The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-04-15

ing for or against it according to thei1
corrections. It is not believed thai
the senate will present any serious
objection in conference to the wording
of the bill as amended by the house
for it is only in that shape that il
stands any chance of becoming a law
The credit for bringing this bill tc
its present shape and of considering
it as among the probable Legislative
features of this congress is due to the
western members, who have given SO
much time and labor to the matter;
to President Roosevelt, for his dis
tinctly favorable attitude towards
such a law and his clear and emphatic
statements as to what such a law
should be-; and to Mr.. Maxwell of the
National Irrigation association, who
has aroused publis sentiment to that
point when such legislation is posi-
BILE and has fought to the finish for a
measure which would be in truth a
BODYBUILDING and not a speculative in
stitution.
The amendments made to the senate
bill, for the purpose Of meeting crit
icism, provide clearly for the with
drawal from entry except under the
homestead law of all lands which may
be irrigated under a proposed project;
also that no water right shall be sold
to any one who is not a bona fide resi-
dent or occupant of the land to be ir-
rigated as well as the owner thereof,
and an amendment was made to the
so-called state control clause to meet
the objections Of those who criticized
that clause as being too sweeping in
it's effect and liable to prevent impor-
tant interstate enterprises from being
carried out: It is in fact the most
carefully guarded piece of public land
legislation which has ever been pre-
sented to congress and it insures the
occupancy of the lands irrigated I'M
der it's provisions in small tracts by
actual homebuilders.
It is estimated that the proceeds
from the sales of public lands which
are to form a fund for the carrying
out of the contemplated work will for
the immediate future be from two to
two and a half million dollars per an.
mum and as the irrigated lands are
sold the amount will increase so that
ultimately a considerably larger sum
per annum may be available. 1t is
estimated, however, that the entire
increase per annum in the cultivated
area of the nation by land irrigated
under the provisions of this act and
by private enterprise as we'll, will
not be more than a million or a mil
lion and a half acres per annum after
the system is we'll inaugurated,. and
less for the first few years under
the provisions of the act. This is con-
sidered a very small increase when for
the last 80 years the average annual
increase in the acreage devoted to
wheat, corn and cats has been three
duu Ouc-udll mtlllOu dciSS, duu LllS
rate has fallen off considerable dur
ing the past few years and will fall
of o in the future, owing to the
fact that the humid public lands are
practically exhausted.
It il: thought that the hill Will 'n
brought up in the house within a
month and with the favor Of the all
ministration behind it there is no
doubt but that Speaker Henderson
will give the measure the c%onsidera-
tion to which it is entitled. Conserva-
tive members familiar with 1egisla-
tive matters for many years seem to !
take it for granted that national irri-
cation will be represented by a law
upon the statute books before the |
present session of congress adjourns.
.