The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-08-23
MANY LAUGHED
At IRRIGATION
Residents of Western Okla
hOma Are Interested.
REQUESTS FOR COPY
There Are Fears When the
System Would Help.

western Oklahoma are seeking informa-
ton relative to the Irrigation law which
effects portion of the territory. When
persons began to talk irrigation for Ok
lahoma, there were many persons who
laughed at the idea. saying that Okla
bona does not need irrigation. During
the past few months. however, so much
has been said IL favor Of irrigation that
farmers and ian downers have decided
TO ascertain all possible relative TO the
offer made by the national government
Letters have been written to territorial
officials for knowledge of the irrigation
Ia wand Delegate Mcclure has received
numerous requests for copies of the ir-
rieauon act as it passed in congress.
Without question every man in public
life who has ever looked into the irTi-
CATION project for Oklahoma favors the
same, and in fact, is anxious for Okla
hema to try irrigation regardless Of the
fact that there may be years when there
is seemingly no need for the storage Of
water.
This silly twaddle on the part Of
Few sentimental aiarmists, who are fear
National irrigation Reclamation Fund by
this territory be constructed q san adTnis-
sion that Oklahoma may be classed as
a part of the arid region, is disgusting
&c sa ythe least" said Secretary Tho
burn Of the territorial board Of agricul
ture, in answer to an inquiry today.
THEY seem to be possessed Of a notion
that the arid region may be definitely
separated from the humid region by an
arbitrary line as If it were a mere mat
ter Of legislation or political geography,
and that therefore any intimati0n that
the construction Of storage reservoirs
might be deemed eXpedient in Beaver,
Woodward or Day counties would be in
the nature of a slam on the whole terri
tory which would possibly result in a
slump in local real estate alues in the
extreme eastern counties. Truly, If ii be
fact that pride goeth before fall. then
Oklahoma has just reason to rebuke the
vauntines of "a few rain belt real estate
boomers. who, in this instance. are more
wilful than wise.
That western Oklahoma lies upon the
border Of the semi-arid region, and that
one county. eBaveD lies wholly within
the confines Of that region. no well in
formed person VIII deny. The boastful
words o fthe speculative promoters can
not be weighed against the convincing
evidence contained in the compiled rec
orGs OF the United States weather bureau.
A knowledge Of the real truth concerning
the desira bility of irrigation in some re-
moe part Of Oklahoma can do no harm,
but the most favored country on earth
l.. -s-.a. .-.r.c.a IN lion
of over-zsalous boomers. Facts are ike
phantoms they never hurt the man who
can face them. Even eastern Oklahoma
has experienced seasons when the agsre-
gate rainfall was far below the normal,
but what of that? So have Kansas and
Missouri. Arkansas and Texas; so. too,
at one time or another has every state
east OF the Mississippi river, and. in fact,
there is scarcely IN agricultural COM
munity IN the eastern half OF the United
States which has not at some period Of
its history seen the occasion when means
and opportunity to resort to ARTIFICIAL irri-
cation would have been more than wei
come. The truth about Oklahoma. then,
can hurt no one. unless it be the fellow
who has lied about it.
What if a portion of oklahoma is ac-
counted as part of that vaguely de-
fined realm of shifting boundaries which
is known as the semi-aIi1 region? This
region Of soils that, in the elements Of
natural fertility. have but few equals and
perhaps no superiors i'm the world-a
region of sunny skies and health-giving
atmosDhere-is not 10 be lightly consider
ed even If it is often contemptuously
sneered at as the short grass country.
True. It's climate. as regards the precipi-
tatIon of moisture. may not be ideal,
but il is LIS condition that the irrigation
engineer proposes to ameliorate 10 some
extent by making it. possible TO supple
ment the natural rainfall by the storage
Of surplus storm water and its applica-
ton by economic irrigation methods, and
!. for one. am just old-fashioned enough
70 believe that the man who makes il
possible Tor more blades of grass TO grow
in a country where it is some times n
lon gwhue between showers is a greater
benefactor that he who, by a slillfully
told half-truth. succeeds in temporarily
raising the speculative value OF real es-
tate.
oklahoma IS big country. The man
who would travel from one extremity of
the territory to the other must need go
as far as he would in riding from Boston
70 Buffalo. one oklahoma stream, the
North Canadian. has more miles Of chan
nel in this territory alone than has the
Ohio river in its entire course from Pitts
burg TO Cairo Fifteen months ago large
areas Of the finest farmg lads along the
valley Of the Ncrlu Canadian were mum
date dior a period of nearl ytwo weeks
by a Hood of water. the greater part Of
which was the result Of torrentiaI rains
in the regions drained by the upper course
Of this stream in Beaver county and
across the line in New Mexico. Railway
traffic was imptded. thousands &c acres
OF growing crops were destroyed or in
3ured. while the pecuniary loss has never
been estimated and. with all this thou
sands Of acre-feet 81 water. 81 large part
of which. with proper storage facilities
might have been saved against the d3y
Of scarcity. went us was5eiul way C
TIE sea unused
Oklahoma dcsn't need irri gaticn. No
and Oklahoma doesn't need newspapers
churches. schools. railroads telegraph
telephones See factories and some other
things that cid not exist hore fifteen OF
twenty years ago. but they are might,
good things - have, nevertheless. bs
lieve that Il q generously inclined fedora
government offers n rut NJ any none,
% aid in an attempt at irrigation deyel
opment in the western part u the terri
tory. the peonle 81 oklahoma wifi com
nit an objectionable blundsr il they {
not avail themselves Of IT, The Okla