The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-11-07
THOMAS F.. WALSH ENTHUSlAS-
TIC OVER IRRIGATION.
GIVES ROOSEVELT CREDIT
Considers Irrigation Bill the Crown
ing Glory of His First
Term.

sessions of the irrigation congress,
recently held in Denver, expressed
himself to a correspondent in Wash
ington recently as being we'll salts
fed with the results accomplished
at the convention. Mr.. Walsh said
the ideas carefully outlined by his
association will work in perfect har-
mony with the plans of the geologi-
cal survey, in whose hands the ad-
ministration of the irrigation bill
rests.
"You must understand" said MI.
Walsh, that the National Irrigation
association expects to accomplish it's
greatest work in the moral influence
with which it will endeavor to sur
round the settlers who shall make
homes for themselves in the hitherto
great arid west. Working in hearty
cooperation with the government the
association will endeavor to afford
settlers the benefit of all the scien-
tific knowledge it possesses, in re-
lieving them so far as it is possible
of the obstacles which will confront
them at every hand.
MI. Walsh explained that it will
be the aim of the association to ar
range the settlements in small towns
and villages and prevent if possible
the isolation of farm life as it is u.s.
ually found in the west.
with the settlers gathered togeth-
err in communities" he continued sit
necessarily follows that they will en-,
joy the benefits of social intercourse,
good roads, schools, sanitation and
many of the advantages of city life
added to the healthful freedom of
the country"
In discussing the passage of the
irrigation bill Mr.. Walsh said that
while it was the outgrowth of a wide
spread public sentiment, it's passage
| was pll IA1olA1y " I"O' A1CA, L 1901
dent Roosevelt and Representative
Francis G.. Newlands of Nevada.
with all due regard to his other
achievements and to the Importance
of other subjects of both foreign and
domestic concern, l do not hesitate
to say that in my opinion when the
| hicf0ru ~ Dvoo;lo,+ D~0ooro1%s. G-oA
administration shall be written, the
passage of the national irrigation act
will be found to be the glory of his
craftsmanship, and indeed the presl-
dent regards the irrigation bill as
one of the best measures which his
signature has made a law.
GAS for Mr.. Newlands, he gave his
time, money and his most arduous
efforts in championing the measure
which in it's infancy was bitterly op-
posed by some of the most prominent
men in politics, and it was a hard
fight he had to wage against preju-
dices born of an ignorance of what
irrigation really means to the west,
as well as to the whole country. 1t
was a little thing in ITSELF" contin-
ued Mr.. Walsh, but it produced the
greatest results when Representative
Newlands used to give what we call
magic lantern parties at his house,
showing with a stereopticon displays
of the arid region and the change
that had been wrought in it by irri-
| cation and reclamation. At these
gatherings addresses on irrigation
were delivered by Secretary Wilson,
who is an enthusiastic irrigationist,
and the movement was started which
finally resulted in the passage of the
| BILL"
MI. Walsh remarked that one of
the %prejudices they had to combat
was the objections of a great many
people in the east toward being taxed
for a measure which they claimed
would only benefit the west.
"On this point" he argued, 'ft must
be borne in mind that the benefits
to come from the opening of this arid
land to homeseekers are not SO much
for the people of the west as to those
of the east. The great multitude
who will seize the opportunity will
come from the east. They are now
working in the congested cities and
want the chance to get a home of
their own, where they can be indie
pendent, or they are farmer boys
growing into manhood, who want the
same chance farther west that their
fathers had in the earlier days when
land was easy to get in the great
Mississippi valley. 1t is these men
from the east who will make the new
homes of the west and get the bene
#. The next benefit will go to the
Noocforp ~on,,fo ofrror who will f,,r