The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-03-21
IRRIGATION IN THE HOUSE,

Omaha Bee: The irrigation bill, it
apears probable, will not pass the
house as easily as it did the senate,
though there seems to be good reason
to believe that it will pass. Eastern
opposition to the measure is voiced
in the report submitted by Represent
ative Ray of New York, which con-
dennis the bill as unconstitutional.
In regard to applying the proceeds
from the sales of public lands to ir-
risation, the report characterizes the
plan as unfair, because it would re-
suit in taking the proceeds of public
land sales in n state and using them
further urged that there is no power
in the United States to condemn lands
or water rights in one state for the use
and improvement for sale of lands sit
uated in another state. ever when the
lands in that other state belong to the
general government.
This provision of the bill is held to.
be unconstitutional and it is further
claimed also to be unconstitutional for
the reason that congress has no pow
er to provide for the irrigation i'm
provement of it's public lands situated
within a state. Supreme court cases
are cited in support of this contention.
The measure is also attacked as con.
ferring dangerous power on the Sec
rotary Of the interior. who it is declar-
ed could, if he chose to do SO, divert
the headwaters of the Missouri river
into Utah OF Idaho. Another allega-
ton of the opponents of the bill is
that it has conflicting provisions and
if enacted into law in it's present
shape would lead to endless litigation.
How strong the opposition is has
not yet been manifested, but the
friends of the measure express conf
dence that it's opponents will be un-
able to defeat it.
It should be borne in mind that the
irrigation bill as passed by the senate
is a compromise measure agreed upon
after thorough discussion by the rep
r~esentatives Of the states directly con
cerned in irrigation. The power vest
ed by the bill in the secretary of the
interior is not likely to be arbitrarily
exercised to deprive any state of it's
water rights or it's just proportion of
the improvements contemplated. On
the contrary, the secretary of the in
terror may be expected to carry out
the recomm endations of expert engi-
neers in the location of reservoirs and
establishment of irrigation districts
with the sole view of making the most
Of the resources at his disposal.
AS originally drawn the bill limited
each state to the amount realized from
the sale Of public lands within the
boundaries, but this feature has been
dropped so as to give equal opportun-
tiles to all the states to secure their
spro rata of the aggregate receipts from
public land sales regardless of loca-
ton.
While the bill now before the house
may still be defective in some partic-
ulars, it embodies substantially all
that the people of the semi-arid region
can hope to secure from congress at
this time. With a start once made,
under national supervision experience
will in time demonstrate what more
is necessary to reap the full benefits
of a comprehensive irrigation system.
THE RIGHT SPIRIT,
New York World: It is simple JUS
tice to the attorney general to say
that his opening of the governments
case for the dissolution of the North
ern Securities company is character