Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-02-04
MR.. LAcEY,s IRRIGATION BILL.
(From the Washington Star, January
5, 19O2)

(From the Washington Star, January
5, 1929
The ard and semi-arid states have
representation of thirty-four in the
House, or less than one-tenth of the
total number. AS stated by Mr.. Mon
dell, of Wyoming, the western mem
bers have no guarantee of single
| vote outside of their own delegations
when the critical moment arrives. The
irrigation measure favored by the
speaker, the bill which will pass, pos
sibly with certain amendments enlarg-
ing its scope of operations if an irri-
cation law is enacted at all, is known
as the Lacey bill Mr.. Lacey of Iowa
is chairman of the public land COM
mittee and an influential member of
Congress His bill is brief, and is a
revival of the measure proposed in the
fifty-sixth congress, which provides:
''That for the purpose of testing the
practicability and expense of national
irrigation the secretary of the interi-
or is hereby authorized and directed
to select and designate for expert
mental work and disposal tract of
not to exceed one million acres of
arid public land suitable for irrigation
Isituated in part in two or more states,
or in a state and territory, or wholly
in territory, and shall constitute the
said tract a national irrigation dis
trict..
The bill carries an appropriation Of
100000
Such bill will receive the votes of
all those who are willing to allow an
appropriation of money from the ma
tional treasury for the irrigation of
the public domain. 1t relieves the
more timid of the responsibility of
committing the government to new
policy and it will be looked upon by
, the extreme advocates as only the
first of series of such appropriations
No member of congress from the arid
or semi-ariG states, no matter how In
sincere his support of previous irriga-
ton measures may have been, will
dare, for political reasons, dissent from
the passage of such bill in default
of something more far-reaching in its
effects.
, Such a measure as that proposed by
Mr.. Lacey can be put through the
house if made an administrative mea-
sure, and it is extremely doubtful
/ whether anything more than Is
} contemplated in the Lacey bill can be
r accomplished, unless, as is possible,
3 the bill be enlarged to admit Of the
0 construction Of two or three enterpris-
L es instead of one. The irrigationists
|. naturally have their greatest strength
t in the senate, where each of the arid
n and semi arid states controls two
members, or total sufficient to consti-
tute formidable minority. 1t was this
minority which made so much trouble
last winter and was partially, if not
entirely, responsible for the defeat OF
s. the river and harbor bill.
y The irrigation senators would per
= haps not be so willing to accept the
y bone flung to them by the ma jority in
h the shape of one experimental irriga
e ton enterprise, but if il was made
e plainly evident that no other bill could
D. pass the house these same senators
j. who are so much concerned in securing
an appropriation for the reclamation
e of the public domain would be forced
e to concur for fear the session woulc
" come to an end without anything be
t ing accomplished.
lie The rather interesting situation has
IL resulted that while the western mem
id bers have been wranglipg over wha
M shall be done for their section of the
e. country, the eastern members, not par
d. ticularly interested locally, have gon,
IS to work quietly, practically decided
ty what is to be done and are setting gu
s. to do it. If the Lacey bill or som,
Is similar measure becomes law tn
w west will owe it to the east, and no
to at all to the direct efforts of the west
h. ern members, except in the genera
IS impression their efforts have brough
ed about to the effect that the peopl
d. want the arid lands reclaimed, an
ad that it would be good politics to max
n a start at the business.
he -----
he