Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-06-25

house, by overwhelming voice, decided
that the bill should come up. speaker
or no speaker. The leaders went down
to defeat, and a day was fixed for the
consideration and vote.
in the irrigation states the irriga-
ton forces were early divided into two
forces. m wanting state supervision
and control of the reservoirs and
bitches. and the other standing for
federal control. The latter side won.
The former represented the immense
cattle ranges of the west. the latter the
small homesteaders. 1t was on this
rock that the friends of irrigation al
most permitted their ship to go to
pieces. Senator Hansbrough stood
with the side which favored federal
control. His original bill contained
this provision, and caused the extended
conferences between the irrigation
members referred to above.
among those who favored state
control were the members from Wy
oming, a great cattle grazing state.
After their defeat, the cattle members
tried to prevent the passage of an irri-
cation bill. Seeing ultimately that
the influence of the president in favor
Of the Hansbrough bill was to prevail,
they fell into line. and during the past
month of thealegislative career of the
bill placed no obstacles in its way.
After the bill had been signed by the
president, Representative Mondell of
Wyoming went to the White House,
and asked the president for the pen
with which the official signature had
been attached. It was given. Mr..
Mondell. however, was almost as little
entitled to that pen as one Of the
avowed opponents Of the bill. But
the gift of the pen was a small matter.
and Mr.. Mondell was permitted to bear
it away in triumph.
.It was the pressure from the White
House which brought victory in the
house. Messrs. Cannon and Payne,
for instance, two of the stalwart lead
ers on the republican side, the n the
chairman of the great committee on
appropriations, the other Of the great
committee on ways and means. were
steadfasty opposed to irrigation. The
president took them in hand, and fin
ally they yielded to him to the extent
of being willing to refrain from speak
ing against the bill. They were silent
during the whole Of the debate, but on
the roll call on final passage voted in
the negative. Other influential repub-
lican members from the eastern states
were controlled in a similar way. Not
all of them could be thus controlled,
however. as the record of the debate
will show, but the presidential influ-
ence was great enough to reach enough
of them to insure favorable action.
within a week or two it is believed
that the president will know pretty
well what his plans for the present
season will be. With $4,O00,OOO
in cash available for the commence
ment of active work, it can be under
stood that considerable preliminary
progress can be made this year. 1t is
the presidents desire to make a start
at once, and he is to consult with the
secretary of the interior regarding
ways and means of going ahead. Be
fore that, however. as already has been
stated, he will formulate a general
policy in conjunction with Senator
Hansbrough. who is probably the lead
ing irrigation expert in the seante.
Incidentally, the president is
pleased to know that this new policy
is to be put into operation by the re-
publican party. It will probably fur
nish effective political capital for
years in the irrigation states, many of
which went wrong during the free sill
yer craze.
North Dakota will be largely bene-
flied by the new law. Between the
point in the far western part of the
state where the Yellowstone empties
into the Missouri, and the point east
of it where the Fort Berthold military
reservation begins, there are numerous
points where small reservoirs can be
profitably built, for the irrigation Of
small valleys on both sides of the Mis-
souri, river. In the southwestern sec
ton of the state, along the Little Mis-