be showed aside and allotted any administration desired by the rest of the country. The West is fast be- coming the center of attention from a standpoint of sound financial in vestment, and no such narrow policy and treatment by the East will be tol- erated. Nor is the West powerless, as was forcibly demonstrated in the United States Senate in the closing days of last Congress. It can demand fair consideration of it's claim and a fair adjustment, and it can enforce it's demand. But this it can accom- plish only through united effort. If the West speaks as one voice and for one thing, its demand will be heard. If different factions cry for different things it will be easy and plausible fo the Eastern statesman to say to the West: ''Why, you come to us with diversity of demands and we cannot tell what is the real wish of the people of the West; therefore, it is not wise to take any action. But this ready excuse to avoid action is throttled in its inception by unanimous delegation of Western Senators and Congressman, stating in no uncertain terms that what the whole West wants, each and every State and Territory, is the adop- tion of policy by Congress whereby the National Government shall build storage reservoirs and control their waters for the use of settlers, out of general appropriations, which shall thus give to the West its fair share of the public money for internal improve ments
 Will the West make this demand Will its national legislators speak with one voice? Will its people de- Aand of their representatives this fidelity to their cause? It lies with the people.