Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-01-13


the secretary OF the Interior was rlghl
when he said, referring TO the pOssi-
bllltles Of arid lands Of the West
THAT this vast acreage, capable OF
sustaining and comfortably supporting
under q proper system Of irrigation a
population Of az least ilfty million PEG.
pie, should remain practically q desert
h not IN harmony with The progress OF
the ogc or In keeping with the possl-
blllticg " the future"
The farming lands Included In the
Union Pacific grant I'm Kansas and Me-
braskh were nearly all sold prior TO 1889.
Even numbered sections lying within
the railroad giant we're taken up by
settlers under the homestead law, ana
today both are alike found 10 be proc
ductlye farms, worth many times per
acre the price paid 10 the railroad COM
pany nnd to Uncle Sam The rainfall IN
those districts was sufficient there waa
no arid land problem 20 be overcome
east OF the pSth meridian. i'm northern
Colorado, In Utah, In the vicinity Of
ogden and Salt Lake and Ia fow
strips in Wyoming some rallroad sec'
tlons came within irrigation districts --
probably 100000 acres In al and fig
ured largely In tho early successful Co
operative Canal cOmpony'8 operations
Of northern Colorado ana NE CO-Opop-
tive canal works IN the san Lake valley
In Utah. the two best known garden
spots IN arid America Again In these
irrigated districts the odd numbered
railroad sections and the even mum.
bored government sections were
brought under cultivation and are
worth today many times the price paid
10 the raIlrOad company and 10 Uncle
Sam, There is no railroad land problem
either In the rainfall districts Of Me-
brQ1ka and Kansas or the irrigated dis
trlcts IN Colorado ana Utah,
OF tho 100000 acres Of Union Pacific
land stu remaining uns0ld, about 40 per
cent are within the arid belt outside OF
lrrlgable districts md upon which
crops cannot be raised because sum
cicnt water IN not available,
EARLY SflNTlMl3NT IN COLORADO,
In iS13 there WINS held IN Denver n
convention 10 consider the great Ques-
tions Affecting the development Of the
Trans. Missouri states, nj which Cover.
nor Samuel II Ebert said
American civilization reaching the
region Of the great plains IS confronted
by % new want, broad IN geographical
extent and vital 70 its Industrial NE
"The 0oth meridian OF longitude west
from Greenwich the meridian Of Fort
Ke0fney on the Platte river marks a
division Inc IN the physical geography
Of the continent Here the praries
merge into the great plains here the
abundant rainfall of Eastern merldlena
cease, Westward Hes 0ne-half Of the
geographical area Of the United states
All OF this vast region, excepting the
maritime front Of the Pacific ~ With
out sufficient rainfall for the cultlva-
tIon OF the soil This Is the fact which
lies In lhe pathway Of our commercial
and Industrial progress and Ia which
we seek 70 call The attention Of the
Congress and the country
"rhQ great annual tides Of emlgra-
ton from The east seeking homes under
the bcneilclont provisions Of our land
laws are halted On the verge of thou
sands Of square miles Of arid country
which. Irrigated are capable of sup-
porting the densest population Of the
continent To open up way out OF
this complication, TO overcome and sub
due this physical fact which letters
their growth and limits their future, IL
the great problem which today con-
fronts the people Of the trans-Mlssouri
region"
IMPORTANCE or THE QUESTION
Colorado craftsmanship early grasped
the Importance of the problem, II Con-
gross mad provided ho proper remedy
the census Of 1900 would show many
more than 100000 people In the West
ern half Of the country many more
than l000O,O0O acres would now he
found under irrigation In an the West,
many more than 100000 farms would be
found In the eleven Western states the
United States geological survey would
not still estimate that there IL sufficient
water running to waste 10 reclaim 75,-
0OO0OO acres, the fact would not now be
published that IN the New West agrl-
culture has not been keeping pace with
other branches Of Industry and stories
OF conflicts involving loss OF lie and
property upon the open and uncon-
trolcd range Of the West would not
constantly be told.
The government land laws have not
been suited 20 the conditions found IN
the arid West and Congress has failed
20 pass the constructive legislation nee
osgary to remedy the difficulty.
While marvellous progress has been
recorded In spite Of defective land
laws, the failure 20 recognize ana pro-
vide proper measures for me classin-
cation aud disposition OF grazing tracts
as distinct from agricultural lands and
the failure 90 provide Intelligent fnres-
try and irrigation legislation. has
caused loss OF hundreds OF millions
OF dollars and has left the remaining
800 OO0.OO0 or more acres OF public lands
lowing TO the abuse of existing laws