The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-11-23
ROOSEVELT TO
AID ARID LANDS
Pledges His Support to lrri-
CATION Congress.
MILES. DUBOIS AND
NEWLANDS HEARD
Beet Culture and Storage ReSer-
yOirS Discussed.

Chicago. Nov. 22-Vice President
elect Roosevelt, in a letter read tonight
before the National Irrigation congress.
placed himself on record as heartily in
sympathy with the aims Of the organi-
zation. His letter contained his prac-
teal promise of assistance in the effort
which viii be made from now on for
government aid for irrigation, and his
appeal to ''alI far-sighted citizens to
interest themselves in a movement
which viii benefit the entire nation.
A letter from Lieutenant General
Miles was enthusiastic toward the
same end.
The congress believes that it is as
much the duty Of the government to
take measures to prevent droughts as
to prevent the filling up Of harbOrs. It
believes Il IS Just as real a duty for
the government 30 open up vast areas
of arid lands as to provide new courses
for shipping. 1t believes further that
the time for action is ripe. that the
ground has been well prepared, and
that all efforts should be concentrated
during the coming session Of congress
to secure satisfactory legislation.
Ex-senator Dubois of Idaho made Z
! brief address. in W hiCh he said:
"A great statesman of Russia once
/ told me that the future home of the
white race would be between the Pa
I cific ocean and the Missouri river and
me. this seems true. Within these
I boundaries are 100, 900 GOO acres of LAND
/ that can be reclaimed at a cost OF
: $3.50, 600 600. The government should
/ have the power to take charge of the
work of reclamation, which should bt
/ begun without delay"
! Congressman Francis G. Newlands o
/ Nevada told how the waters of fOu1
! rivers in his state were lost in sinks O
! the desert instead of being used e
/ irrigate the thousands of acres of fer
/ tile land. which needed only the Wate
/ to change it from a desert TO prosper
! Gus agricultural country.
CAPTAIN Hiram NJ Chittenden of tn,
I United States engineer corps spoke OF
! Relations of the General Government
/ 10 Reservoir Construction"
Captain Chittenden's Address.
Captain Chittenden said in part:
THE storage of the waste flow Of it
[ streams becomes an Indispensable con
( dition to the highest development o
+ the western country. There Is only on
/ agency broad enough and powerful
/ enough 10 handle so large q proposition
in the way il should be handled, TIL
. AuIkttAOA tl-'diAs pertains 10 ltlE gen
/ eraI gOvernment-that the s0vereigntr
/ which covers all the country and en-
[ braces the streams from their source
/ TO the sea
As 10 the burden involved. if III
work be limited strictly to reservoirs
/ il viii be a comparatively light one
mere bagateIle compared with the cos
OF other river works now being carrie
on. one million dollars year wi
carry on the work as FAST as it wi
ever be needed, and after the work
well under way. its benefits viii prac
/ tically pay for what remains to be don,
Congress we may rest assured. wi
/ never reject a meTitOriOus project S
long as il involves no greater burde
than that
1T is evident that congress is n,
/ unfavorably disposed towards the GOV
] eminent construction of reservoirs. bI
viii be absolutely opposed TO going int
the irrigation business Here. then.
one rock which we should try to avot
lest IL cause US shipwreck. The rese
vOiT question must be divorced fro
the irrigation question so far as acti7
aid from the general government
concerned
THE purpose OF the reservoir is
give the streams more water at &c
tain seasons than they had before
/ enlarge the resources Of nature II
| not in any way incumbent upon Il
00o,t5rr,s,z r,-, nae g,