The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1902-06-20
IL HoMEsTEAD LAw.
Passage OF the IrrigatIOn Bill Converts
Arid Lands Into Homes FOR
Thousands
- 49, ETening -.

The irrigation Oil has passed both
house and senate and only awaits the
presidents signature to become a law.
The Western members Of congress
were united without regard to party IN
favor Of this measure. One of the most
active and interested among them is /
Representative Reeder of Kansas. Mr. /
Reeder made these remarks in regard I.
TO the bill:
'No measure has been before congress
since the enactment Of the homestead
law which was of SO much Importance to /
the people of the United States as this
irrigation bill, and it should be called.
not the irrigation bin. but the new home
stead law. This is what it is, in truth
aud in fact, and if the people of the
United States understood the measure,
they would call it the new homestead
law, and never let it be called anything
else, and would be just as strongly in
favor Of it as they are today in favor Of
the old homestead law.
'sThe old homestead law provided an
opportunity for any man who wanted a
piece of land for home to 60 and pick
it up, and If he established his home on
it and lived on it long enough the land
became his. And what were the results
of that law? IF anybody could stand on
top of the highest building in the city of
Chicago and see as far as he could travel
over highland that would take him to
st. PauIOn the north, TO Omaha on the
west, to st. Louis on the south, and to
Pittsburg Oh the east-and see all the
fine farms and rich communities and
prosperous cities aud states, and the
enormous national wealth and resources
which have been developed in that great
section Of country in the middle west, he
could point to it and say, the homestead
law did this 1t enabled the great null
titude Of men who built those states, and
who had plenty Of muscle and energy,
but no money, to go out and get homes
on the.land.
IF we want to see what the homestead
law did il later years, look at Oklahoma.
There is a commonwealth Of over 100000
people, rich and prosperous and growing
with almost incredible rapidity, which
has grown up out of nothing in ten
years Just because Of the opportunities
which were opened up there for small
settlers who wanted small farms to get
them on government land.
"Now, you ask what is the similarity
| between the old homestead law and this
irrigation bill. Well, 1 will tell you.
Look at Nebraska and Kansas. Why
did the tide Of immigration, which set
tied up the eastern half Of those states
50 thickly, stop at about the middle of
those states instead of continuing on
west to Colorado and Wyoming? Well,
| 1 viii tell you the reason. 1t was be
cause the HON estead settlers went just
as far as the rain went. When they got
to the limit of the rain belt they had to
stop because a settler cannot get a living
from a quarter section Of land if it is
arid land.
That Is the condition in the whole
west today Practically all the land
which Is open to settlement under the
homestead law Is arid land. The lands
which could be cultivated without irri-
CATION have been settled up already, and
our people are now going by the thOus-
ands to Canada and to Mexico to get
land for a-home when we have a hundred
million acres Of arid public land left. All
this land that remains unsettled needs
to make it available for settlement is
water for irrigation. 1t does not need
that the government should build all the
distributing systems and laterals to dis
tribute the water among the farmers.
The farmers Will build those things
themselves. The settlers can build
canals and bitches to any extent, no mat
ter how large, so long as they have only
to move dirt with shoYels and scrapers.
But they cannot build great stone dams
or big fumes or the irrigation works
which are necessary to be built on such
large scale as are necessary to utilize
the waters which now 60 to waste in the
west.
"And there you have it. The national
government owns this 100000 acres
OF land. 1t cannot be settled unless the
government builds the great reservoirs
and dams and canals necessary to bring
water within reach OF settlers. If the
government would build those works, so
as to furnish water from them to reclaim
the public lands, settlers would take
up those lands under the homestead law
just as fast as the government made
water available.
That Is exactly what the bill provides
for. It provides that the government
shall build the great reservoirs and main