The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-30

60 into the business Of supplying water. The
law requires that the land watered by federal
not to exceed in size $50 acres. The law even
gives the secretary Of the interior discretion
to make the holdings still smaller, down to
forty acres Each Of these tracts must be
individual They cannot be worked in large
tracts, or held, by landlords and sub-let to
tenants
Large Owners Must Sell.
But much of land which has, been put into
the pool. Of the Water Users association
single holdings embrace as much as 10000
acres Few Of them are small enough to
come. within the legal requirements. It has
Director wolcott and Chief Newell, Of the
survey, to serve notice on the owners Of
these large tracts that they must sell.
Again, it is an unusual role for Uncle Sam
to assume. 1t is new sensation for a
landed proprietor to be; told that he can no
whether he will or no. And yet that is what
the government Is obliged to do, and Is doing.
To be sure there is no alternative; the land
owner who does not sell, who does not divide
his land in the .legal-sized holdings, and
get the legal number Of settlers on such hold
ings, will get no water Without water his
large land holdings will be useless, and the
Oh to their acres 1t is even possible that the
government would extend the feed canals
and carry the water past this land ard put it
on the more distant public domain, throw
ing this open to settlers under the homestead
law. With this alternative staring them in
tracts are not likely to force the issue with
the government authorities
But the government goes step further and
says, that the owners of large tracts shall
put them the market at reasonable prices.
That is likely to cause trouble. The question
of reasonable price is ore about which there
are always many opinions, end there is GER
tain to be a disparity between the opinions
of q prospective seller and buyer. But the
method Of persuasion above mentioned is
rHlied upon to bring about agreement
shrink rapidly. s.E,S.rs r..
But there is no need to hurry about the
sale of these large tracts. Director Wolcott
estimates that 1t will require four years to
the owners will have this length of time. to
stake them out and put them on the market.
dent that the sale of the large holdings will
be a profitable turn for the present owners.
The greater part Of the increase in value
aid in bringing it under irrigation will re,
douDd to the beneftTpf spectators who have
taken up the land hys.goyernment entry, or
bought it at nominal prices, and have held
the present one. The new settlers who come
in and make homes, in consequence of gov
ernment-afded irrigation, will pay reasonable
IiceS ICE tHelT lanQ, as Wen as trelmDurS1ng
the government for its outlay in the con-
struction of the irrigation works. 1t may
not be saying too much to state that they viii
pay all the land is worth. They will not get
homes for the entering and cultivation of the
land. = aE - ~ - -
That this particular irrigation project will
Re a great blessing to the settlers IN the Salt
river valley is beyond question. 1t will save
the small fortunes of considerable num-
Der of people. and will make large fortunes
for few others. 1t will have ar interest
for prospective purchasers of irrigated farms;
is nothing to offer. For the. general public
the chief interest will be in the working
out of paternalistic experiment-an experi-
ment III applied communism or socialism,
w. w. Jermane.