Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-04-18

OUR ORIENTAL TRADE
Productive Value of the Philippines =
Argument For New Mexico State
hOOd-Other Addresses.

Houston, April 1S.-The second days
session of the trans Mississippi congress
was largely attended the time being TAX
en- with various addresses an different
subjects.
Mr.. Elwood Mead, of the United States
Department of Agriculture, spoke about
the Needs of Irrigation He said IN
part:
".rhe arid region embraces an area
larger than any European country save
Russia, and is capable of supporting a
larger population than now lives east or
the Mississippi river. In this vast dis
trict when reclaimed, homes may be
made for a population of 100,OO0.OOO Souls
"'rhere are only 100000 acres of culti-
waited land along the Nile. 1t is all lfrl-
gated. Where there is no irrigation, there
is desert This little patch of ground has
made Egypt a landmark in the worlds
history. 1t supports over 100000 people
and pays the interest on national debt
half as large as our own. The poSSlDll-
ties Of the valleys of the arid west are
equally great. The Missouri and it's tri-
butaries can be made to irrigate hve
times the land now cultivated along the
Nile.
"The essence of the problem of reclaim
ing these lands which confronts us at the
outset is the control and distribution of
the water supply. The diverse interests
of individuals and communities and even
Of different states will all be dependednt
upon streams flowing from common
source. TO reclaim all the land possible
will involve the spreading of water over
a surface as large as New England with
New York added
after considering the present and fu-
| turc benefits Of irrigation, the need of
BETTER laws, the uncertainty as to state
ard federal jurisdiction, the cOmplfca-
tions from lack of uniform water laws,
methods and measures needed to develop
the arid region and appropriation and
distribution of the water supply, Mr..
Mead concluded as follows:
The entire discussion leads up to one
| inevitable conclusion. This is that irri
cation. over and above all other indus
| tries. it is a matter demanding public
supervision and control. Every drop of
| water entering the headgate, and every
| drop escaping at the end of the canal, is
a matter of pubic concern. The public
must determine. through constitutions
and statutes. the nature of water owner
ship. The public must establish means
! for the measurement of streams and for
ascertaining how much water may be
taken for each acre of land under the
! principle of beneficial use. The public
must see that justice is done in the dis
tribution of ater among those who have
properly established their rightful claims
to it. We have thoroughly tried the
method of leaving all this to private ini-
i, tiative management. and, along with
magnificent material progress we have
| reaped large crop of deplorable fl
nancial results. Whatever may be said
Of fraternalism elsewhere, the principle
Of public control and supervision in this
particular field is inseparable from peace
and progress.
| "While much may be left to the action
OF states and committees. there is still a
wide field for national efforts. Only the
nation can legislate as to the public lands
and reform the abuses in connection with
the present system of land laws. There
is strong popular demand in the west
| for legislation providing public aid in the
construction of works Of too great mag
nitude and cost for private enterprise.
There is a growing belief that one of two
things should be done. Either the arid