Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1900-12-10
Steps will Probably be Taken BY Com
gress for a Scientific Test
Of Irregation.
Move will be Along the Lines Suggest
ed BY the Recent Irrigation
Congress.
Instances in Which Practical Work
Might be Done with Great
Accruing Benefits.

eral4 E.S A. W1NlamS IN the Tribune OF
9. few lays ago, comes the following
Washington special to the Minneapo-
lis Times which will be Of general in
terest in the west: 8Y}
The proceedings Of the fifty-sev-
enL,l congress will be watched with
unusual interest by the citizens Of this
country west of the Mississippi in the
expectation of legislation in behalf Of
The national congress Of
which recently met in Chi
cago, was largely attended and an en-
thusiastic body. differing from other
meetings of thus organization in that
it was harmonious and united The
expressed sentiment of this congress
was for national apr opriations o&con
struct reservoirs on government sites.
to set aside forever the numbered slopes
Of the mountains, and to begin at once
the reforestation of those tracts which
have been cleared, either iby fire or by
the ak Of the timber thieves. With a
greater wisdom than has been evil
denced by this congress in the past,
at THE last meeting two distinct pro-
positions were advocated And will be
urged before congress.
Both Of these propositions were fully
described in the Times over a; year
. ~ ia
ago and both were pointed out, at the
time, as the best to urge before con-
gress. Heretofore, a spirit Of jeal-
ousy, pardonable, no doubt. and easily
understood, has pervaded the debates
Of the irrigation congress, each dele
gate urging the greater Importance Of
a pet project for his own state until
the aggregate appropriation required
to satisfy all, amounted to such an
enormous sum that the wiser heads
saw at once it would ruin all to pre-
sent them to congress. ISL ss
5s Centering the whole influence of
this representative gathering OF west
erners upon two irrigation PROPOSE
tions, in each OF which the necessity
OF imme ediate action is recognized as
imperative, assures at least favorable
and early consideration by congress.
SAN CARLOS DAM.
The nrst of these, fully described
in the Times of last February, is the
building OF the San Carlos dam on the
Gila river in Arizona. The. estimate
OF the cost Of this project, as furnished
by the engineers of the geographical
survey, is $50, 926. Living below
this reservoir site are nearly s, 900 In
dians, for the past few years pension
ers on the county Of the nation, but
previous to which time they were al
ways independent and self f-supporting
The Plnas, Papagos and Maricopas
are dependent for their subsistence
upon the lands Of the Gila reserya-
tion, which reservation contains 357,
120 acres This land lis arid, but
more than half of this entire area
could be made produ uctive with water
to irrigate u, The present supply
flowing in the CHA at the point Of di-
version for this reservation, is not
snfficient to irrigate 900 acres. Until
recently these Indians have obtained
water enough for their needs and have
neither asked for nor received aid from
the government. These conditions
we're wholly changed by the diversion
OF the water at a point above the res
ervation near the town Of Florence,
since which diversion the circum-
stances OF the Indians have become pitt
liable in the extreme. Once a prosperous
contented agricultural and pastoral
people, today they are rapidly degen-5
Grating into race of idle and vicious
nomads.
This nation owes debt Of grati-
tude to these Indians for through all
the years OF our strife with the treach-
erous Apaches the white man has
ever found q safe haven with them.
The law OF priority, as well as simple
Justice, both demand that we restore
TO chem that which was theirs CEN
tury before the while man came into
their lives.
Besides restoring to the Indians
the water required for the cultivation
of their lands, the construction Of the:
San Carlos dam will supply sufficient
water to irrigate an immense tract Of
good land outside the reservation and