Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1900-11-28
New LANDS ON IRRIGATION.

A Chicago special to the San Fran
cisco Examiner says that the feature
Of Thursday evenings session Of the
Natioial Irrigation Congress was an
uneNl ected speech by Congressman
Francs G. Newlands of Nevada.
Gene,al Nelson A Miles. who was
exported to make the principal speech
could not be present, and at the last
moment former Senator Dubois Of
Idaho introduced Congressman New
lands to take his place. The substi-
tute easily carried off the honors of
the evening, and his peroration of
the future of Nevada when irrigation |
shall have developed her splendid re-
sourc.s brought forth thunders of
appla Use.
lie drew picture of the convention
al idea of the sagebrush plains with
out water, and showed what they
could De made Dy the benefcient use
of the stored floods that now go to
waste in the desert sinks. When he
spoke of the diaries and bee farms
and potato fields and hay fields of the
irriga ed lands of Nevada, the audi
ence was at irst incredulous, but as
figure after figure OF growth and pro-
duction was given by the speaker,
who seemed to be living encyclo-
pedia of Eevada's products, doubt
changed to applause for the grand ef-
forts Of the men who compose the
smallest State population in the
Union
Congressman Newlands spoke
warmly for his State tina; bore all the
burdens Of government and got none
OF the plums, because its rivers were
not navigable, and of harbors it had
none. But he told CT the gold and
silver lodes that made the United
States solvent when the war had
weakened her credit, and Of the sac
ri6ces her people had made that had
left them poor while they enriched
the whole country. Such plucky
championship Of his State before del
egates from all parts Of the Union
made hit, and F. G. Newlands left
the hall the hero of the occasion.
A letter was read from General
Nelson A. Miles, in which he said
Il am not optimistic enough to be-
lieve that the ingenuity Of man Car
encompass the redemption of the SIX
hundred millions of acres which com
prise the nation S vacant public land:
but if, as has been claimed, there i:
water enough for the irrigation of ont
hundred millionslof acres (p1ovidin.
the supply is economically used).
can easily imagine ten millions o
good citizens finding homes on farm
which are self-supporting. Whethe,
this great work is to be left to corpor'
ate or private enterprise, whether i
shall be turned owe: to the States i
which the land is situated, for sue
treatment as is thought best by thos
mes: interested. or whether the ne
tional Government, the owner of thi
vast arid region, should perform til
duty of reclamation, are question
which you now, no doubt, are abb
discussing. 1t appears that prival
or corporate enterprises cannot b
trusted tc control the improvement
with justice and equality for all CO,
cerned. The States themselves are
yet not financially strong enough I
undertake the task. 1t seems to M
therefore, that the plan proposed /
one of the members of your associ
ton is the most feasible and Just.
is: "Let the Government build Il
storage reservoirs and the main lii
canals and the settlers provide Il
smaller distributing systems by ban
ing themselve, together in co-opers
i've oruauiz atiou -