Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-02-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.


The senate has divided it's time this
week between the Philippines revenue
bill and Senator Nelson's bill provi-
ding for the Enlistment of de-
partment of commerce in accordance
with the recommendations contained
in the presidents message. The ma
jority of the Philippines committee
still have the floor on the revenue bill
and as soon as they have concluded
their argument the minority report
will be taken up and championed by
| the democratic side of the cham Der.
While no actual progress can be re-
ported on the Nelson bill, better
understanding of it's provisions is
being arrived at and the way paved
/ for its ultimate passage.
! Senator Hansborough is working
assiduously for the irrigation bill, the
provisions of which were agreed upon
by the informal COMMITTEE of seven
teen" In reply to my question as to
how he met the argument that gov
eminent irrigation would simply re-
suit in bringing more land into COM
petition with eastern farmers and
tend to lower the prices of their prod
ucts, the senator made the following
statement:
s'The settlement of the humid and
sub-humid public lands during the
past decade has proceeded at the rate
of eight to fifteen million acres per
year and an examination of the prices
of farm products will show there has
been no depreciation in values, on
the contrary, the average price of
farm products for last December was
higher than for any similar period
during the decade, and this, notwith-
standing the fact that there were dis
posed of and settled upon during 1900
and 1901 over twenty-five million
acres of public lands.
"Now then, according to the most
liberal estimate there is not sufficient
water in the arid and sub-arid regions
to irrigate over fifty Or sixty million
acres. Under the provisions of my
bill the limit of expenditure is based
upon the proceeds of sales from pub
lie lands, which last year did not ex-
coed $3,000,000 net. Assuming the
proceeds from the sale Of public lands
to amount to $5,OOO,0OO per annum
and the cost of constructing irriga-
ton works to amount to $500 per
acre, it will be seen that not more
than one million acres would be re-
claimed year, that it would take
fifty or sixty years to irrigate the
land for which we can obtain water
and that this gradual reclamation
would produce no effect on the prices
of farm products. Even with largely
increased proceeds from the sale of
public lands the reclamation would
be too slow to work injury to the
eastern farmers.
GAS to the expense, the bill pro-
vides that the settlers on land bene
flied by the irrigation shall pay pro
rata for the cost of constructing the
works, presumably $500 per acre. 1t
further annuls the communication
clause of the homestead law in so far
as irrigated lands are concerned, so
that the settler will be obliged to act
ually live on the land for five years,
and so removes the danger of the
lands falling into the hands of specu-
lators," Senator Hansborough said
he expected soon to call on the pres
ident and explain to him the work
ings of his bill which he felt confident
would meet with Mr.. Roosevelt's
approval.
The subject of Chinese exclusion
which is before the senate committee
on irrigation, is attracting consider
able attention. Ex- Secretary of
State John w. Foster has appeared
before the committee and testified to
the effect that the proposed Mitchell
bill was in violation of our treaty
with China. Mr.. Foster protested
against the treatment which is &C
corded to the Chinese by this govern
ment and dwelt on the futility of try
ing to build up trade with China for
American exports while we accorded
such scant courtesy to the nation and
even to Chinese merchants who came
to this country to purchase goods. 1
met Minister WI at the congressional
reception at the White House on
Thursday evening and, while Mr.. WI
said that as the matter is in the hands
of congress he did not feel at liberty
to express his views on the subject
with much freedom, he naturally
drifted back, in the course of the con-
versation, to the subject which is
uppermost in his mind. He said that