The Florence tribune., 1901-12-07
THE PRESIDENT ON IRRIGATION.

week recommends that the government should construct and maintain reser- voirs for the storage of water to irri- gate the arid lands. "The distribu- ton of the water, the division of the streams among irrigators, should be left to the settlers themselves in con- formity with State laws and without interference with those laws or with vested rights.
 "At the very beginning the govern ment should make clear, beyond shadow of douot, it's intention to pursue this policy on the lines of the broadest public interest. No reservoir or canal should ever be built to satisfy selfish personal or local interests; but only in accordance with the advice of trained experts, after long investigation has shown the locality where all the con ditions cont bine to make the work most needed and fraught with the greatest usefulness to the community as a whole. There should be DO extravagance, and the believers in the need of irrigation. will most benefit their cause by seeing to it that it is free from the least taint of exces sive or reckless expenditure of the public moneys.
 Whatever the Nation does for the extension of irrigation should harmo- nize with, and tendto improve, the con- dition of those now living on irrigated land. We are not at the starting point of this development. Over two hun dred millions of private capital has al- ready been expended in the construc- ton of irrigation works, and many million acres of arid land reclaimed A high degree of enterprise and ability has been shown in the work itself; but ! as much cannot be said in reference tc the laws relating thereto. The security and value of the home: created depend largely on the sta bility of titles to water; but the majority O. these rest on the uncertain foundatioI of court decisions rendered in ordinary suits at law With a few ere ditable ex captions, the arid States have failed tt provide for the certa in and just division of streams in times of scarcity. La1 and uncertain laws have made it possi
 ble to establish rights to water in ex- cess of actual uses or necessities, ant many streams have already passed intt private ownership, or control equiva' lent to ownership.
 Whoever controls stream practi
 cslly controls the land it renders pro
 ductive, aud the doesrine of privat
 ownership of water apart from Ian, cannot prevail without causing endur
 ing wrong The recognition of sucl ownership, which has been psrmitte,
 to grow up in the arid regions, shoul
 give way to more enlightened an
 larger recog nition of the rights of th
 public in the control and disposal o
 the public water supplies. Law
 founded upon conditions obtaining i
 humid regions, where water is to
 abundant to justify hoarding it. hay
 no proper application in dry country h the arid States the only right [
 water which should be recognized
 that of use In irrigation this righ should attach to the land reclaimed an be inseparable therefrom. GranLin ! perpetual water rights to other tha users, without compensation to tn
 public, is open to all the objection which apply to giving away perpetus franchises to the public utilities (
 cities. A few of the Western State have already recognized this, and hay incorporated in their constitutions th f doctrine of perpetual State ownershi of water"