Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-11-24
A Plan to Reclaim Vast
Tracts Of Arid
Land.

TT is characteristic OF the restless,
ambitious American 10 seek an out
q let for his surplus energies. either
In wrestling with some great moral
question or combating the forces Of ma
ture, Since the very beginnings Of our
settlements, since the first attempts at
planting colonies on the Atlantic coast
OF what Is now United States territory,
he has fought against and overcome the
most gigantic physical obstacles and,
incidentally, settled, of hand, as IL
were, questions Of government. equity
and diplomacy that have arisen In his
triumphant march from ocean to ocean.
Viewed In It's larger sense then, the
ninth annual session Of the national IT.
rigation congress, Just held az Chicago,
is an eventof greatimportance Without
any cognizance of the personal aims
and ambitions Of its members. h may
be asserted that the mere keeping Of
the subject before the people, the re-
tention Of 1t in the public mind as a
question OF national significance. will
ultimately inure TO the vast benefit OF
the country az large. More than 40 per
cent Of our area, II was asserted at a
previous meeting OF this congress. sup
ported only 100000 inhabitants, when.
II iudciously watered, Il could easily
sustain az least 100000. We eNpend
millions every year In rebuilding leyees,
repairing the losses occasi0ned by
floods and striving. as the saying Is. 20
stop at the splgot what is really wasted
at the bung. II has at last become APP
parent 10 farslghted Americans that
the proper mode OF procedure Is to go
right to the sources Of supply and there
control IN their inception what would
otherwise prove devastating floods and
deluges.
A glance at the charts issued by the
last census will show that the most
densely populated areas Of the United
States lie in those Of the greatest rain
fall, and, though this fact may be az
fected by the question OF accessibility
still II is only in modified form. The
relative values Of farm lands also show
that, while In the sections OF greatest
rainfall and those where irrigation is
already established lands may be- worth
5000 and more per square mile. IN
those containing the so called arid Sec
lions they are rated az 500 per square
mile or less--in fact, as practically wall
ueless. Since the completion OF the
census Of 1890, with its suggestive facts
and figures, the people OF the United
States have done a great deal Of think
ing and, having come 10 the conclusion
that what Is beneficial 10 a few mil
lions Of the nations people is also ben
efCial 20 all have through their repre-
sentatiyes in congress authorized nae
tlonal recognition Of the subject of irri-
cation. Congress has made tentative
appropriations as well as granted
tracts 10 the several states, and the de-
partment Of agriculture has rendered
Noluable assistance In experimentation
through the medium Of It's trained spe-
ciallsts.
/, now appears IN fact that the
dreaded bugbear OF the transcontnen.
tai pioneers the Pacific "forty-niuers'
and their successors--that great
American desert'-wlll soon become @
thing of the past. 10 has been a fugi-
tive Tor several years as new states
and territories have been stahed out
ana filled up with hardy inhabitants.
and now the irrgauonists have got o.
On the run and seem likely 10 chase q
into us hole In fact. the great amer
lean desert is destined :o vanish utterly
from The earth. and Dos epitarh. already
written in advance upon itg tombstone.
viii be-. Water lil it'' Water can DO
IT, and The w.tohe.y OF water viii trans.
form ihe sterile tracts into fertile farms
ana cause the desert Go blossom as the
rose. What 10 can do has already been