Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1902-01-27

acted at all. is known as the Lacey bill.
Mr. Lacey Of Iowa is the chairman OF
The public land committee and an in
fluential member OF congress. His bill
is brief and is revival of measure
proposed in the Fifty-siXth congress.
Section / provides:
THAT for the purpose of testing tiC
practicability and expense OF national
irrigation the secretary of the interior
is hereby authorized and directed u
select and designate for experimental
work and disposal a tract OF not to ex-
ceed 1.OOO. OCO acres o; arid public land
suitable for irrigation situated in pars
in two or more states, or in a stat.
ana territory. or wholly in a territory.
and shall constitute the said tract
national irrigation district.
Section . That the secretary of the
interior shall cause the necessary sur
veys for irrigating bitches. canals
dams, reservoirs, and other necessary
improvements to be made, under the
supervision of the director of the geo
logical survey. Surveys heretofore
made by said geological survey may b.
used for the purposes Of this act.
Sec. 3. That the secretary OF the
interior shall. as speedily as practi-
cable. cause the necessary WORKS to be
constructed for the reclamation and ir-
riSation of such lands, and shall make
and establish the necessary rules and
regulations for the disposition of such
lands TO qualified homestead settlers
in tracts of not to exceed 100 acres
each, TO be disposed of under the gen
eral homestead laws. Where such lands
are specially adapted to fruit growing
the said regulations may prescribe
less number Of acres for such settle
ment for each homestead
Sec. i That the secretary of the in
terror is further authorized and di-
rected to prescribe suitable rules and
regulations for the use of the water
to be supplied by such irrigating canals
and bitches as may be deemed best by
him for the proper apportionment. dis
tribution and use of the water to the
various tracts OF land. and may also
make such rules and regulations as he
may determine to be proper for the
disposition. by lease, of any water
power that may be created by SUCH
works. and shall nx the rental to be
paid by such iessees to the government
and determine the manner, method and
times OF payment OF the same And
the secretary of the interior is also
authorized and directed 10 fix the
charges of water supply to he paid by
the occupants or owners of the irri-
gated lands. and the times and man
ner in which the same shall be paid.
the moneys collected under this sec
tion to be applied to the maintenance
Of the irrigation works of said district
ana in the operation thereof
Sec. .. That it is intended by this
act to authorize and empower the sec
retary of the interior to inauguratc and
put in operation a single experimental
plan and system of national irrigation.
2 md that &c
vested in him TO formulate. prepare and
carry out such plan within the liinita-
tons and restrictions OF this act.
Sec. g. That the sum of 81 900. 900, or
so much thereof as may be found nee
essary-, is hereby appropriated for the
purposes hereof out of any moneys
that may be received from the proceeds
of the public lands. to be a continuing
appropriation until said works are com
pIeted and in operation.
Such a bill as given above will re-
ceive the votes of all thdse who are
willing to allow an appropriation OF
money from the national treasury for
the irrigation of the public domain. 1t
relieves the more timid of the RESPONSE
bi!ity of committing the government to
new policy. and il will be looked upon
by the extreme advocates as only the
first of Il series of such appropriations
NO lnelIiDtI Ol tOlGTtSS from the ara
or semi-arid states, no matter how in
sincere his support of previous irriga-
ton measures may have been. will
dare for political reasons. dissent from
the passage of such bill in default
of something more far-reachinE in it's
effects.
While no particular irrigation enter
prise is mentioned in the Lacey bill. it
is undoubtedly intended to apply to
one of two which have been favorably
reported upon by the geological sur
vey. The secretary of the interior rec
commended that storage reservoirs be
built at the head of the Truckee and
Carson rivers. in the Sierra Nevada
mountains of California; that a reser-
voir be built on the Gila river in Ari-
zona. near San Carlos, and that the
waters of the st. Mary's river in Mon
tana. be diverted as to flow into
the Ming river and its branches, in
stead of continuing it's course, as at
present into Canada. Mr Lacey is
opposed TO the Montana enterprise, and
has worked his bill so that it is prac-
tically excluded from considera ton, for
he says that the proposed experimental
work shall be carried out upoa "a piece
of land situated in part in two or
noOre states or in a state and ter-ri-