The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1902-06-13
THE IRRIGATION BILL.
Now Up for Consideration iu the House It's
Passage Almost Certain.

In the House Of Representatives yester-
day Mr.. Dalzen presented a special order
for the consideration Of the Senate irri-
CATION bill, one day for general debate
and one day for general amendment un-
der the fve-minute rule.
Mr. Robinson Of Indiana opposed the
adoption Of the rule for the consideration
Of the irrigation bill He declared that
the bill would be beneficial 70 the aridland
states and dangerous TO all the others.
q He criticised the action of the Demo-
q cratic Congressional committee in adopt
ing a resolution favoring the bill.
j Mr.. Underwood of Alabama favored the
! adoption Of che rule. lie argued that the
|oA,y method of building up the arid land
j states was to provide for their irrigation.
The bill would not take a dollar out Of the
treasury, he said. 1t would only use the
proceeds from the sale of lands In each
state for the benefit of such State
Mr.. shafroth of Colorado and Mr.. New
lands of Nevada also argued for the ad-
option of the rule.
The resolution then was adopted with
out division.
The House resolved itself into Commit
tee Of the Whole, with Mr.. Tawney of
Minnesota In the chair, and entered upon
consideration of the irrigation bill 1t was
/ also arranged that Mr. Mondell of Wyom-
Ing should control the time for the meas
| ure and Mr.. Ray Of New York against it,
Mr.. Monuell submitted an extended ar
gument In favor Of the bill. The amount
Of land that might ultimately be reclaim
ed by irrigation was estimated, he said,
between 100000 and 100000 acres lie
discussed fully the reasons why the
States could not undertake the work. The
wisdom of national aid In the reclamation
of the arid land Of the West, he declared,
had been demonstrated TO the satisfaction
Of the people and of both political par
ties in national conventions assembled
Tie fear expressed In some quarters
sgyin Increase IN the irrigated area viii
dtsastrously affect the values Of farms in
] the Middle West was clearly without rea-
narrow and provincial view of great ma
tional question.
II was estimated. he said, that the pend
ing bill would produce a fund from the
sale Of public lands of between two and
a half million dollars. which would grad
ually increase. 1t was also estimated that
the cost of bringing water to the settler
would be about ten dollars per acre, that
at the present rate the bill would bring
100000 acres under irrigation annually.
Mr. Ray of New York opened in opposi-
ton to the bill He declared that the
friends of the measure had sought TO Gre
ate the impression that the irrigation of
the arid lands In the West was a contin-
uation of the free home policy of the
government. The scheme, he said, would
benefit certain States, but at the expense
Of all the others. The public lands, he
oontended, belonging TO the people of all
the State. This bill proposed to take the
proceeds of their sale to develop one sec
ton of the country.
II The consensus OF opinion is that the
wasure will pass with safe majority,
although considerable opposition will de-
velop from Eastern Congressman. The
bill viii no doubt pass In the form sub
stantially as reported, and it is the gen.
eral opinion that the Senate will accept
any reasonable change the House may
make In the Senate bill.