The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-07-21
Mr.. REEDER TALKS
Believes the New Irrigation Law
Will Work Wonders.
Would Have Storage Reservoirs
On Missouri
PRODUCE UNDERFLOW.
Would Also Keep Volume OF
Water More Even.
Stafford County POpulists Adopt
Unique Resolutions.
PRODUCE UNDERFLOA

of congress, believes that the most optl-
mistfc friend of the great west has not
before the region drained by the Missouri
river.
Mr.. Reeder believes the present lrr1-
cation law will demonstrate the utility
and practica bility of building storage
reservoirs on the headwaters of the
tributaries to the Missouri and the
smaller streams which feed these
streams, for the purpose of conserving
the flood waters and using them for lr-
rigation purposes.
These reservoirs, if they are demon
stated to be practical, would obviate
the troubles which have come down
upon the jewellers along the Blue, Re-
publican and Kaw rivers in the past
two weeks, by storing a great portion
of these waters where they fell, There
was enough water came down the kaW
last week to make a fair sized lake IN
every township in northern Kansas ana
southern Nebraska drained by the Blue
md Republican, where the rains fell
hitch made the flood The same thing
sometimes happens along every other
stream between the Missouri river and
the mountains. The waters rush down
and ruin millions of dollars worth OF
property, whereby if they could be saved
they would prove an untold blessing.
There is another phase of the subject
which has not yet been considered to
any great extent. Mr. Reeder believes
there is a possibility that the water, in
stead of rushing down the Missouri and
producing great freshets, if properly
conserved would make a steady under
flow which in turn would add greatly
to the volume of steady waters in the
rivers, which is now low during great
portion of the year. This would tend to
make the Missouri more navigable and
might make it feasible to cOntruct
channel down the Missouri which would
carry a large proportion of the products
of the great west to the gulf in steam
boats.
In speaking of the subject Congress
man Reeder said:
IT notice that ex-Congressman Lari
mer made a speech in Chicago recent
ly in which he revived the idea Of
deep water canal to connect Chicago
with the Gulf of Mexico, as to put
Chicago in direct connection by water
with the Panama canal and consequent
ly with the markets of the Orient. He
prophesied that such project would
make Chicago the financial and COM
mercial center of the world in so years.
This suggests to the westerner, who
has been building air castles as to the
future grea tness of the west (when it is
made to blossom by means of irrigat ion)
that the conservation of the flood wa
ters of the upper Missouri and it's tribu-
taries by the operation of the irrigation
law recently enacted, will not only pay
largely in the crops produced by the
use of such conserved waters, but that
the storage of these floods will demon
strate the possibility and the advisa-
bility of experimenting this work with
extensive reservoirs whose primary OBJ
ject will be to control the floods to such
an extent as to make it possible to con-
struct and maintain a channel in the
Missouri river that will carry the 1arg-
est vessels, and the seepage from the
areas irrigated will sufficiently aug
ment the flow of the streams during the
dry season to carry these vessels the
year round, thus making it possible to
carry our products to the gulf and
thence to the markets of the world at
minimum cost.
'sThe possibilities of the vast territory
of plain and mountain tributary to the
Missouri river when brought to its ca
pacity by means of irrigation have pro-
baby not yet entered the mind of the
most optimistic westerner, and we Aan
feel assured these productions of field
mine and factory will not pass the
Missouri river to find access to the gulf
through a canal, and hence we may rea-
sonably look for financial center on
the Missouri"
The Populists of Stafford county held
their county convention Saturday. They
nominated county ticket and passed
some resolutions, which bear the stamp
of originality. They resolved, for in
stance that J. r. Burton is the senator
of the Mu1vane family, and while de-
precating the paucity of expression of
the English language they characterize
the anti-fusion law in flow of lurid
language The main resolutions were
as follows:
Resolved, That we adhere to the
platform of principles adopted by our
last national convention and reaffirmed
by the Peoples Parry state convention
at Topeka, believing that those prfnci-
pies are the expression of a progressive
craftsmanship and that they tend to-
ward the financial and social better
ment of the whole people.
I'VE endorse the official course OF the
Hon. w. A. Harris as senator and call
particular attention to the fact that he
is to be credited with saving to the
government by one piece of legislation
a larger SUM than would be needed to
pay his salary during the balance of his
natural life. His course as worthy
to that of his alleged colleague, Mr. J.
Ralph Burton, who, instead of repre-
senting the state of Kansas, is better
known as the private senator Of the Null
vane family.
I'VE endorse the entire state tickle,
nominated at Topeka without regard t.
the former political affiliations of the
candidates, since they all stand upon
substantially the same platform and
advocate the same principles
And finally we wish hereby to ex-
press our solemn condemnation of that
ballot law passed by the last Republi.
cStI 1cSlSldtuTo ny WHICH tHoy sought
disfranchise the thousands of voters
who, in the exercise of their constitu-
tional rights, have heretofore voted un.
der the name Of the Peoples Party, and
If the language of our fathers contained
fitting words to chara cterize the das.
tardliness of this piece of political jug
Cling. we would attempt herewith te
express our contempt for the politica
hoodlums who in the name of law en-
acted this specimen of iniquity. We d.
not. believe it is endorsed by the goot
men of the Republican party, and W.
do believe 1t to be the duty of ever,
lover of liberty to vote any ticket under
any name If thereby we can succeed IN
eiecting legislature that will prom pity
efface this blot from the statutes of the
state"
The following candidates were nomi
mated: Representative, Parker Parrish
sheriff. Fred johnson. superintendent