Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1902-12-29
IRRIGATION MORE POPULAR
East is Waking Up to the Fact Reclaiming
of Arid Land Helps All,
FIGHT WITH sPEcULAToRs COMES NEXT
Already This Glass IL Grabbing Up
Every Acre Possible and some
Means Must he Taken 60
Head Them on.

NHIOIn n COTTeSpOnuent.)
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2s-(special.) THE
great work which the national government
is just embarking upon Of the subjugation
OF the American desert is being discussed
by the entire western half Of the United
States. and was brought into particular
prominence by the recent national irriga-
tion congress held at Colorado Springs.
The west has so long striven for some
assistance from the government that its
people can hardly realize that congress
actually did make an appropriation OF
about $4,000, 900 for constructing irrigation
reservoirs and providing, further, that the
proceeds from the sales of all western
public lands, as received year by year, shall
be used for such development. Even west
ern senators and congressman who, II
might be thought, would have known the
temper Of congress on this subject, have
expressed the greatest establishment that
such a bill should have really received the
votes of majority OF congress. They had
not reckoned, however upon the change of
sentiment in the east. as the question be-
came better understood, and the support
which eastern men have been giving the
irrigation movement the past few years
since the captains of the great manufact-
uring centers have considered the possi-
bilities of arid America and have actively
forwarded the proposed plan to reclaim the
western deserts and thus create new home
markets for the sale Of their goods.
The eastern agricultural opposition, too,
II seems has largely disappeared since it
is seen that irrigated products will not
come east to compete with eastern farm
products, but will find a market in the
Orient, and that when the eastern manu-
facturer sells additional goods in the west
he will have to employ more factory hands,
and that eastern agriculture will be slim
ulated to feed them. Trade is the life OF
the land, and the motto suggested by
speakers at the recent irrigation congress
that trade follows the irrigation flag"
is appropriate and automatic.
Keep Spectators Out.
Now the great question is to save these
irrigable lands from spectators. While
the people of the country are complacently
sitting back, waiting for the national irri-
cation act to go into operation and pop
ulate the deserts, the land grabbers and
spectators are absorbing. by fair means
or foul. and as rapidly as possible, every
acre of good land which there is any pos
sibility OF irrigating.
The national irrigation act is as we'll
BuaTueu against speculation as IL was pcs
sible to frame a law under the existing
conditions; but the men who have had the
interests OF the west and the nation at
heart pointed ou. at the time Of the pas
sage Of the act that to safeguard the public
domain and fneufe its reservation for act
ual settlers the desert land law and the
Communication clause Of the homestead law
must be repealed. The activities of the
land sharks since the passage Of the irrl-
cation law show the necessity for their
repeal forthwith. Under these laws mill
ions Of acres Of the nations best remaining
lands have BEEN during the past year,
absorbed by big stock concerns and fraud
ulently acquired, at that.
A strong effort will be made at the pres
ent session of congress to secure the re-
peal Of these laws. Several bills looking
to such an end have been introduced, and
they will be urged Needless to say, too,
they will be urgently opposed by those
interests which wish no Interference with
their schemes for gaining control OF as
much land and water in the west as pos
sible.