Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1901-03-06
Senator Hansbrough Begins a Work
that Promises Much for the
Arid Regions.
Shut Out on a Point Of Order the
Scheme for Irrigation Will Prob
ably be Renewed.
Arguments Made In Favor of the Plans
by Hansbrough and Pettigrew
In the Senate.

appropriation bill, Senator Hansbroueh
struck a good lead, and one that is at
tracing attention from all parts of the
country. Senator Hansorough's idea
was to devote the proceeds of land sales
in the arid and semi-arid regions to the
construction of reservoirs and practical
irrigation work, thus making the lands
furnish funds for the irrigation project.
The text of Senator Observation-Disclosures
ment is as follows:
That all moneys received from the sale
aud disposal of public lands in the arid
and semi-arid regions of the United
States, beginning with the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1901, excepting money
set aside by law for educational pur-
poses, shall be, and are hereby, reserved,
set aside, and appropriated as a special
fund in the treasury, to be known as the
arid land reclamation fund.-" which
fund shall be at the disposal of the sec
rotary of the interior for the examination,
survey, and construction of reservoirs
and other irrigation works for the stor-
age, diversion, and development of waters
for the reclamation of arid and semi-arid
lands; that until further provided by
congress not to exceed 10 per cent of the
said fund shall be available for continu-
ing examinations and surveys and for
gauging the streams and determining
the water supply of the United States
and for the investigation of underground
currents aud artesian wells in arid and
Gomi arid sections and the preparation
Of reports upon the best methods of
utilizing the water of said
sections.
In support of this Mr.. Hansbrough
said:
Mr.. President, this bill is merely in
furtherance of all other legislation on
the question of irrigation. 1t simply
provides a new method for raising money
to pay the expenses of irrigation enter
prises. Heretofore we have had the leg
%islation and appropriated the money di-
rectly out OF the treasury for examina-
tions, surveys and reports. BY the terms
of the provision which | have offered, we
devote the receipts of the sales of the
public lands in the arid and semi arid
regions of the United States to a special
fund, out of which fund the expenses
hitherto paid directly from the treasury
shall be paid; and in addition we pro
vide for the construction of reservoirs,
SO that we may get at something that is
practical in the line of irrigation.
Now, Mr.. President, / do not believe
that the point Of order should be made,
although having been made, I do not be-
lieve that it lies against the proposition,
because, as | have said, it is merely in
furtherance of the general scheme of ir
rigation in this country.
Now, Mr.. President, what have we
been doing in regard to this question in
the past ten or q dozen years? We nave
appropriated directly out of the treasury
of the United States S2,OOO:O0O, for what
purpose? To make examinations, inves-
legations and reports, but we have not
irrigated a single foot of lana in the
whole country. All the irrigation that
has been done in this country up to the
present time, has been accomplished by
private parties, by private corporations,
who have Deer benefited, it is true, to
some extent by the surveys hat have
been made by the United States.
Over 100000 have been appropriated
directly out of the treasury of the United
States for making examinations, surveys
and reports, and here we are now pro-
posing in this bill to appropriate 100000
more for the same purpose. In the river
and harbor bill, which passed this body
yesterday, there is an appropriation of
$4,000 for the same purpose. In the
agricultural appropriation bill, which
passed only a few days ago, there is an
appropriation of $4,000 for the same
purpose. In three of the appropriation
bills going through this body this year
there are provisions for direct appropri-
ations out of the treasury Of the United
States for irrigation purposes. 1t seems
to me that the time has arrived when we
should concentrate our efforts in this di-
~rection and put the work of irrigation
under some one head.
Senator Pettigrew also vigorously de-
Tended the proposed plan as follows:
MI. President, it seems to me that
something ought to be done, and done at
once, by tho government with regard to
our arid lands. The government of the
United States owns, west of the Missis-
sippi river, 6OO,0OO,OOO acres of land in
the semi-arid region. There is water
enough in that country to reclaim, lOO,-
100000 acres of hat land. The question
| which confronts the government today
is this: Shall we sit idle until private
parties control all the water? II we do,
then they will control all that vast area
of 50O,OOO,000 acres of land, and they will
control it, without owning it, as absolute
ly as though they had a deed. The gov
eminent can own it. No taxes will be
paid upon it, and the people who own
the water-the great corporations-if we
go on as we are going now, will own the
water, and then they will command not
only the land that can be watered, but
the land that can not. They can Craze
the great area of the government land
between the water reservoirs and the
streams, and thereby WI the whole
country.
Therefore steps ought to be taken at
once to preserve the water for the peo-
pie, SO that small homes can occupy the
cultivable areas, so that homes of 40 and
so acres can be scattered over that vast
region rather than have it monopolized
by a few great corporations. Homes for
2 ,000,0GO people a be secured in the
arid regions Of the United States in ad-
dition to the population already there if
| the p~overpmant will take stems tn resarve