Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-10
OPPOSITION TO THE IRRIGATION BILL
COnEressman shaiIenBerser objects 60
the water-RiGht Feature and De-
clares II Especially OpPres
sive TO Nebraska.
CFrom a stan correspondent

49, 80 Na9k SSSa
place. The letter shows that at least one
man thoroughly appreciates the work the
congressman Is doing in behalf OF that
rural population, and Is as follows:
Hon. e. ]. Burkett, washington, d. c.
Dear Sir. Today is a day OF jubilee and
Rejoicing over our rural free mall routes
that are ordered to start today, and i want
TO put the FIRST letter In the box to you.
to express my gratitude TO you for what
God from whom all blessings flow" and
Amt I SlSSd5 l am out t. Of w the " hss 20 q.
press our gratitude to the president, but
win not burden him with ourN scribbling.
30 we leave that for you TO do for us
at some favorable opportunity.
S. x. ISAAC.
Opposition to Irrigation BiII.
AS the irrigation bill, drafted by the
committee Of seventeen members and senaN
tors from the arid and seml-arld states,
becomes better known to the people Of Ne
braska, opposition to the measure grows
apace, and it is now very doubtful IL the
Nebraska delegation in congress can pre-
sent a united front for the measure. Rep
resentative Shallenberger of the Fifth dis
trict, who is receiving a great many
letters Id opposition to the bill on account
Of its -water-right feature. sent out this
week the following letter to his constltu-
ents, expressing himself as follows;
A careful study .of the compromise irriga-
ton Pill as reported from the subcommit-
tee of seventeen who prepared it, and which
Is now before the on agriculture,
|eonvinces me that so many compromises
were necessary in order to reconcile the
differences between the mountain and hill
states and the great plain states that 1t has
YER, little, of benefit left in II for the state
Of Nebraska or the other plain and prairie
states In the first place the bill as re re
Sp0%sn, wh IaS5, shall %sI Be Be ssrlysS frG IN ,s ESy,
states and for the benefit of lands which
are still unoccupied by. settlers. In the
capable. of irrigation are now in the hands
Of settlers, who have settled along the
streams Str and in the =, valleys. s and are 0 en-
braska must be. one that will help those
e%s!sbhshed homes on them This Bill pro:
vides that, in one clause only, II there
should be, a surplus Of water, after the nom
who are already owners of their farms
may obtain the residue: The probable facts
for a good many years at least, be estab-
headwaters of streams where reservoirs
eminent lands as yet unoccuried are ac-
cessible to the bitches and reservoirs: TUT
me eo most ddahI n TO- la prC cIansa U SI .nis ptsb e
eeontroi Of the waters to be stored by gov
70 n any laws l%nU Of the said suS'1 states sne Which MAY
| be in operation. now or may be passed In
the future vtn uI MsSra ,bSs b \ pa 5t.shss OP pen
the continental divide than Colorado or
largest Streams have their sources, and
the underfow of water along the bedrock
ome from the same continental divide.
Possible to Divert All Water.
Under this bill 1t will be possible for Colo
RADIO and Wyoming, IL water-tight dams
and reservoirs were placed across the
all the water flowing from the mountains In
these streams and rob the state Of Ne
braska entirely of the natural flow of these
rivers. There was q great battle over this
bill between the ADVOCATES of state control
and those who believed that this move.
waters so stored and reservoired should
remain under the control of the national
ssooyyserrnmennt 4 retain nfSs cont Control t could etSa,
streams be equitabiy adjusted. This, pattei
braska's representatives and the bill should
be amended so that the interests Of tbs
as I do not believe the present Bill does
and there would be more evidence of di
rect benefit coming to our state, as sh,
/ Will Day lllO IL IuIiu v lit as HluCf
as some Of the intermountaln states WHIT
ere sSf. t ast most se ReSea tsst AG n ti%s I rs gnSs'
viii be developed by our national govern
ment but the only way IN which the in
watersheds which include several states o.
territories can be protected, is TO make 4
in fact as well as name a national develop
ment by the general government retaining
full control over all the works and water,
upon which government money has beef
expended. t.
secretary shaw a TireIesA worker.
Secretary Leslie NJ. Shaw is causing col
shivers TO run up and down the back
Of the employees of the Treasury depart
ment. The secretary, who has been q hsr1
worker all his life. makes 1t a point to &c
into his once at $3.50 every morning. a hal
hour before his clerks appear, and thei
works until 5 and sometimes 6 O'Clock
This sort OF thing to a government cIerl
Is one Of the worst crimes in the calen
dar, because q government sclerk insist
upon quitting at 4 O'Clock and not com
mancfhg until o, and then sometimes IN,
females do not get their hats and cloak
OF until s;15, and at q quarter to I the!
proceed to put their hats and coats on
with ~forty-nve minutes spent In the hear
Of the day ostensibly for luncheon. buI
really TO indulge in small talk and gos-
sip. This, Of course, does not apply u
the female clerks alone. The men are JUS
as bad. II Governor Shaw should keep VI
the way he has begun, a great many treas,
ury employees will have nervous pFostra.
ton, and instead of each clerk havini
an average of ~thiTty-four days leave. o.
shown in the last treasury bulletin, tn
average will be- greatly Increased. whei
this matter was called TO the secretary
attention, he laushingly said that he wa
too old a wheel-horse TO alter habits forme
during a quarter OF a century OF aetiv
work, and he said he was only a hirelin
EithI a little more power probably tina
the other employees OF the Treas
ury department; he felt It his duty TO d
a larger amount Of work than the EN-
, ployes under him for the reason that b