The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-06-17
President R~oosevelt's influence Was
Exerted in Behalf Of the Passage
Of the Measure.

ate.~ The friends of the measure
greeted the announcement of it's pass
age with a round of applause.
The bill as passed creates a reclama
ton fund from the sale of public lands
in Arizona, California, Colorado, Ida
no, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Ne
vada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon
South Dakota, Utah, Washington and
Wyoming, less the amount paid fol
local land Office fees, and S per cent
due the state under existing laws for
educational purposes.
The reclamation fund is to be used
for the construction and maintenance
of irrigation works in the states and
territories enumerated. Provision is
made for the payment out of The treas.
ury of any deficiencies in the allow.
ances to agricultural experiment sta
tions by this disposition of the public
lands. The secretary Of the interior
is authorized to examine, survey and
construct the irrigation works, and
report the cost thereof to congress at
each session. Section 4 provides for
the letting Of contracts for the work
contemplated in sections when the
necessary funds are available in the
reclamation fund for such section.
Section 5 provides that nj right to
the use of water for land in private
ownership shall be sold for a tract
owner, and no such right shall perma-
nently attach until payments there.
for are made, and no sales shall be
made to any land owner unless he be
an actual bona fide resident on such
land or occupant thereof residing in
the neighborhood of said lands.
Section 6 authorizes the secretary
to use the reclamation fund for the
operation and maintenance of the irri-
cation work.
Section 8 requires state control over
waters of non-navigable streams such
as are used in irrigation. It is estimat-
ed that the fund derived from the sale
of public lands will amount to some
thing over $2,O 900 annually which
will gradually increase for a number
of years.
The Debate.
The house today Immediately after
the approval Of the journal, resolved
itself into committee of the Whole and
resumed the consideration of the ir-
rigation bill. General debate having
closed yesterday, the bill was read
for amendment under the five minute
rule.
Mr.. Grosvenor offered a substitute
for the proviso in the first section
providing that nj part of the proceeds
of the sale of public lands under the
act of August 10, 1890, (for the en-
dowment of agricultural colleges and
mechanical arts) should be set apart
OF diverted to the irrigation fund. The
proviso for which the substitute was
offered provides that in case of a de-
ficiency from the sale of public lands
for college purposes under the act of
1890, such deficiency shall be paid out
of the treasury.
Mr.. Grosvenor, speaking to this
amendment, opposed the whole bill.
He declared that it would make the
present railroad grants four times as
valuable rs at present and would SO
change conditions as to materially az
feet present farm land values.
He cited the case Of the growing of
sugar beets. All the evidence, he said,
was that sugar from beets could be
produced a cent a pound cheaper in
the irrigated section of the west than
in the east, or, he stated, that with
extensive competition in the west beet
sugar growing could not be profitable
east of the Mississippi river.
Mr.. Burkett of Nebraska followed
with a vigorous speech in support of
the bill. If the millions spent to pre-
vent the overflow of the lower Mis-
sissippi, he said, had been devoted to
storing water at the headwaters,
floods would have disappeared below
and the arid lands above would bloom
like the rose.
Mr. Robinson of Indiana, in oppos-
ing the bill, challenged the advocates
Of the measure to prove that it's prin-
cipal promoters not the big rail-
roads Of the west. Under the present
system. he said, the majority portion
Of the fund from the sale Of lands
went to the agricultural and mechani-