Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-10-23

force OF labor for farmers who have
bought their lands and paid for them; and
Whereas, this injury would be contin-
ued for many generations longer. should
any project be adopted for bringing into
cultivable state the immense tracts Of the
public domain now arid; therefore be II
Resolved, That this body, representing
in large measure the agricultural inter-
ssts of the whole country, denounces all
projects for irrigating any portion Of the
public domain at the public expense.
Resolved, That an authenticated copy
of these resolutions be forwarded by reg
istered mail to the president of the United
States, with the request that he refer to
the matter in his message to the coming
congress, and that he withhold executive
approval from any bill intended to pave
the way for government irrigation, should
the advocates of such measure succeed
In securing its passage by the two houses
These resolutions. / repeat, were adopt
ed unanimously at the last annual meeting
OF the National Grange OF Patrons Of Hus-
bandry, an order that has pretty nearly a
million members and is assuredly entitled.
as far as is possible for any sort Of or
ganization that you can imagine. to speak
for the farming population of the entire
country, especially as twenty-five of the
thirty states that have full organization
were represented on that occasion by
duly accredited delegates. one would really
think that their unanimous declaration,
on a matter so clearly vital to their inter-
est. the greatest interest by far OF the
United States, would have been treated
at Washington with respectful considera-
ton, to say the least Of 1t. How II was
treated, the country knows.
One word in conclusion, TO anticipate
a possible reply. 1t is often said by the
far western party that we at the east
don't know much about irrigation anyhow.
and that IL we would study IL at the west
we should become ardent converts. Well.
have myself examined the workings or
the process in. believe, almost every
state and territory in which 1t has been
put into operation. No man can describe
the possibilities of production Of the arid
lands under irrigation in terms so strong
that I will not believe him. The point Is,
not at all that we fasteners do not know
what irrigation will do. We know too
well. If the government is going into
that business, we can point out thousands
of farms east OF the Mississippi where we
should like to see it tried, and tens OF
thousands Of farms east OF the Mississippi
where we should like to see the govern
nnent apply the correlation Of irrigation.
tile drainage, at the public expense.
Do not take that statement as joke.
There is no doubt whatever that the
expenditure east OF the SctH uAcAA0i0A
(Which is the eastern boundary OF arid
America, according to the Irrigation asso-
ciation), Of the millions Of dollars propos-
ed to be used west of that line, in irrigat-
ing and draining farms already in opera
ton, would increase their product by
larger volume than win be raised west
of it, for generations to come, under the
irrigation scheme. while enormously en-
HANGING their value at large, instead OF
setting up, at public expense. dangerous
and Legitimate competition. An individ-
ual owner very foolish indeed to add to
his holdings while he does not half cultt-
vate what ne now pretends to crop. Why
does not the same principle exactly APP
ply TO a nation?
AS for the arid public lands, the greater
the possibilities Of irrigation, the greater
evil OF doing it, at the present stage OF
our history, at public cost. II we could
lock them all up and forget their exis-
tenee for a century to come, the greatest
industry Of America, and therefore the
greatest interest Of Americans. would
have a far brighter future before 1t than
now presents itself to the farmer Of the
present days and his sons and grandsons
who should have every inducement possi-
bic to follow in his footsteps to them