Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-08-06
!. only about 10000 acres,

0U,UUU acres my
bring under cultivation, ald - -
have been reverting to a condition OF
dryness and desert waste. In addition
to saving this land and making it per-
manently productive, the reservoir Will
reclaim some 100000 or more acres,
the cultivation of which has never been
attempted, and which never was posi-
bic on account of lack of water.
But who owns that 100000 acres OF
additional land which will be sudden
ly converted from perfectly useless
acreage into the most valuable and fer
tile farms?
Spectators. There is no denying
that. The ownership of the land trib-
utary to the land has been brought to
light by the officials of the interior de-
partment, negotiations whose chief OBJ
iect was to forestall any embarrassing
legal controversy by which private par
ties might extort money from the gov
eminent and hamper the successful ex-
ecution of the irrigation project. The
secretary of the interior decided, and
announced, that nothing should be
done toward the actual construction or
the dam until the government was am
ply and fully protected by the full and
free consent of every person whose
lands would be dependent on the reser-
voir for water All such land owners
would have to agree, and to give their
lands as security, to abide by all such
conditions as the government might
impose upon the users of water or the
subsequent purchasers of the land.
In order to accomplish this result
most simply and effectively, and to re-
lieve the government from the neces-
sity of dealing individually with the
several thousand proprietors of the
land, the latter were asked to form
themselves into an organization known
as the water Users association" duly
incorporated, and with rules and by
laws and governing body like any
business organization. By the terms
of the organization every member sur
rendered to the association first mort
gage on his land as a guarantee that
his part of the undertaking should be
fulfilled. The member of the associa-
ton agrees to abide by all contracts
made in his behalf, with the govern
ment, by the president and directors of
the association. He agrees to observe
all rules and regulations made in re-
gard to the use of the water. He
agrees to pay for the water at stipu-
Lot - o1,,,r ~
eminent for the cost of the irrigation
works and dam, in ten annual pay
ments, pro rated according to the num-
Der of acres in his holding. All such
charges become a charge against the
land, and, in event of the owner falling
to pay his dues. the association is en-
powered to foreclose on the land.
Such is the device employed in this
irrigation district, as a medium through
which the government may deal safely
and expeditiously with several thou
sand prospective water tenants This
lis all new business for the government.
Uncle Sam was never before at the
head of big irrigation company 1t
is an experiment in paternalism end
also in socialism.
The Water Users Association of the
Salt River Valley has Just been COM
pleted. The work of organization has
been in progress for over four months.
1t was accompanied by much ryrangling
and met with many difficulties There
was organized and unorgauized opposi-
ton, and much explanation had to be
made by government officials and the
local promoters of irrigation enterprise.
But at last enough land owners Were
secured to insure a majority of the
land for the associations control and
then the rest came tumbling in as fast
as they could. Copies of the articles
of Incorporation, together with the
signers and descriptions of the lands
turned in, have been sent to Washing
ton, and in the next week or two will
be carefully examined by officials of
the interior department and of the
geological survey who have charge of
irrigation business
In round numbers the Water Users
association now has control of 10000
acres of land. The latest advices from
Arizona say that such an amount has
been 'signed up" This means that
100000 acres, at least, is controlled by
private ownership. And unless there
is water for more than 100000 acres,
it means that the private land owners
will be the only parties directly bere-
flied by the great work