The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-01-17
THE QUESTION OF IRRIGATION.

In the current Review of Reviews, |
William E. Smythe takes up the mat |
ter of irrigation in the west and adVo- |
Gates action in the matter by the ma
tional government. In this matter of
irrigation, he says, has come to Presi-
dent Roosevelt one ofsthe rarest oppor-
tunitiess that. ever came to an American
president and he urges upon Mr..
Roosevelt the taking up and pushing
of this great work. The carrying out
of a practical system of irrigation
through the arid regions would allow
the making of homes, the writer
claims, ''for another population at
least equal to the total enumerated by
the recent national census. The
states, he says, cannot deal with the
matter because much of the property
on which the work should be done be-
longs to the United States He would
have the national government build
the great reservoirs and construct the
main bitches, and then leave to the
states the matter of the distribution
of the water But to ensure that this
distribution be just to all, he would
have congress provide that those states
taking advantage of it should enact
suitable laws governing the same. Of
all the states located in the arid re-
gions, Wyoming only, he says, has
laws fair and just to all, and her com
mends them as a basis for other
states.
In the movement by the federal
government to carry out practical
system of irrigation, Mr.. Smythe says
thai the first thing to be done is the
withdrawal of all lands affected from
the market, so that they will not be
gobbled up.by spectators, who would
quickly take advantage of the irriga-
ton movement. They should then be
put upon the market only in small
tracts to actual settlers, and ought to
command, he thinks, in view of the
advantages gained by irrigation, ten
dollars an acre. On account of the great
quantity of railroad lands scattered
through this vast domain, as we'll as
; other lands that are in spots occupied,
he would charge the sum of ten dol
/ lars per acre to take advantage of the
irrigation system. This would put all
lands on an equality and work no in
, Justice to any one. At the same time
} he says that the price named for the
, government lands would return to the
government every dollar which il
would expend in reservoirs and canals.
1t has been proposed to devote the
: receipts from the sales of public lands
in the west, which amounts to about
8 "a, 900, 600 annually, to the work o.
8 preparing for irrigation, and bill fol
that purpose was introduced in the
8 last congress, but Mr.. Smythe say
r that this will not push the matte
q along fast enough, that to meet tn
q needs and do the work in the most eco
l nomical manner there should be devot
: ed to it about $40, 600, 900 annually TO
q period of about ten years. Thi
d should be used in constructing reser
a voirs on the headwsters of stream
d commanding large areas of arid pub
y lie lands. These works to be bull
6 and utilized only in such states an
IT territories as have or will provide a
it adequate system of local administra
q tion, assuring the just distribution G
atwer on the basis of actual beneicis
!. use, and attaching it inalienably
the land irrigated"
This matter of irrigation, the write
says, is great question in the wes
20 The forestry problem he thinks is in
- way of solution, and that of waite
: supply should now be taken up an
- dealt with in a practical manner
90 Opposition to it in the east ne belleV'
II to be short sighted policy, for ind
:. rectly, at least, the east. ne holds
:, should be more interested in the d
!, velopment of this rich west, than
! the central states