The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1903-07-25

want. The farmers oil the Middle
West have occasional experiences
with droughts, but there is no use
at present in drawing comparison
between those periods and the per-
petual successes of irrigated land
districts. The farmers would pre-
fer to remain where they are to
hunting homes in country where
irrigation is necessary. 1t would
be altogether different if we were
forced to advocate the settlement of
the arid land districts. Then the
people could be gradually educated
up to the advantages of this part of
the country and would be brought
into closer touch with the condi-
tons of the West. When the
time comes that it is necessary to
put forward the advantages of the
irrigated districts, I do not appre-
bend that there will be any diff
Guilty in settling this country.
The present apathy toward these
sections is due solely to the fact
that they have not been properly
explained. The railroads haze other
territory that it is efthe first imb0r-
tamee to settle, and moreover the
work of irrigating the arid land
country has not progressed far
enough to justify one in booming
this section of the Northwest.
Stripped down that means that
the great transcontinental railroad
systems are indirectly and in COM
bination discouraging settlement of
the arid west, cat present." for
they have "plenty of other territory
to FILL" and it is of "the first i'm
portance" to fill it. While this is
a rather untoward state of affairs
for Idaho, yet there can be no ques-
ton of the right of railroad COM
pauies to do the thing that is of the
first importance to themselves. Mr..
Shultz is compelled to admit the
superior advantages of the irriga-
BILE districts, and intimates that
these advantages would be clearly
explained were it not for the fact
that the railroads are, at present,
concerned 10 overcast them with
doubts and forebodings. His as
sertion that the people of the Mid
die West would rather bear the ills
they suffer than fly to those they
know not of is sufficiently explain
ed by his other statement that it
would be altogether different" if
the railroads did not have other
territory that is of FIRST import
ance." Those who are wondering
why the arid west does not settle
up more rapidly, now have the ex-
PLANTATION. The railroad systems
are in league to prevent il. Mr..
Shulrz says that the work of irri-
eating the arid land country has
not progressed tar enough to justify
booming it. There is an element
of truth in that; but the arid lands
never will be irrigated sufficiently
until the people are here to do it,
and then it will be forever too late
to boom it, besides being a useless
expenditure Of energy, because it
will have doomed itself. Mr..
Shultz has told the people of the
arid west something they needed to
know. They may now understand
that the railroads are discouragine
settlement of irrigation districts and
will continue to do so until by cir.
cumstance they are forced to adj
vocate settlement" That will be
when all their other TERRITORY is
filled" Mr.. Shultz comes from
Chicago, Illinois, and probably
knows as much about irrigation
and the arid west as he dees about
the flora and fauna of the New
Jerusalem.