Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-06-18
M, WEDNESDAY, JUNE IS, 1902.
THE PASSAGE OF
THE IRRIGATION BILL
The Triumph Won by the Western Con-
gressmen Means the Dawn of a New
Era For the Entire
Arid West.
DELEGATE RODEY WAS ONE OF THE
ABLE LEADERS OF the FIGHT

Washington, ID. c.. June l6, 1902.
| Last Friday was red letter day il
the history of this country SO far as tn
great west is concerned. The irriga
ton bill Which passed the senate SOM
weeks ago, passed the house that after
noon, with slight amendments, after
great fight. This is the biggest thing
In the way Of legisleticn that has hap
pened TO the west for many years, o.
perhaps in all is history. Not anything
before or since the homestead hill it.
self equals it's Importance to the arit
| and semi-arld regions.
Beginning early in December all the
| western senators, members and dele
gates attended more than 25 successive
meetings or conferences in Senator
Warren's room in the senate end of the
| capitol, evenings, from to IL o'clock
meeting about three times week. They
discussed line by line, more than half a
dozen different projects in which Dele
gate Rodey from New Mexico, took
prominent part, and finally formulated
,
or will be the law when signed by the
president. Then the western congress-
men all went to work to create a senti-
ment in it's favor among fasteners in
the United States senate and in the
house The prejudices against it were
fearful to contemplate at the start,
but by persistently working at it all
were overcome, that is enough to give
the measure an overwhelming majority.
The bill provides that the secretary of
the interior shall use all the proceeds of
the sales of the public domain in build
ing of irrigation works wherever he
shall desire in the western states and
territories and charging enough for the
land reclaimed to replenish the fund so
that it will never diminish, and so that
he will have money on hand just as
soon as one enterprise is finished to be-
gin another. This money amounts to
neariy-S4, 100000 per annum, SO that it
is readily seen that great many enter
prises will be on foot in a very few
years. During the discussions that led
up to the formulation Of the bill, there
was of course, the thought where do
the poor territories come in, but from
the discussion had and. owing to the
fact that it is left to the discretion Of
the selection of the places where he
will begin the enterprises, it is pos
sible that the secretary ns i.lie interiar,
because the territories of New Mexico
and Arizona are the most arid, and
have the greatest amount of unappro-
would cause least jealousy, will put the
first irrigation works in either the ter
ritory of New Mexico or Arizona, prob
ably New Mexico as it has the most
available sites still under control of the
government. 1t would not be surpris-
ing to see the first four million dollars
appropriated within year for enter
prises in New Mexico. The fund can
never be reduced, because every men,
ber of congress will hereafter be inter-
ested in keeping it sacred. The ques-
ton might be asked why should the
proceeds of New Mexico's land go to
the erection of irrigation works in any
other state or territory? The answer
is, that while it does seem strange that
the proceeds of New Mexico's lands
should go anywhere else, still 1t is only
lent in trust because it will eventually
be on hand for New Mexico's own use
when its turn comes. In any event the
sum of the sales of New Mexico lands
in one year is mere bagatelle in
comparison to the sum total of the
states north. so that when the states
north get New Mexico's money, they get
a small sum, and when New Mexico
gets their money it receives a large
sum. This bill Is the most important
leo or that ever can be passed, apart
from the statehood bill. Delegate Ro-
dsy gave 1t lot of work and naturally
is proud of the result. Congressman
Shafroth of Colorado, Mondel Of Wyo-
ming, Reeder of Kansas, Jones o;
Washington, Newlands of Nevada, and
Senators Warren, Teller, Patterson,
Gibson, Bard, Hansbrough, Dietrich,
Kearns, and many others, are entitled
to especial credit for inaugurating and
carrying through this great measure.
The speeches of Newlands and Mondel
in the house are masterpieces on the
subject Of irrigation generally. The
Texan delegation injected as an
amendment to a section of the bill the
same old provision with reference to
the waters Of the Rio Grande, but Del
egate Rodey was on hand to call atten-
ton to it. It was voted down by an
overwhelming vote. From this day for
ward irrigation in the west becomes a
national science and national care,
and every drop of water will in few
years do service to irrigate and fertil-
ize crops. before 1t passes on to the
sea.
Taos Valley and Tres Piedras Stage,