Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-06-14

measure and sends the bill to the pres
Iident. The senate also passed the Dis
trict of Columbia appropriation Dill.
1t includes a provision for personal
tax to be levied in the district.
washington, June 14.-The house
Yesterday passed the irrigation bill by
a vote of LAC to 55. Many amendments
were offered, but only one except those
offered by the committee was adopted.
1t was of a minor character. The bill
has already passed the senate. The
friends of the measure greeted the an
nouncenent of its passage with q
round of applause.
The bill as passed creates a reclama-
ton fund from the sale of public lands
in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho,
Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada,
New Mexico, North Dakota Oklahoma,
Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washing
ton and Wyoming, less the amount
paid to local land offices and per cent
due the state under existing laws for
educational purposes, the reclamation
| fund to be used for the construction
and maintenance of irrigation work IN
| the states and territories enumerated.
| Provision is made for the payment
out of the treasury of any deficiencies
| in the allowances to agricultural col
.l,:. 4 IF n
lands. The secretary of the interior is
authorized to examine, survey and con-
struct the irrigation works and report
the cost thereof to congress at each
session.
Section 4 provides for the letting of
contracts for the works contemplated
| in sections when the necessary funds
are available in the reclamation fund
for such section.
Section provides that mo right to
the use of water for land in private
ownership shall be sold for a tract ex
ceeding 100 acres to any one land own
err and no such right shall permanent
Ily attach until all payments therefor
are made, and no such sale shall be
made to any land owner unless he be
land or occupant thereof residing in
the neighborhood of said land"
Section authorizes the secretary to
use the reclamation fund for the opera
ton and maintenance OF the irrigation
works.
Section requires state control over
water OF non-navigable streams such
as are used in irrigation.
Mr.. Robinson, of Indiana, in opposing
the bill, challenged the advocates of
the measure to prove that its principal
promoters We're not the big railroads
of the west. Under the present sys-
tenn, he said, the major portion of the
fund from the sale of lands went to the
agricultural and mechanical colleges.
Under the system proposed by this bill
that fund would be made to provide
for irrigation purposes, and the col
leges would have to fall back on thu
public treasury.
Mr. Rawlins charged that the Gros-
venor amendment was an attempt to
defeat the whole measure. He declared
that agricultural colleges had been
consulted in the preparation of the bill
and We're satisfied with it. These coll
leges We're amply protected The bill
still left the funds from the proceeds of
the sale of lands outside the arid region
for the colleges to draw upon, and if
that should prove insufficient, the de-
ficiency would be made UP out of the
treasury.
Mr.. Cannon. of Illinois, announced
that while he favored the pending
amendment, he would vote against the
bill. The bill, he said, was a perpetual
charge against the treasury. He
thought it should be left where it is.
Mr.. Cannon said he wished that soma
could be devised by which |
the public lands in each of the arid
states could be turned over to it and |
allow the state to work out these irri- |
cation problems.
The danger in this whole irrigation
proposition, he said appeared at the
very inception of the legislation Pro
testing they wanted nothing except the
proceeds of the sale of arid lands. its
cdVocates asked now for the treasury
TO shoulder one and one quarter mil |
lions.
Something of a test of strength was
made on Mr.. Shaforths resolution linn
.uns the time of discussion.
Mr.. DalZell of Pennsylvania criticised
the bill as Violative of all recognized
Of federal and state power
and also as unfair. 1t was a scheme.
he said, whereby the arid states re-
ceived the proceeds of public land sales
In those states, while the other states
We're left to pay the cost of administra
ton for the scheme out of the treas
ury.
Mr.. Grosvenor opposed the bill. He
declared that it would make the pres
ent railroad land grants four times
as valuable as at present and would
so change conditions as to materially
affect present farm land values. He
cited the case of the growing of sugar
beets. All the evidence, he said was
that sugar from beets could be pro-
iuced cent pound cheaper in the
irrigated section of the west than in
the east and he stated that with ex-
tensive competition in the west beef
sugar growing could not be proftab, ;
east of the Mississippi river. {
Mr.. Burkett, of Nebraska, followed ]
With vigorous speech in support of
he bill. If the millions spent to pre-
vent the overflow of the lower Missis-
,ippi, he said, had been devoted r. !
storing water at the Headquarters dan
ger from flood would have disappearad !
below and the arid country above the
headquarters would be blooming like
'ose. I
President Roosevelt used his Influence
n every possible way to secure thu {