The Florence tribune., 1900-03-17
Enemies of the People.
IFrom the Los Angeles Times.l

AS bne Hines mas DOteu or late, the
 opponents of national irrigation-those
 who favor the cesslon of the arid lands to the States and Misunderstanding
 been driven from the open by the force
 of an awakened public opinion, are
 now pursuing bushwhacking tactics. A lc6nvention of Governors of arid States
 that was to have met recently in
 Philadelphia to consider the immigra-
 tion question. was postponed. Gov.
 Richards of Wyoming is quoted as say ing:
 "It Is necessary that something should be done for those great stretches
 of land, but there will be considerable opposition in Congress to any appro-
 priation asked for by the arid Stat es.
 The farmers in Iowa, Nebraska and
 other Westers States will strongly op-
 pose the expenditure of money for purpose which would create new
 competitor for them by growing more
 wheat, more corn and other cereals
 than are raised now by them"
 The Times has already referred to
 the statement made by Gov. Poynter
 of Washington, in connection with
 meeting of western Governors, which
 is to be held at Salt Lake on the 18th
 of April. Gov. Poyntcr's suggestion
 that if the arid lands arc not soon rdeeded to the States in which they are
 located, the big cattle companies will
 get control of them, would be humor-
 ous if the subject were not such seri-
 ous one.
 Again, Gov. Murphy of Arizona, who
 has been the leading western advocate
 of State cession, in letter to the ed- itor of the Florence (Ariz.) TRIBUNE, which paper, like most of the others
 in Arizona, is strongly in favor of
 national irrigation, says: People as-
 sume that because I favor cession, I
 have been opposed to Federal aid. This
 assumption has been outrageously
 unfounded"
 l How inconsistent, illogical and disin- genuous these State cessionists are.
 They know that the success of national | irrigation means the death of State cession, with it's whole crop of specula- tive schemers and prospec tive prom
 oters' profits, so they never lose chance to throw cold water on the
 national movement. They do not dare
 to oppose it openly and squarely, so
 they try to dam it with faint praise" Their stock argument is that the
 East is opposed. Gov. Richards, who is State cessionist, could have no other
 reason for dilating ou the supposed op- position of eastern farmers. But how
 illogical he is. He asks Congress to cede the lands to the States. For what
 purpose does he ask this? That the States may reclaim them, is the alleg ed purpose. And for what purpose are
 they to be reclaimed? Why, to raise 1 crops. So Congress is asked to cede the lands to the States in order that the. States may do just what Gov. Richards says the East objects to hav- ing done by the Federal government. If all Gov. Richards wants is to get these lands reclaimed and settled, he needs only to give his support to the national irrigation movement and ex- pedite the time, which is surely com ing, when the people of the East will appropriate the money to reclaim these lands to make homes for them- selves and then go out and occupy them. Aud the people of the West will welcome them as neighbors. Gov. Murphy of Arizona is in the same illogical and disingenuous at- titude. The people of Arizona have l anchored to the national irrigation | movement. They know it is the only salvation of Arizona. Gov. Murphy says he favurs State cession, but is not opposing Federal reservoirs. He might as well try to walk in two opposite ] directions at the same time. He goes to Washington to urge State session, and argues that if the lands are given to the States, they will build their
 own reservoirs. His advocacy of State cession is the most effective opposition uS cuulu ucflSt bO udtlOndi lFIlS dbtOus State cession and national irrigation
 are absolutely incompatible. They cannot stand together. The success of either kills the other. So, if Gov. Murphy succeeded with State cession in Arizona, he would thereby defeat the hope of that Territory for great development through national irrigs- tion. He is begging away at State cession. He has been sending long circular letters to Congress, sdvocat- ing it. He urges that to give the public lands to the States and Terri tories would be "a rich endowment of the States and Territories" True enough, it would. But the spectators, and not the people would get the endowment. In . recent decision, Binger Her mann, commissioner of the United States land office at Washington, has ruled that patent filed on mineral land must be carried through without delay. The person who makes the application on mineral land must pro