Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-09-11
IRRIGATION WORK
Duty Of Government or States to
Control Western Waters.
OF THE PROBLEM
The Vast Increase Of Production and Wealth
Conservation Of the Flood Preoipitations
Would Bring About in the
Arid Regions.

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greater population than the whole Unit
ed States has to-day. Every section oil
the country would be benefited, because
every man who went west to get his
living from the land would make an in
creased market for the eastern manu-
facturers, and the eastern farmers
would feed the workers in the eastern
factories.
The Importance of the problem of the
reclamation and settlement of this vast
region is manifest. It's magnitude and
the possibility of it's speedy solution
have not been generally realized, be-
cause no attempt has been made tc
grapple with it from a broad stand
point, or to remove the causes for the
cessation of western emigration, and
there are few who appreciate whai
these causes really are. The matter
merits the most careful consideration
and investigation, as a national prob
lem.
The first thing that must be done is to
the waters that are now vast
ed and go down in winter floods to dc
destruction below, so that they may be
brought within the reach of the indi-
vidual and cooperative enterprise of
the settlers themselves. If a state and
national policy for the reclamation of
the arid lands, which would accomplish
this, We're adopted, it would start a mi
grafton westward which would put So
900, 900 people into arid America within
a generation.
THE MAGNET WHICH WILL DRAW
If We are to get a multitude of settlers
on these western lands the lands must
be brought within reach of the multi
tude. They must be made so cheap that
any Wage-earner can easily save from
his earnings enough to buy a home on
the land which will yield him a liveli-
hood in return for his labor.
Every one familiar with the condi-
lions in the arid region comedies that
they are radically wrong. Land and
water companies have lost or wasted
many millions of dollars in irrigation
and colonization schemes, and have ut
terly failed to solve the problem of get,
ting the people on the land. Western
settlement has ~stagnated. Every arit
state Is strewn with wrecks of irriga.
ton enterprises.
The fundamental reason for this is
that methods of development heretofore
followed have made 1t necessary, in or
der to show a profit for both promoter
and investor, to put the price of irri.
gated land so high that it has been 6
bar to settlement, and 50 long as these
methods are persisted in, settlement
will be retarded.
IRRIGATED HOME TOO OFTEN IN,
SECURE.
Litigation, uncertainty and deception
as to water supplies and water rights
have created widespread distrust ant
fear of settlement on irrigated lands
Every western colonist whose hopes
have been blasted by any of these
cause has warned a whole community
in the east to beware of risking a sim.
liar disaster by coming west.
If we are to renew the demand fol
land in the arid regions, not only mus
lands be made cheap, but rights to wa.
ter must be absolutely certain and as.
sured, and the ownership Of the lanG
and water must be united.
EXISTING EVILS MUST BE RENE.
DIED.
Not only must these evils be absolute.
ly remedied and removed, but 1t mus
be made known broadcast to all the
people, through the press of the whole
country, as a matter Of general public
interest, that the conditions which gave
rise to them have been permanently
changed, and that the irrigated rura
home is safe from drouth and litigation
This knowledge must come to the people
through the press spontaneously anG
naturally, and as real and interesting
news of conditions actually created
and permanently established in the
west. No amount of advertising "land
for SALE will accomplish it.
These results can only be brought
about by the adoption by the state ant
federal governments Of a broad policy
for the reclamation and settlement o.
the arid region, the adaptation of thu
laws Of irrigation of every state to thi'
policy, and the application of sound ant
fundamental principles to the construc
ton and operation Of all irrigation sys
TENS. The water-right system on on
hand, and the irrigation district sys
tenn on the other, must be eliminated.
The ownership of land and water un
der all distributing systems must b
united through the organization Of co
operative water companies, and tn
fundamental principle must be recog
nized that the land itself is WORTHLESS
unless there is attached to 1t as a per
petual a~ppurtenance the i~nalienabl
right to the water necessary for 1T
irrigation.
That is to get the irrigation work
built to reclaim 1t without loading tn
cost Sof their construction on the LAND
A policy under which this can be don
could be inaugurated within a brie
period by the cooperation Of all VIII
would be benefited, so as to create
| widespread correct public sentiment q
to the proposition, and to pilot 1t alon
safe lines until its adoption is assured
That policy, in brief. is this:
l. Where the government owns til
land 1t should, wherever 1t is necessar!
build the irrigation works to reclaim
and sell the land and water together I
actual settlers only in small tracts fe
the cost Of construction Of Distribute
systems added to the government prie
Of the land. The cost Of storage resel
voirs should not be put on the land.
All storage reservoirs should be but
as internal improvements, and perms
| nentlv maintained by the state or fec