The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-05-26
UNCLE SAM SHOULD BUILD
BIG IRRIGATION WORKS
Expert Mead Gives COgent Reasons Why the Gov
eminent Should Act.
VsrOOs Arguments Advanced By Wyoming Man Prepared Pape
Demonstrating the Correctness Of His Position

Neither individuals nor. corporations
will undertake these works unless there
is a prospect Of profit commensurate
with the risk. If this profit is realized,
il will put the cost of these lands be-
yond the means of poor men, who are
the ones to be looked after in the dis
posal Of the public domain Only the
well-to-do can buy land which costs
from SIS to SIS an acre for a water sup
ply and about as much more to build
the laterals, provide a house and pre-
pare to live. The government can bet
ter afford to do this work than can
private enterprises, because the gov
eminent derives an indirect return
which private enterprises cannot share.
Every acre Of land reclaimed adds to
the taxable wealth of the country, il
adds TO the greatness and strength of
the nation. These benefits will be IN
ending and will increase with time.
They are worth the outlay required.
Interstate Arguments.
It is proper that the nation should
build these works, because some Of
them viii be located in one state, while
the water will be used in another state
1t will be a much simpler arrangement
to have this work done by the federal
government than for the states to
reach an agreement. Some of the
states are too poor to utilize their re-
sources, some are prevented by cOnsti-
tutiOnal restrictions. The federal gov
eminent can secure the needed funds
from the sales of public lands, and
build these works without any burden
to taxpayers, east or west. The states
have no such resource. They cannot
even tax the public lands, which in
some states comprise more than so per
cent of the total area.
There are also some vexed questions
relating to the respective spheres Of
state and national authority over the
control of streams used in irrigation.
Each state now controls the division of
water within it's borders and is likely
to continue 10 do so, but there is need
that this control shall be more effect
I've in order that controversies may be
averted and the rights Of actual users
of streams made secure. In order to
do this it must be known what is to
be the field Of control Of the nation
and what of the state.
We are beginning to realize that the
framing of laws to govern the control
and use Of water are among our most
vital and perplexing problems. Many
Of the streams used by irriga tors
empty into navigable rivers. -Irrigators
need to know whether the steamboat
or orchard and garden are to have
first claim on the mountain SHOWS.
There are interstate streams which are
controlled on one side of a boundary
by the doctrine Of appropriation and
on the other side by the doctrine of
riparian rights. Which of these poll
cies is ultimately to prevail?
The construction and operation by
the nation Of irrigation works of the
character above described viii tend to
promote the enactment Of more uni-
form and better laws by the states; it
VIII help to educate public sentiment
regarding the legal and economic prcb-
lens which irrigation development is
creating, and in the end make the arid
region more valuable and prosperous
part Of the nation than If development
is left wholly to private enterprise.