Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1901-12-05

and fora, safe havensr of refuge to our
I2ploly diminishing wild animals of the
larger Kinds and free camping grounds for
the ever increasing numbers Of men and
women who have learned to find rest.
neeth and recreation in the splendid for
ests and flower clad meadows Of orr
mountains. The forest reserves should be
set apart forever for the use and benefit
OF our people as whole and not sacrificed
70 the shortsighted greed of few.
The forests are natural reservoirs By
restraining the streams in flood and re-
pienishing them in drought they make
possible ssas the use Of waters otherwise
Ing and so protect the storage reservoirs
from Milling up with silt. Forest conserva-
ZION Is therefore an essential condition of
water conservation.
The Government Should Assist.
The forests alone cannot, however, fully
ARID region. Great storage works are nee
cssary to eQualize the flow of streams and
20 save the flood waters. Their construc-
tio1 has been conclusively shown to be an
Undertaking too vast for private effort.
Nor can it be best accomplished by the in
dividual states acting alone. Far-reaching
interstate problems are involved, and the
resources of single states would often be
inadequate. 1t is properly a national
function, at least in some of it's features.
1t is right for the national government
arid region useful by engineering works
for water storage as to make useful the
rivers and harbors Of the humid region by
engineering works of another kind. The
storing of the floods In reservoirs at the
headwaters of our rivers is but an en-
largement of our present policy of river
control under which levees are built on
the lower reaches Of the same streams.
The government should construct and
maintain these reservoirs as 1t 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 how.. :,
The reclamation of the unsettled arid
Psblic lands presents a different proo!em N;
Here it is not enough to regulate the now
Of streams. The object Of the government
II to dispose of the land to settlers VINO
will build homes upon It. TO accomplish
this object water must be brought WITHIN
their reach. go
The pioneer settlers on the arid public
domain chose their homes along streams
from which they could themselves divert
the water to reclaim their holdings. Such
opportunities are practically gone: There
remain, however, vast areas OF pup sa
land which can be made avaliaole LOT
homestead settlement, but only by reser.
voirs and main line canals impractlcao PIE
for private enterprise. These irrigation
works should be built by the national
them should be reserved by, the govern.
ment for actual settlers, and the cost OF
construction should SO far, as possible
be repaid by the land recialmaee 11;,or In ne
the streams among irrigators, shou!d De
left to the settlers themselves IN CONFORM
ity with state laws and without 1nter1er,
ence with those laws or with vested
rights. The policy Of the national gov
ernment should be to aid irrigation IN the
several states and territories IN such man 7
ner as will enable the people IN ING wa %
communities to help themselves and as
win stimulate needed reforms in the STATE
laws and regulations governing lrrlsat1oh'
Value of Irrigation.
The reclamation and settlement OF the
arid lands will enrich every portlon ~
our country, just as the settle ment OF me
OHIO and Misslsslppl va!ey tst orous The in
creased demand for manufactured artl-
cles will stimulate industrial proouclaos5,,
while wider home markets and the trace
pies and effectually prevent western
com petition with eastern agriculture, n
deed the products of irrigation Will oe
ters of mining and other industries when
would otherwise not come into existence
ut ali. Our people as whole will profit,
for successful homemak1ng IS ouI an io,1
name for the upbuilding of the nation.
The necessary foundation has already
been laid for the inauguration of the poll
CIV Just described. 1t would be unwise to
begin by doing too much tot gr ta w Geat
can and what cannot be safely attempt.
ed. by the early efforts. which must OF
necessity be partly experimental IN cnar-
acter. At the very beginning the govern
ment should make clear. beyond SHADOW
Of doubt, it's intention to pursue TINS
policy on lines of the broadest Duolc IN
terest. No reservoir or eanal snou1a ever er
local interests, but only in accordance
with the advice of trained experts a1ter
long investigation has shown the local
make the work most needed and traught
with the greatest usefulness to the COM
munity as whole. There. should be no
need of sirrigation will most benefit their
cause by seeing to it that it is free from
the least faint of excessive or reckless
expenditure of the public moneys
Needed Irrigation Laws.
whatever the nation does for the nen ex
With and tend to improve the condition
Of those now living on Irrigated land.
We are not at the starting point OF TINS
development Over s2Oo. oo,Wo OF p Fl she
construction of irrigation WORKS 1 ana
many million acres OF arid land re,
claimed. high degree Of enterprise ana ne
self, but as much cannot be said IN
reference to the laws relating thereto
The security and value of the homes zones
created depend largely on the 1 sta nll'e ~
these rest on the uncertain foundation of
court decisions rendered In Ordinary
suits at law. With few credltaDle ex-
ceptions, the arid states have failed to
provide for the certain and just division
Of streams in times Of scarcity. Lax and
uncertain laws have made it possible to
establish rights to water In excess OF
actual uses or necessities, and many
streams have already passed into. private
ownership or a control equivalent to
ownership.
Whoever controls stream practically
controls the land it renders productive:
and the doctrine Of private ownership OF
water apart from land cannot prevail
without causing enduring wrong The
reco<nition of such ownership. which has
been permitted to grow up In the ARID
regions, should give way to more en-
Nshtened and larger recognition OF the
rights of the public in the control and
disposal of the public water supplies
Laws founded upon conditions obtaining
ia humid regions. where water is too
abundant to Justify boarding it, have no
In the arid states the only right to wa.
ter which should be recognized is that OF
use. In irrigation this right should at
tzch to the land reclaimed and be insep-
arabic therefrom. Granting perpetual
water rights to others than users with
out compensation to the public is open
to all the objections which apply to CIV
mr. away perpetual franchises to the
public utilities OF cities. few OF the
western states have already recognized
this and have incorporated In their con-
otI4,, +iooa the doctrine of perpetual state