The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-03-12
The Irrigatiolil Grab. b:

The new Rivers and Harbors Bill
which was completed and announced
fasf Saturday carries with it appro-
nSrriiatiions amounting to $50, ,000,O0O.
4he sum is large one, t3the most
Of 1t is fornecessaTy VOTE, ana II lsa
bagatelle as compared With E:Wnat !V-tl'at
France Great Britain and the Neither,
lands have sspent pon their r1vers and
haa;rboors and are continuing tospend.
9ahi,ea 9ahie really extravagant bill was pass
efdssiin the Senate. on the same day. 1t
was, was the Hansbrough Irrigation act,
and fit becomes law and is: carried
+ ont ont as is provisions dictate 1T viii
cost the Governments 30O,uOO,OOU
With q good chance for nbllngsthe
money. 80,
The Hansbrough act IS about the
most tpaternalistic measure that has has
vet come before Congress with such q
prospect Of becoming legislation. 1t
IS the finest tribute possible to the
pcolitica Influence Of the. West. The
estimate Of the Industrial Commission
is that there are 20, ,,o00, Goo acres OF
arid land IN the States mentioned,
which, it is vaguely estimated, can be
irrigated at cost Of ss15 an acre.
However, as these lands are the ones
which private capital has not deemed
profitable to improve, the Dill Will III
sbe.much bigger than that before the
Job is finished, lfIt IS ever tlnlstaed. M
Senator orHansbrough,s bill stlpulates
that in all construction work eight
hours shall constitute a days work
ard no sAsiaticslabo shall he employ
ed thereon. = Trhiiisis a device whereby
The works to- be made as expensive
as possible. The Government, under
the most favorable condit itlons, pays
Is to 25 per cent. more for work than
private enterprise, and with stlpulaa
tions Ike this St may cost SO OF s5U
or. even more PerSacre 70. ITlgaslon.
The bill Iputates Ina6 Jne @1iIlgaazz "a
stionzw11oerk shall be done out Of the
proceeds Of the sale Of public lands,
and Il, does not say that the Whole.D,- &
'O00, ,OM acres shall be improved at
once, but that is not vital matter.
Once theswork has been begun, IT'S
friends may be trusted to Keep II
going, no matter what the cost. Ine
States that are named IN the bib TO
profit .by this dispensation Of the pub
lie bounty are Arizona, CalIfor-
MA, Colorado, idaho, Kansas. Mon
tana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico.
North and South Dakota, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Utah, Washing and Wyom-
siinn.g4siixteen IN all
In addition to the fact that II sth1s this
bill IS enacted it may becomes precez
dent for nnmb ber1ess other instances OF
expensive paternalism, there is the
objection that IL IS SO loosely drawn
ttl1at no one can tell how the lands will
Ia disposed of after being improved,
ri ;;ss snroposed to distribute the land
among small settlers, but The proVis-
:iionsspefc,i fY17ing this is soindefnite that
almost any construction is possible.
1t saws
That upon the determination by
the Secretary Of the Interior that any
Si;rriigation g project is practicable, he
NAV canse to be let contracts for the
construction cons Of the same, in whole or
IL 1rart.s nroyiding the necessary funds
sthaTefor= available ii the reclama-
t;ons4nnd. and thereupon he shall give
5nubIic notice of the lands irrigable
{ nri1n7der such project, and limit or area
ner antry. which limit shall represent
the secretary. may be reasonably
required Tor Ihe support u q is.nllAy