The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-02-08
THE H]ANsBRoUGH BILL.

about to accomplish, single handed,
what organized bodies of men after
years Of effort have been unable to
do-secure national legislation in the
interest of irrigation in the west. In
stead Of arousing the hostility and
antagonism of the senators from the
east and middle west, as have former
bills on the subject, the measure of
Senator Hansbrough receives their
cordial endorsement, and it is reasona-
BILE to assume will also receive their
support when finally put upon it's pas
sage. The reason for this change of
attitude lies in the fact that the
Hansbrough measure differs from all
other bills Oh the same subject in that
it does not call for an appropriation
from the public funds. On the con-
trary, it proposes to put reclamation
Of the arid lands on a basis where it
will be self supporting, it may be said.
That is, Mr.. Hansbrough intends that
the reclaimed lands shall be made to
bear the burden Of cost of their recla-
nation. To this end his bill provides
that all money obtained from the sale
OF public lands III the arid and semi
arid regions, saw those held for edu-
%cational purposes, shall be set apart
as a special fund out of which reser-
voirs and hydraulic works shall be
constructed. In order that all the
money so obtained shall be devoted to
the purpose set forth in the bill, pro-
vision is made to support the agricul-
tural colleges, which are now among
the principal beneficiaries of the money
received from the sale of public lands,
out of the general funds, whenever
the revenue obtained from the sale of
public lands other than those in the
arid and semi-arid regions is INSULT
cient.
Aside from affording a simple and
practical solution Of a very important
and %perplexing question, the Hans
brough bill does more. II opens a
way for demonstrating the claims
made that reclamation of the arid
lands would add to the material
wealth and prosperity Of the country.
Many Of those who have opposed
past attempts to secure national legis-
lation in aid Of the project have con
tended that the returns to be expected
would not justify the expense involved
that the claims of the irrigationists
were chimerical and out of all proper
tions to what commo sense and judg-
ment suggested. If the contentious of
the supporters of irrigation are borne
out by the results to be expected after
a fair test has been made of watering
the lands OIL the scale necessary to
demonstrate beyond all doubt the feas-
ability and worth of the system, then
it is reasonable to suppose present op-
position to governmental aid will
cease and assistance in the future will
be easily obtained.
Only one Objectionable feature
seems to attach to the bill. No pro-
vision appears to be made for a fund to
insugurate the work and reclaim any
considerable territory preliminary to
the sale of what are now arid lands.
From the outlines of the bill as tele-
graphed from Washington the infer
ence is left that before any money is
to be obtained for inaugurating the
work enough lands must be sold to
provide a fund for instituting the task
of their reclamation. If such is the
case it is highly probable that a long
time must necessarily elapse before
irrigation on the scale required can be
instituted. But few persons have
capital large enough to invest in arid
lands on the bare prospect that some
day they will be reclaimed and made
susceptible of cultivation to the extent
that they will yield revenue sufficient
to reimburse their owners for the loss
of interest on the original investment
sustained during the interim between
their acquisition and the time when
their productiveness begins. The
only ones who can afford to do this
are the men of immense wealth and
who can buy tracts so vast in area
that the man who simply aspires to
the ownership of a quarter section