Arizona republican., 1903-06-03

ject in hand. Their indirect benefit would result from the improved oondi- tions throughout the valley"
 This proposition of MT. Heard. .vhich he has now embodied in the petition of the Tempe land owners. is nothing more nor less than a deliberate attempt to induce the secretary of the interior tO authorize a plain. bold. direct evasion and violation of one of the fundamen- tai provisions of the national irrigation law. That law was passed by congress for the purpose of retaining arid lands for farmers who would cultivate them and make homes on them in small tracts of not over l60 acres. The law was heraided when it was passed as new homestead act. having for its purpose the same high object that prompted the passage of the orig inal homestead Rct. the creation Of . multitude Of homes on the land and Of closely settled communities in sections of the country which would be waste and desolate without reclamation by ir- rigation.
 The national irrigation act contains the following provision:
 No right to the use of water for land in private ownership shall be sold for tract exceeding one hundred and sixty acres to any one land owner etc.
 The ranch of tha BartIett-HeS Land & Cattle company comprises an area of about 1000 acres.
 To undertake to distort the adminis- tration of the national irrigation act by securing water for this 1000 acre ranch from the Tonto reservoir when built by the government would not only stultify the whole national irrigation move ment, but would stultify the admins tration of President Roosevelt. who has seen more clearly than any other man in public life the tremendous national benefits which will accrue from so ad- ministering the national irrigation act as to create millions of prosperous homes on small farms in the arid re- zion.
 What is termed by Mir. Heard a reg ulating right is nothing mere nor less than a right to the use Of water from the reservoir. a right which the law says shall not b. granted for a tract ! exceeding 160 acres. The present vest- ed right of the Heard ranch t0 water from Salt river under it's appropriation is to take the water from the river and ! divert It into it's canals and use it for irrigation at such times as it is natur- ally flowing in the river. and not other wise. IT any of this water is held back ! in the reservoir for the benefit of this land 1t is a use of the recervoir for th- storage Of water. and a right tO hav- this done for the benefit of any tract oS ! land is nothing more than a reservoir right for that tract of land. and all the conditions and limitations of the na- tional irrigation act must apply to such right.
 From the standpoint of the land own CTS under the Tempe system. IL Is q matter of the most profound regret that they should have bllndly fellow ed NIT. Heard in rejecting the plan ap- proved by the government when it is so clear that MT. Heard has personal motive in influencing them 10 rej-,t tho government plan. Under the plan which has the approval of the secre- tary Of the interior. Mir. Heard could never get water for more than Is0 acres of his 1000 acre ranch. IL would seem as though it is inevitable that the result of the Tempe people following the lead of MT. Heard will be to permanently deprive them of the benefits 0f the res ervoir. and do an injury 10 one Of the most fertile and prosperous sections = the valley from which it can never r-- cover COMMON SENSE.