The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1903-09-09
AS SEEN BY AN EASTERN EDITOR

AS SEEN BY AN EASTERN tplioK
The conservative Saturday Evening
Post. the paper established by Benja-
min Franklin and published in Phil
adelphia, extends a helping hand to
the Eleventh National Irrigation Con-
gress. 1t does so in an editorial
which is one of the most meritorious
Of the many favorable comments on
the importance of the event. The
board of control should recognize the
service performed by the Philadelphia
publication and resolutions of COM
mendation should be passed, for it IS
most exceptional for an eastern paper
to take cognizance of such a subject
hich. TO Indifferent eastern minds, is
purely of the western concern, but in
the eyes of the Post assumes its full
stature of commanding Importance.
The reclamation of the arid west, the
Post declares, is a truly tremendous
idea. and then. in the following words,
that paper proceeds TO say:
Since the United States has ex-
panded in both great oceans the peo-
pie have heard so much and read so
much about the new territory-about
Hawaii, and Guam. and the Phili-
ptnnes, and Tutuila and the little
ones more recently acquired of
Borneo, and about Porto Rico-that
they nave not kept track of the more
important developments that have
been going on closer at home. One
of these is an enterprise which in the
aggregate means more in productive
land and in prosperous population
than all the territorial results of the
Spanish-American war. And in tn
middle week of September irrigation
will find it's most positive expression
in what will probably be the greatest
convention that Utah has ever known.
ut was Utah which first demon
strated in the United States the mar
velous possibilities of supplying water
TO arid acres, and it was in Utah a
few months ago that President Roose-
Welt declared in a public speech that
the irrigation law he considered the
second in beneficence to none con-
nected with our national development
since the homestead law was passed.
1T is a truly tremendous idea. The
river and harbor bill with its fifty
millions will shrivel to the size OF
a bagatelle if irrigation carries out
its program. Already over ten mil.
lions of dollars have been appropriate.
ed for retaining the arid lands Of
the west, but this sum will only begir
the work, for we have sixteen state.
and territories which possess thous
ands of square miles of desert ant
there is no limit to the p~ossibilitie
of expenditure. Nor, indeed, does ther'
seem to be any limit to the possibil
tiles of irrigated agriculture, for colt
mathematical calculation does no
hesitate to double and more. the stu
pendous and unparalleled figures o
American production. provided waite
is placed on the vast stretches which
now lie bare under the scorchini
sun.
ITO save the forests and to stor
the floods is an apt reeapitulation o
the program. 1t involves an i~ntensel,
interesting demonstration Of wha
science is now accomplishing in
practical way. 1t places a value oil
every inch of water. 1t comprehend
the spring at the foot of the noun
tains and estimates dollars and cent
in the snow that caps their SUBMITS
And thus 1t combines two purposes