New-York tribune., 1901-04-07
NATIONAL IRRIGATION.
HR. HINTON'S ACCOUNT OF WHAT HAS
BEEN DONE BY THE GOVERNMENT
AND WHAT SHOULD BE DONE.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

strated At least in his remarkable effort OF thirteen
hours speaking that the Western and regional feel
ing in regard TO the reclamation Of arid areas
has acquired a vitality and fervor which is not
likely TO grow less in the future This fact
with practical legislators who necessarily poll
ticians also will make the issue assume veer
aspect Of power and importance The defeat of
the appropriation bill for river harbor improve
ents for 1912, with its great aggregate of $40
ooo.Ooo. accomplished by a representative OF
the arid region, aneered by the turning down Of
policy and appropriations for its benefit the total
Of which was only S523 600. II the policy
advocated rather than the amount asked, that
caused the acrid and somewhat narrow resistance
10 Western appeals 1t was the anger aroused
thereby that gave a sharp point and direct WelSht
10 Mr.. Carriers action. 1t may he assumed tnat
legislators viii recognize hereafter these factors
But il will be we'll also. this writer's judgment,
for the advocates Of the needs of the arid West
10 remember that national OF continental policy
IS not usually gained by mere suberfuges, nor Is it
often materially advanced by indirect moves that
evade or cloak the real design. To some extent
at least there were appropriations proposed which
were open TO a critical suggestiveness. 1t will also
be well for the maritime. manufacturing and well
settled farming sections remember that they
also may be narrow and unwise in resisting fair
treatment Of policy which aims to achieve what
Director True Of the Department of Agriculture.
presents when. his last report the last years
work OF our experimental stations-fifty- three in
number-he declares that ''on the supply Of water
for irrigation and its equitable distribution de
17ends the permanent existence Of civilized life in
one-third of the area covered by the forty-eight
States and Territories Of the United States"
In that regional one-third there arc now nine
million people. and there fifty million
acres Of land under form OF horticultural
farming and pastoral use, eight million or nine
million acres of which are made available by irrl-
sation. There eishty-fve thousand miles OF
telegraph and telephone wire and electric tramway
service while the railroad mileage is at least two
ffths Of the whole mileage found the land. Prop
erty values are very large in proportion to popula
1ion and the best school system in the United
States. with a proportiOnate degree OF coIeglate
Facilities is found there. And still the course
of empire is westward for the great and present
problems of a worlds intercourse centre on the
Pacific Ocean and its control and utilization
In the last session Of the late Congress there
were introduced seven irrigation dealing bs IN the
House and in the Senate: five reports were
made TO the House and four to the Senate. De-
bates over these propositions fiji several score Of
pages in The Congressional Record and the
climax was reached by Mr.. Carter's obstructive
speech in the closing session
The appropriations asked were:
DEPARTMENT OF Agriculture irrigation inquiry. $4,000
Geological survey Eauging and asoer'ainent OF ,-o
Indian ofice TO begin CONSTRUCTION Of dam for
storage reservoir az san Carlos ioo'Vo
terstate reservoirs. 100000
80, .....................s6 s65o.oOo
This in the way Of direct appropriation. There
are some other aids to irrigation development that
are wisely served Indirectly. These Will be duly
ferred to- What finally was appropriated is as fol-
lows:
Irrigation inquiry Department Of Aeriegltgrs 5000
Indian Ofice Department OF the Interior----- 10000
, ...................s $4,000
There are various sums in the Agricultural De
,,artnnenr.s appropriations which belong in some
degree to this work. Nearly all the money to b.
extended for public land surveys must IN d inarke"
degree be of advantage TO the arid region wherein
the remaining body Of our public lands are no"
found The first named appropriations cover high
altitude observations Of climate and precipitation
nv the Weather Bureau and those for invesuga-
tions by divisions of forestry grass soils botany
and biology. It TO me from expert observation
,bat one-dffh at least the moneys required for
the conduct those divisions OF Investigations VIII
collateraly relate TO the problems OF reclamation
and NEUROLOGY while dealing with the natural ana
possible resources Of the great region beyond the
1a0th meridian of west longitude. The final result
as 10 appropriations for irrigation needs will be an
increase Of at least $4,000. instead Of an amount
asked for that would have reached S500"c0 more.
II is somewhat difficult to state accurately the
sots of irrigation appropriations The photographic
division OF The Geological Survey furnishes the fo-
lowing figures:
streams CHacot9 1872 1901 s. ao $9o 600 900
Department Agriculture. 1890 1901 --- l9S'"''
Total .sl''''''
But these figures omit the cost Of sundry in
o1irjes that preceded those named, and one OF i'm
or1a%Rfe % ta95 aared in SpB@eion to the views pro
pounded by Director Powell, Us existence mas ever ever
by the Geological Survey. Indeed. the whole 9l
their Neurological theories have beell sl1atIif
5n 1890 90 through once Of Irrigation Inquiry
Of which l in charge The cost OF prlhuhs
numerous reports is not given .. "a
Z mere were least four or five inquiries ana
publications on this subject made before 1881. one
was by Charles p Poston Of Arizons who 0isiteg
learning what had been done 10 conquer y arldlly
End supplement the equatorial wastes OF eFaPord-
tion. Then. there was small series OF clever
papers by early lncumbent 2f the
chemists office. Colonei NelIetoh, ol CoIoIdio'
who constructed the early ditch system oI the
Union colony at Greeley IN me teil,eIaI IS7S
7S $1,000 was approIriatea Ior an gu'iE Etion
1cbiefv Eastern Colorado being meanD, and 5000
for 81 inquiry into East Indian and other irrisa-
oF investor In the San Joaquin VALLEY. California
IN 1876 Major J. W. Powell prepared Tor the zen
i yns~led by the authors clear insight into the
character Of the basin Utah and Colorado River)
ofher regional phases of the aridity problem The
cost Of these partial inquiries printing. pay etc
ences were by Land Office Commissioners
and by statistician Dodge. of the Department OF
In Iss4-s5 the present writer was employed for a
period Of less than year to inquire INTO ana pre-
This the beginning Of the present discussion
In l6s6-'s7 the Senate ordered me prlg'ing ana
port second edition. enlarged TO date was
ordered in 1883 10 the number OF t%entyve m fh3u td
not exceed sl0G10 In 1883 Senate also ordered
2 comroittee 81 investigation Of which William NJ
20 Geyads was chairman The writer
tapponted irrigation engineer in the Geological
survey served as expert, while Director
Powell was invited 10 and did accompany the com
Inirtee on its tweive thousand mile guest
printing and all some S37 900: and early in 1890
examination of the underground water supply of the
Great Plains ordered II was continued I'LL |
1883 with a general irrigation inquiry. also under