The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-06-22


to the blind chaplain, whose eloauence
cannot be questioned a western SEN
atOr said; THE fact is, I am tired Of
hearing Milburn dictate to the Lord
day after day what he ought 10 do"
Some very funny errors are made in
the Congressional Record. The other
day Mr. Richardson, General Joe
Wheeler's successor in the Alabama
delegation made a speech on the Pa
cific cable bill. When the proofs were
returned 20 him for correction before
being inserted in the Record, he inter-
lined some remarks about the expulsion
of the Jews by the car Of Russia from
that country. The Record appeared the
following morning crediting Mr. Rich
ardson with criticising the car for ex-
pelllng Mr.. Jones' from the limits of
Russia.
Now that the irrigation bill has real
ly passed both houses and is absolutely
sure Of the presidents signature. its
supporters have time to look back and
recall the many interesting incidents
which marked its career. The Wash
ington Post reminds US Of Senator War
ren's prophecy in regard to it. The
Post says:
Senator Warren should set up busi-
ness as prophet. At the close of the
Fifty-siXth congress, when the river
and harbor bill was being talked into
memory by the friends of irrigation,
the senator, in his speech in the senate,
made this statement:
1 want to predict that before an
other river and harbor bill passes and
becomes a law, there viii be reservoirs
built or provided for by this nation
either in the river and harbor bill or in
some other appropriation bill, or in an
independent measure
Yesterday the building Of reservoirs
was provided for by an independent
measure, and on Friday the president
signed the river and haTbor bill thus
making true, with one days grace,
Senator Warren's prophecy Of fifteen
months ago"
The river and harbor bin is a pet of
Uncle Joe Cannon's. The old watch
dog Of the treasury" is always induI-
gent TO this trespasser on the strong
boxes Of Uncle Sam, but his growlings
over the irrigation bill have caused
considerable hair raising among the
friends Of that measure. Further than
this, he not infrequently aroused the
ire Of Mr.. Mondell, its most enthusi-
asttc champion. Uncle Joe has a pc
culiar way Of pronoUncing Wyoming.
He calls 1t Welcoming" and Jirawls il
out with a hard accent on the 20 To
make matters worse. he, several times
during the debate on the irrigation bill. 1
referred to the gentleman from Mon
tana," instead Of the gentleman from
WeeOming." This proved a last straw
for Mr.. Mondell. Il don't mind being
called the gentleman from Wee
oming, he said. mimicking Uncle
Joe's drawl. but I do object to being
called the gentleman from Montana I
The fasteners seemed to be putting
both feet into it, pretty generally in /
the Friday debate. Mr.. Hepburn mad
vertently assisted the irrigationists
when he least wished to do so. Mr..
sutherland was trying to close the de- |
bate on certain paragraph and moved (
that the vote be taken in fifteen min /
utes. Il move to amend by making /
il seconds sail Colonel Pete" Hep
burn, attempting 10 throw another OBJ !
stacle in the progress Of the measure. /
I accept that amendment" retorted |
Mr.. Sutherland. at which the house /
laughed, for it is not used to this min !
ute division of time. The amendment /
was then carried and the chair looked |
to Mr.. Sutherland to take up the fif- /
teen seconds in debate. Il will take |
advantage Of the general leave to /
print" said Mr.. Sutherland, and his /
thirty-page speech went to the gov
eminent printing Office. Just as the /
vote was about to be taken on the
paragraph in question, Mr.. Hepburn /
made an effort to block proceedings. /
but by his own amendment. the para /
graph went through while he was yet /
struggling to his feet.
A comprehensive report of the years J
work of the irrigation investigation has
recently been completed by Professor /
Mead. and is embodied in the annual 4
report of the Office of experiment sta I
tons of the United States department !
of agriculture.
While the greater part of the work
has been carried on in that region /
where farming is impossible without |
the artificial application OF water, vet /
many interesting facts have been dis /
closed relative to the use Of irrigation \
IN the humid and subhUmid parts Of 1
the United States. series Of expert /
ments at various stations in the Mis-
sissippi valley have demonstrated its I
advantages as an aid TO the growing
Of crops The question to be settled is /
whether the use Of water on general ]
farm crops will give sufficiently in
creased yields to repay the cost of pro-
Viding water supply The results Sc
cured at the Nebraska station were
very encouraging. The maximum yield |
of corn in this locality. without irriga-
ton. is about forty bushels per acre,
while the lands irrigated during the
past year yielded from forty to sixty
bushels per acre. Two adjacent fields,
one irrigated and one depending on
rainfall alone. yielded sfxty-six bushels
per acre and twenty bushels pei. acre,
respectively.
As an insurance against drOuth in
the eastern sections where extensive
agriculture is the dependence Of the
farmer irrigation is becoming of great
er interest and Importance with each
season. The easiest means Of provid-
ing a water supply in these localities is
by pumping. and out Of the pumping
investigations have arisen the studies
in the rice belt of Louisiana and Tex
as. Here pumping is carried on at the
cost Of thousands of dollars, and. not Z
Withstanding its tremendous cost. X Z
has made rice growing one Of the most /
lucrative enterprises Of mat section.
Lands that were formerly worth from (
81 10 8, and used only Ior grazing. I
now sell for from $50 to $40 per acre,
and yield an annual return equal 10
the value Of the land
The report points out the need of /
early reform of irrigation laws. In
terstate questions are arising which
can not long be ignored, although laws
to provide for the proper division Of [
waters within a state are urgently
needed. To prepare these requires
careful and impartial investigation Of
existing conditions by competent en-
gineering and Agricultural evnerts