The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1902-02-03
NEWLANDS VS.. SIBLEY.
Nevada Congressman Debates Irrigation Ques.
ton With Pennsylvania.

ton With Pennsylvania.
THE following is a condensed report
- the spirited colloqy between Con-
oressmen Sibley and Newlands in the
a,scusson in Committee of the Whole
IN the House January 21st Of the New
lands irrigation bill, which came up
,,naer the consideration of the urgent
aaaciency bill. 1t is taken from the
Congressional Record of the above
date
Mr. Sibley, after vicious attack on
the general features of the bill, said
Hold these lands for the actual set
tiers, your children and mine Hold
them for that generation whose trus
tees we are. Hold them until a quar-
ter of a century hence 150,000,00O of
! people shall share the cost of the work
4 they need. rather than the 75.OOO,ooO
shall be taxed for the work more wise
4 ly done twenty or thirty or fifty years
later.
Mr.. Newlands-Will the gentleman
permit an interruptionI
Mr.. Sibley-I should prefer to close
4 my remarks.
Mr.. Newlands-Just a question.
n Mr.. Sibley-Yes.
III Mr.. Newlands-The gentleman is
representative of the great State of
Pennsylvania, one of the thirteen orig
fnal States. Those States at the very
commencement of our government
were in the possession of the great
Northwest territory, out Of which five
/ States were carved. l ask him what
he would think of the wisdom Of that
81 generation If the people of his State
N had insisted that the public lands of
81 #Ohio and the States of the great North
& west territory should not be open to
q entry?
ri Later on, the States having been in
h creased to eighteen, we acquired vast
81 chase | ask the gentleman what he
q would think of the wisdom OF the gem
n Grafton if they had refused to allow the
u public lands of Iowa, of Illinois, OF Mis-
souri,, of Michigan, of Wisconsin. OF
MINNESOTA, of Nebraska, of Kansas, the
Aakotas, and all the other glorious
Estates which have grown up out of
b that purchase to he opened up for set
E tlement?
Il The gentleman speaks of the competi-
4 tion that will now be involved in open
Il ty or seventy-fve million acres of land
are capable of ultimate reclamation in
a period of fifty years, and when our
4 population, already grown to S000O,0O0
people, is pressing the line of settle
ment farther and farther to the West.
I ask him what he would have thought
of the small population Of the few
ii States of that period if, pursuing the
ii line of selfish interest suggested by the
n gentleman, they declined to open up to
III settlement the millions and hundreds
# of millions of acres in the West, now
ID constituting the most magnificent and
# prosperous States in the Union?
81 Mr.. sibley-Mr. Chairman. / hardly
II know how to attempt to answer the
i gentleman who is so well and properly
recognized as the Chesterfield of this
House. because l think he has made
very good speech from his side of the
question. in the propounding of his in
terrogatory.
would wait until the digging of
These bitches, the completion of these
reservoirs. and the erection of the last
dam In it's place would come not as a
menace to any portion of this nation;
but the completion of these canals,
dams and reservoirs shall be so timed
that every class and condition can,
when the last capstone is set it's place.
bid hearty welcome I would wait
until this work is needed to meet the
food supply of later generation, in
stead of asking 75,000,O0O people to per-
form a task that is not demanded by
he present needs of the age. Wait
Until a hundred and fifty millions of
people of another genera ion car ioln
IN the performance of that work. and
the cost of Chat buriaa ,ear G,m the
shoulders of those who shall receive The
j benefits.
Mr.. Nevlands-May l ask the gem
ueman another question?