The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-09-30
FREEDOM FOR men
William E. Smythe Writes
. ForcibIe Article.
ON VALUE OF IRRIGATION
Treats of Speculation in All Its
Phases.
ON VALUE OF IRRIGATION
For the Eagle:


EFT Hale, the famous Boston author. di-
vine and philantrophist.
TO one of the EARLY missionaries of
the movement, DIR. Hale explained that
the first public work he ever engaged In
was the promotion of emigration to Kan
sas TO preserve the equilibrium OF the free
and the slave states. He added: Now L
am for this great movement of yours be-
cause / have come to the conclusion that
freedom for white men in just as i'm
portant as freedom for blacks
BY that striking remark, the great Bos-
tonian showed that he appreciated the
vast social and economic significance of
the plan which looks to the reclamation
of our neglected empire in the west and
the making of homes for millions of peo-
pie. Some OF the issues which are rising
In connection with this undertaking do
actually involve the problem of giving
freedom, as opposed to servitude, to white
men. DR.. Hale saw that this was so
after a very brief consideration Of the
matter and it would be well indeed If all
his countrymen could appreciate the fact
as clearly.
To begin with there is the question as
TO whether the future settlers of the great
arid region shall be able to maintain his
heritage-%his share of the public domain
at the government price, or whether he
will be compelled TO pay tribute to the
enterprisins Spectator who has forestall-
ed him. Under existing laws it is possible
for land to be acquired in large amounts
by those who have no intention whatever
of making a home upon it. Not only Is
it possible but the thing is being done
by wholesale at the present time. The en-
tire assets of many a land and water
scheme in the west, on which bonds are
issued and sold in the east and abroad,
is fertile soil recently carved out of the
public domain with one of the two in
struments which our national statutes
provide-the Desert Land Law and the
communication clause of the Homestead
Law.
1t is not treating a while man exactly
right to steal his property (for that is
what IL amounts to- and then sell it back
to him at ten times what you paid for
II, is 1t? But that is only one aspect of
the matter.
Much of the land which is being wrong
fully taken by speculaters will be held for
the raising of cattle when il is needed
for the raising of children; and thus many
people will remain homeless who might
otherwise be free and independent landed
proprietors. Then, too, much of this i'll
gotten soil will so TO form large private
estates, which will be cultivated with SER
vile labor or rented to tenants who must
share their product with the owner. Cur
rent statistics show that tenant farmers
have increased I'm the United States from
rs per cent to So per cent during the last
ten years. Isn't it about time to start
a tendency in the other direction and
have the number of land-owning farmers
increase instead of decrease? The surest
way to do it is to save the lands We now
own; then open them 10 settlement after
they have been irrigated by national en-
terprise.
When these bad land laws are repealed
and the statutes made such that only the
genuine homeseeker can take up land, and
he upon the sole condition that he will
build his home there and raise crops, the
thing win be done chiefly BY the influence
of the populous states east of the Missis-
sippi river. The reason is easy TO under
stand.
The enterprising citizens of the far west
know the value of this public property
They are conveniently situated to file up
on it under The present laws. They are
inclined to believe that the pioneers of
a new country are fairly entitled to en-
rich themselves from the great fund OF
unused natural wealth which lies about
them on every hand. Hence they are
not, to put it mildly. wildly enthusiastic
over the proposition to change the laws.
In the east and in the south the other
side of the shield is presented to view.
There live the people who need the land
for homes for themselves and their chill
dren and who in time. viii lesire to
claim their share of it and to use ii in
good faith. The Same impulse Of self-in-
terest which makes one section opposed
or indifferent renders the other section
favorable TO the proposition to reserve
the peoples lands for these to whom
they rightfully belong.
Another feature of the national irriga-
ton cause which interested DR. Hale was
the plan of having the ownership OF
water go with the land. He readily saw
that IL 1t were otherwise freedom for
white men, in the full economic sense
of the term. would be an empty dream.
In a land where artificial moisture must
be applied to raise crops the man who
owns the water practically owns the land.
In his first message TO congress. Presi-
dent Roosevelt used these memorable
words:
Private ownership of water apart from
land cannot prevail without causing en-
during wrong"
Private speculation In the water sup
ply OF land of the arid region has proven
very alluring in the past. though not very
profitable to investors. The disappoint-
rnent was due TO the natural Discrimination
of the average American citizen 10 pur-
chase land in a locality where some one
else owned the rain
save the public domain. store the foods
Join the ownership OF land and water,
then invite the industrious. aspiring home
loving citizens of the United States 10
come into their own-this is the way 70
give freedom to white men" which Is
truly as important as freedom for blacks
WILLIAM E. SMYTHE.
HARMON WILSON'S FUNERAL.
Sunday afternoon at Beloit the body OF