The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1901-12-12
Economy in expenditures is urged.

LCOhoLbS III cApeuulluIeS lS uIBeu.
Amendment Of the interstate commerce
act is advised to insure the cardinal
provisions of that act The work car
ried on by the department of agricul-
ture Is next considered and praised
highly. The president then turns to
forest preservation and irrigation of
arid lands, saying that both are highly
necessary. He would put all the work
in connection with the forest reserves
In charge Of the bureau of forestry.
Irrigation.
The president continues by tracing
the connection between the forest re-
serves and the water supply. He says:
The forests are natural reservoirs.
By restraining the streams in food
and replenishlng them In drought they
make possible the use of waters other
wise wasted. They prevent the soil
from washing and so protect the stor-
age reservoirs frem filling up with
silt. Forest conservation is, therefore,
an essential condition of water conser-
vation.
The forests alone cannot, however,
fully regulate and conserve the waters
of the arid region. Great storage works
are necessary to equalize the flow Of
streams and to save the flood waters
Their construction has been conclu-
sively shown to be an undertaking
too vast for private effort. Nor can it
be best accomplished by the individual
states acting alone. The government
should construct and maintain these
reservoirs as it does other public works.
Where their purpose is to regulate the
flow of streams. the water should be
turned freely into the channels In the
dry season to take the same course
under the same laws as the natural
flow.
The reclamation of the unsettled arid
public lands presents u different prob
lem. Here 1t Is not enough to regulate
the flow of streams. The object of the
government Is to dispose of the land
to settlers who will build homes upon
1t. To accomplish this object water
must be brought within their reach.
The pioneer settlers on the arid pub
lie domain chose their homes along
streams from which they could them
selves divert the water to reclaim their
holdings. Such opportunities are prac-
tically gone. There remain. however,
vast areas of public land which can be
made available for homestead settle
ment hut only by reservoirs and main
line canals iInpracticuble for private
enterprise. These Irrigation works
should he built 10y the national govern
ment The lands reclaimed by them
| should be reserved by the government
| for actual settlers. and the cost of con-
struction should. so far as possible, be
| repaid by the land reclaimed. The dis
tributi0n of the water. the division Of
| the streams among irrigators, should
be left to the settlers themselves in
conformity with state laws and with
out Interference with those laws or
with vested rights.
The declaration is made that In the
arid states the only right to water
which should be recognized is that Of
use. The president says that the doc
trlne of private ownership of water
apart from land cannot prevail without
causing wrong.
InsuIar Problems.
Insular questions are next treated
La Hawaii our aim must be to develop
the territory on the traditional Amer
lean lines. Porto Rico is declared to be
thriving as never before. The atten-
tion Of congress is called to the need Of
legislation concerning the Islands pub
lie lands. In Cuba II Is stated that
much progress has been made toward
putting the Independent government of
the island upon 6rm footing. and 1t Is
declared that independence will be an
accomplished fact. The president
adds:
Elsewhere have discussed the ques-
tion Of reciprocity. In the case OF Gu
ba. however. there are weighty reasons
Of morality and OF national interest
why the policy should be held TO have
a pec-.tar application, and I most eur