The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-02-04
ARID LAND
GEORGE FL. MAXWELL. TELLS WHAT
IRRIGATION MEANS TO
THE WEST
AT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
In Montana Work of National Assoc
citation Has Yielded Magnificent
ResuIts-St. Mary's Lake
Territory Next.

George H. Maxwell, chAirman of the
executive committee of the national irri-
CATION congress, arrived in the city yes
terday. Mr.. Maxwell has long been tdent-
flied with the subject of irrigation in the
West, having been one of the first of its
able advocates. He has been meeting
with large bodies of men representing
varied interests during the last few weeks
in different sections Of the United States,
and expects to continue the work He
appeared yesterday morning before the
st. Paul Chamber of Commerce. and will
address the members of the National r.
rigation association in this city this aft
ernoon at $3.50 at the Chamber Of Com
merce. From this city he will go to Min
neapol1s, where he will speak before me
Commercial club Of that city in the aft
ernoon, and from there to Omaha, where
he will address the Commercial club of
that city. He will continue his journey
in the West appearing at various points.
He viii then return to Washington and
viii be in that city most Of the time dur
ing the session OF congress.
The contention Of the friends Of irri-
cation" said Mr.. Maxwell, lis that the
settlement of the arid regions will increase
the internal trado and commerce Of the
country and enlarge the markets Of East
ern manufacturers to a very great extent,
and many Eastern business men have be-
como actively interested in the movement
from this point of view Such organize
tons as the National Business league Of
Chicago; the National Board of Trade.
the National Association Of Agricultural
Implement and Vehicle Manufacturers, and
many other leading commercial and man
ufacturing organizations are strongly in
terested in the movement. It requires,
however, tho positive personal interest
Of Western business men to insure it's
success. The Western business men can
interest every Eastern jobber and manu-
facturer from whom they buy goods, and
the aggregate of such influence as the
Western business men can in this way
build up in the East will create an ire
sistible current Of public sentiment to
which congress will be responsive
Cooperation OF the East.
eve cannot succeed in the movement
without the cooperation Of the East. The
West has only -one-tenth Of the entire
membership Of the house of representa-
tives. The only way TO get the support
Of the Eastern members is to first arouse
the active interest Of their constituents
This can be done by the Western busi-
ness men, and the object of the National
Irrigation association Is to bring together
the business men of the West and the
East, so as to create an active public
reclamation and settlement Of the arid
region.
THE fundamental principle upon which
the whole movement is based is that the
lands for which water is provided by
government irrigation works shall be re-
served for actual Settlers only, and that
the lands reclaimed shall repay to the
government the cost Of the construction
Of the works. The association stands
M Of
and the annual report Of the secretary
the interior as it's platform and is work
ing to get. from congress at this session
the appropriation for the projects recon-
mended by the secretary of the interior
to-wit: San Carlos, in Arizona, reservoirs
in California to irrigate public lands in
Nevada, and the ST. Mary's lake system
in Montana
7~ At Chamber OF Commerce.
Mr.. Maxwell took for his first example
in this address to the Chamber Of Com
MERGE yesterday morning the territory
surrounding Billings, Mont, where con-
siderable preliminary. work for irrigation
on large scale has been begun. Up to
the present time $4,000 acres Of heretofore
unproductfve land has been made rich
and fertile, and has added to the wealth
Of that community to the extent of S.
G00,000 in permanent values The annual
yaeIQ OF the land IN THIS ne1ghDOrh0Od IS
$4,000, and the annual wages paid in
the district amount to $4,000. The cost
of the irrigation work was $3.50, 900.
The above facts the speaker took for
an argument in favor of developing the
territory about st. Mary's Lake, Mont,
claiming that there is there some LOCO, COO
acres Of land only waiting for water to
become productive. Properly irrigated
these lands would be worth $40, 600 900, and
would be capable Of raising crops to TIE
value of $12,500,000 In making this esti-
mate, Mr. Maxwell said that it was a
low one, that In all probability the net
results would be much greater.
Every inch Of this territory would be
tributary to ST. Paul." said Mr. Max
well. And the merchants of this city
would be greatly benefited. They would
not only furnish all the supplies used
in the territory, but would also sell the
material used in the construction Of the
bitches and canals. For this reason, if
no other the people of this city should
be the most earnest advocates Of irriga-
ton in the West, for besides opening up
homes for hundreds of thousands Of peo-
pie, it would cause the city to prosper
proportionately.
IF the waters Of the state Of Montana
were all used for irrigation purposes, it
would result In the reclamation Of 10,O0O,-
600 acres Of new arid, and therefore use
less land. The permanent value that
would result to the state has to be plac-