The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1902-01-31
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Regular Correspondent.

revenue bill and Senator Nelson's
bill providing for the establish
mcnt of u department of Commerce
in accordance with the recommen-
dations contained in the Prcsi-
dents message. The majority of
the Philippines Committee still
have the floor on the bill
and ms soon as they have conclud-
ed their argument the minority re-
port will be taken up and champ
Toned by the democratic side of
the chamber. While no actual
progress can be reported on the
Nelson bill, n better understand
ing OF its provisions is being ar
rived at and the way paved for its
ultimate passage.
Senator marlborough of North
Dakota is working assiduously for
the irrigation bill, the provisions
of which were agreed upon by the
informal committee of sever
teen" In reply to my question rs
to how he met the argument that
government irrigation would sim
ply result In bringing more land
into competition with Eastern
farmers and tend to lower the pri-
ccs OF their products, the Senator
made the following statement:
"The settlement Of the sub-hu-
mid public lands during the past
decade has proceeded Mt the rate
of eight Ia fifteen million acres per
year and an examination of the
prices ri farm products will show
there has been no depreciation In
values. on the contrary, the aver
age price Of farm products for last
December was higher than for any
similar period during the decade
and this. notwithstanding the fact
that there were disposed of and
settled upon during 1900 and 1901
owe Twenty-Five million acres of
public lands.
"Now then, n%ccordiug to the
most liberal estimates there is not
sufficient water Ia the arid and
: sub-arid regions to irrigatc over
fifty or sixty million acrcs Under
the provisions OF my bill the limit
OF expenditure Is based upon the
proceeds Of sales from public
lands, which last ycar did not cX-
y coed S3,O0O,O0 net. Assuming the
-, proceeds from the sale of public
! lands TO amount To 5000 600 per
anpum and the cost OF constructs
ing irrigation works to amount "a
, $500 per acre, IL will be- seen that
not more than one million acres
, would be reclaimed n year, that II
, would take fifty or sixty years to
irrigatc the land for which we car
=, obtain water and that this gradual
reclamation would produce nc
= eject on the prices of farm pro-
duets. Even with largely incrcas'
. cd proceeds from the sale Of pu'
Pile lands the reclamation would
bc too slow to work injury to tn,
u Eastern farmers.
+ "As TO the cxpcncc, the bill pro-
D vidcs that the settlers on land BEN
: Gifted by the irrigation shall pay pre-
rata for cost of construction tn,
works, presumably $500 per mere
II further annuls the Communication
u clause of the homestead law In -
I for as irrigated lands are con
cerncd, so that the settler will b,
= obliged TO actually live on the Ian,
for five years, and So remove
the danger of the lands falling
into the hands OF Spectators
Senator marlborough said h
expected soon to call on the Prcsi
dent and explain to him the work
ings OF MS Dill whlch ne iclt conn
would meet with Mr.. Roosevelt
approval.
The subject OF Chinese exclusion
which Is being the Senate Commit
tee on Irrigation, is attracting con
!. siderable attention. cx-Secrctar,
of State John w. Foster has ap
pcared before the Committee an.
4, testified to the effect that the pro
posed Mitchell bill was in violatio
of u treaty with China. MI
Foster protested against the treat
4 ment which Is accorded to tn
Chinese by their government an
dwelt on the futility of trying I
build mn N traHn with Cbipa g.