Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-02-13
LACEY HAS A PLAN
May Solve the Irrigation Prob
lem.
HOW IT AFFECTS STATE OF iowa

to Experiment as Was Done With
Rural Free Delivery-Present Pro-
portions Cited as Proof.
Washington Bureau the Courier
Washington, D. c., Feb. 1, 1902.
| Congressman John F. Lacey, chair
man OF the house committee on pub
lie lands, has introduced a bill which
is intended by him to solve the irriga-
ton problem so far as it confronts the
present congress.
How StilIman Looks at 1t.
While Iowa has no lands requiring
irrigation, and thus. may seem to be
dlslnterested in this irrigation propo-
sltlon, which is one of the most i'm
portant now under consideration, at
the same time Iowa people and Iowa
farmers will be. indirectly interested
in view of the obvious effect irrigation
OF the vast western plain will have up
on the value of Iowa land If great
body OF land should suddenly be open
ed up to the public at merely NOM
inal price per acre it would mean a
great influx of people and many of
them would come from Iowa. That
would materially lessen the demand
for Iowa soil and would tend toward
a lowering of values. However. there
will be no great body of land opened
up now or at any future time and Iowa
land will continue to rise.
Irrigation Fund.
Various irrigation bills have been in
troduced and the senate committee on
the public lands has prepared a gener-
al bill which has been reported in the
senate disposing of all the proceeds
OF the public lands, turning them over
for an irrigation fund, embarking upon
! general, comprehensive and sweeping
plans of irrigation throughout the en-
tire arid regions of the United States.
Meets With Opposition.
This proposition is meeting with
much opposition in the states that do
not require irrigation. A special com
mittee from seventeen states agreed
upon the bill as reported in the SEN
ate, but in fact the bill was the result
of compromise because there was a
feeling that bill of some sort must
be agreed upon.
Lacey Conservative.
| The house committee on public lands
has been investigating this question
for q number of years and Mr.. Lacey's
idea was that some experiment ought
to be tried before any comprehensive
or general plans of irrigation are I'M
dertaken. His new bill provides for
an experiment in national irrigation
and it is believed his bill may be ac-
cepted as practical solution of the
question.
lrrigationists Eager.
OF course the gentlemen who are de-
sirous of having the government COM
mitted to some general policy and
system of irrigation Illl not be salts
fec but it is not likely that any such
general proposition can pass the
house, although in the senate the large
vote from the arid states is very i'm
portant factor
The power of New York and Penn
sylvania in the house amounts to six
ty-one vites. In the senate, instead of
having sixty-one votes, or in that pro-
portion, these great states have only
four, while Nevada and Idaho have
four. 1t is therefore evident that a
general bill would have much smooth.
er sailing in the senate than it would
! in the house.
Lacey Explains.
l asked Mr.. Lacey to explain in a
general way his bill and what was con-
templated by it, in view of the prob
ably favorable action upon his bill He
says that when congress wanted to
tru tho nf 1o
I livery they first appropriated $4,000:
then a larger sum and then still larg-
er amount until finally the bill carried
S1.750,000 and last year they appro-
| priated $3,500,000 If the demand had
been made to appropriate this large
sum when the system was first pro-
posed the experiment would never
have been tried. Not only that, but
had it been possible to appropriate
this sum to begin with the experiment
| would have been burdened by it's own
weight and would probably have been
complete failure. 1t was started as
an experimental system.
Prudence Advised.
The postoffice department was ham
pered by no explicit statutory instruc-
tions, therefore the postmaster gen.
eral operated the system as an ex-
pertinent, modifying and changing it
as his judgment determined Many
mistakes We're made and afterwards
corrected. The experiment has final
| ly proven great success and the
| rural free delivery has come to stay.
This is only ordinary prudence in at
| tempting any new important enter
prise. If our 600,000,00O acres of pub
{ lie land belonged to a corporation or
an individual and either desired to IT.
rigate the same an experimental sec
ton would be selected and test
made before adopting any general
plan. The government should be
equally prudent.
The Plan.
| Mr.. Laceys bill proposes to allow
the secretary of the interior to select
tract of land not exceeding 1 900. 900
acres, situated in two or more states,
or in a state and territory or wholly
within territory, and set apart the
| same as an experimental national irri-
cation district His idea is to make it
an Interstate mr. tarrifprial rronocjtio,,