The Florence tribune., 1900-10-13

 irrigation district, provided with a system of canals of distribution, and only offered for sale at rate commen- surate with their true valne as irriga- ble lands with water rights, the pro- ceeds to be placed in fund to be used only for continuing the improvement, extension, and care of reservoirs and storage dams on the Giia river.
 Thus it will be seen that but for a trifie over one million dollars reser- Voir can be constructed which will pro- vide ample water for the 10000 acres of land owned by the Indians, but in addition, will reclaim 100000 acres of now worthless land, the property of the federal government. Also, that from the sale of these lands the gov eminent eau realize enough money to entirely cover the expense of the dam, and this, too, at prices well within the market price for lands with good water rights. There can be no reasonable doubt but that if these 100000 acres of land should be offered for sale at S15 or even $20 per acre, every acre would be sold within ten months to settlers in tracts of not over 4U acres each. 1t is safe prediction that within two years after the completion of such dam that every acre in the system would be under cultivation and that a community of ten thousand people, at least, besides the Indians, would be located upon these lands.
 What would it mean to Los Angeles to have new settlement of l0, 900 peo- pie within short distance from her? What would it mean to the great arid West to have a successful national irrigational enterprise an established fact? What would it mean to the whole country to have clearly demon strated the possibility of providing homes for 5O,OOO,0OO people and in such way that the government will be constantly receiving large direct returns from these investments?
 With this one reservoir an estab- lished fact, with the demonstration of the soundness of this national storage reservoir proposition made plain, with the prosperity which will surely at- tend the founding of every community owning secure water privilege made evident, when all this shall be mat ter not of prospect but of retrospect, then we all will wonder why we have so long halted upon the brink of this wonderful home expansion.
 Los Angeles was the first city to publicly endorse the national irriga- tion proposition, and now that victory has been won she should not sit idly down and see the work begun in re- mote localities. It must be plain to every business man that large de- velopment near this city will be of immense commercial advantage to us, and that the same amount of work and enthusiasm which secured San Pedro harbor will secure the building of the San Carlos dam. Indeed, if we ever expect to see our deep sea harbor filled with ships it will be only when the country which is adjacent to us has been reclaimed through irrigation, and this, too, through the aid of the national government.
 The business men of this city should form local organization to take hold of this matter, and, working in sympa- thy with the National Irrigation Asso- citation, should unite all their efforts to secure in the next congress appro- priation for this special work. The San Carlos proposition will meet with favor in the east because
 1st. It will do justice to the Indian.
 2nd. It is thorough business prop osition and has every element of sue cess.
 3rd. It will thoroughly demonstrate the wisdom of the national irrigation policy.