Arizona republican., 1903-06-14
TIME TO REJOICE Yesterday Was Banner Day
 for Signatures. Acreage Now Signed for Storage Ex- ceeds 135.000 - Good News
 Wired to Washington.

One hundred and thirty-five thousand acres of land now signed to the arti- cles of incorporation of the Salt River Valley Water Users association! That is something for the people of this val ley to give thanks for on this, presum-
 ably, bright Sunday morning. Yester- day was the banner day. The big day of all days since the books were open- ed Over 5000 acres saved from the fury of future drouths and put where they will do the most good in hasten ing the building of the big reservoir. A good portion of yesterdays acreage,
 probably half of it. came from the
 Mesa country, and there will be more
 of it before this week is over. The
 Mesa people are strong on water stor-
 age and the Tempe people are begin
 ming to figure nn where they are at"
 It was reported yesterday on the best
 of authority. though the publication oi
 names was not authorized. that several
 of the leading ranchers under the Tempe are beginning to grow anxious.
 They are wondering if they have not gone far enough in their opposition to the storage movement or their apathy toward it. They are asking themselves whether or not MT. Heard's advice is safe to follow any longer. They are | inquiring what they have secured ] through following his leadership and | they are anxious to know how much
 nearer they are toward securing a res
 ervoir in accordance with his advanced | ideas than they were six months ago.
 And some of them are beginning to | realize that if they get into the band
 wagon and assure themselves of a wa l ter supply for the future they will have
 no cause to regret it.
 As matter of fact. President Fowler ! has been telling his friends on the quiet | that he expects to have 150000 acres | signed up by next SatuIady night. MT. ! Fowler has never yet set a marker but | that he has worked dp to it. He has | never announced the amount signed up | but that he was on the safe side and | he has generally kept a few sections of | good Salt River valley land up his sleeve all the time that he could flash | if necessary to make the figures come
 out, by sending word to Jim or John
 who were on the fence but little neglectful, to come in and close up
 their business. It is therefore. pretty safe prediction that when next Satur- ! day night comes MT. Fowler will have
 more than 150.n00 acres. and perhaps
 great deal more. for the Tempe canal people might yet decide to organize a surprise party and come over in
 bunch. Anyhow, it is we'll to note that 1 the more scarce the land is becoming and the fewer there are left to labor with, the faster the acreage is coming in. During the last week of six days %, 900 acres have been signed or 5000 acres per day on the average. If the acreage this week averages 5000 per day next Saturday will see a total of 153000.
 There are several good men left in
 the field, notwithstanding MT. Maxwell
 is temporarily away. One canvasser yesterday related how west end farmer told him one evening he was all kinds of bad man and ne didn't want to even talk to him. The next day the same farmer signed for all the land he had. And now they are good friends again. That is one of the nice
 things about this business. No matter
 how bitterly the apathetic have talked everybody recognizes that everybody else is honest in the matter and when
 they finally come round and put their
 names down the past is all wiped out. lHeic lS uiiNeiSdl loT6lNeHeSS IoT IHe animosities are of business and not per sonal. It's just like the salvation you
 get at the meeting house. only it's sal ! vation for the land and the pocketbook. while the church kind is for the soul. And if a fellow hasn't perception
 enough to do something to save his
 pocketbook, which he can see. what
 good is it to talk to him about the sal
 vation of his soul. which he cannot see.
 for these people have to be shown.
 whether they come from Missouri or Boston.
 MT. Fowler, the public may be as