, 1901-06-22
SATURDAY. JUNE %. 1901.
THE IRRIGATION BILL.

you want and going after it in a bust
n"sslikr name From the bill pre-
scented. discussed and endorsed. The
Republican would Judge that the hand
of Prof. Mead was in it.
OF course the Ubiquitous Maxwell was
present at Cheyenne without invita-
tom to oppose any action whatever
looking to state control of the arid
land. His object seems to be to block
any action whatever. If action is TAX
en- and The question settled his OCcu-
patton will be gone. He is feeding on
the agitation of the subject and desires
il prolonged to the utmost degree.
1t goes without saying that he is OPP
posed by Senators Warren IL Clark
n Representative Mondell, who are
fully alive to the interests of the arid
west and who are using their best en-
deavors to bring order out of chaos.
The bill favored at the Cheyenne
meeting is of such vast importance
that The Republican gives it in fun:
"A BILL.
To provide for the settlement of the
arid public lands and to authorize
the construction Of reservoirs for the
storage of water and other necessary
irrigation works for arid land recla-
nation.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House
of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress AS
sembled:
That all moneys received from the
sale or disposal of public lands in Ari-
IONA. California. Colorado. Idaho.
Kansas. Montana, Nebraska. Nevada,
New Mexico. North Dakota, Oregon.
South Dakoka, Utah, Washington and
Wyoming. beginning with the fiscal
year ending Jun Both, 1902. excepting
money set aside II law for educational
purposes and excepting also the sal
aries and commissions of registers and
receivers of the United States land
offices, located within said states and
territories, shall be and are hereby re-
served, set aside and appropriated for
the benefit Of the state or territory in
which said lands were sold or disposed
of. to be kept as a special fund in the
treasury to be known as the Arid
Land Reclamation Fund" and shall be
under the direction of the secretary of
the interior for the examination, sur
yey and construction of reservoirs and
other irrigation works for the storage.
diversion and development of water as
hereinafter provided. so that the same
may become available for the reclama.
tion of arid or semi-arid lands and for
the payment of all disbursements pro
vided for in this act
Sec. 2. Any Of the above named
states or territories desiring to avail
itself Of the benefits of this act shall
enact a law or laws accepting its con-
ditions, and shall create a state engi-
neer's Office with authority to make
examinations and urveys. plans and
estimates for reservoirs and other irri-
CATION works. to be built and paid for
out of the money deposited to the cred
it Of such state or territory in the
"Arid-land Reclamation fund" and
such law or laws shall provide for the
supervision and control. or sale. as
hereinafter provided. of such works.
and the storage, division. disposal and
dir tribution of the water so rendered
available. And said state or terri
tory shall also. as a condition proce-
dent to receiving the benefits of this
act, provide for the orderly and final
establishment of rights to the waters
within it's borders so rendered availa-
BILE, and shall restrict by law all such
rights to the actual beneficial use of
the same. and no state or territory
shall be entitled to the funds in the
treasury reserved for its benefit until
after the enactment of such lcgisla-
ton.
Sec. 3. Any state or territory hay
ing complied with the provisions of
this act, may, through the authority
ueSIsudCtu ny tIt Sldlt law, NE WIN
the secretary of the interior maps
plans and estimates for the construc-
ton of reservoirs. or other irrigation
works, to be paid for out of the funds
deposited in the treasury for the bene-
fit Of such state or territory; said
maps. plans n estimates to desig.
nate the location of said works. the
volume of water thereby rendered
available, the lands upon which the
water Is to be used. and the revenues,
II any to be derived from the rentals
Of the water so made available.
Provided. That such revenues over
n above the amount necessary for
maintenance and distribution shall be
credited to the arid land reclamation
fund for the benefit of such state or
territory for the construction or reser-
voirs and irrigation works, and
Provided, further. That any state ac-
cepting h provisions of this act may
sell the completed works to the actual
consumers Of water only. the proceeds