The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-08-11
Benefcient Intention of Cove rnment
Defeated.
URGENT NEED OF A CHANGE
Serious Obstacles Encountered to
the Legitimate Administration of
N a t on Irrigation - Irrigated
Farms for Millions in the Arid
West.


taken by spectators and dishonest
persons who see under the benef-
cent provisions of the national irriga-
ton law an opportunity to grow
wealthy in manner not intended by
the trainers and promoters of the act,
much alarm is felt by the honest
friends of that law lest it's very OBJ
ject be defeated and subsequent leg
islation follow to undo that which it
took years of patient labor to accom-
plish Awaiting themselves of the ex-
listing laws to secure possession OF
large tracts that figure in the scheme
of ultimate reclamation. spectators
are acquiring title to lands to the en-
clusion of the bona fide settler and
home maker to an extent hardly real
lied by even the people of the states
to which the irrigation act applies.
To arouse a sentiment for revision OF
the laws and compel congress to
change them SO that fraudulent acqui'
sition of the public domain shall be
no longer possible is one of the laud-
able tasks to which the national irrl-
CATION association has applied itself.
Under the heading. "The Homemaker
or the Speculator?" the following artl-
Gle has been contributed by William
A. Smythe, a prominent member OF
that strong organization:
'Shall the nations great domain
of western arid lands and the ma
tion's money be used to enrich COM
paratively few individuals. or shall
they be used to furnish security and
happiness for millions of men, wo-
men and children?
"Uncle Sam is still rich enough to
give us all a farm. and an irrigated
farm at that 1t is not dream but
a fact that the present population or
the United States can be duplicated
on the arid public domain in the
west. This can be done without MAX
ing new competitors for those al
ready engaged in agricultural pUT-
suits in the east and in the south.
On the other hand, this wonderful
act of planting a new nation in what
Is now all but an unbroken wilder
~
these sections which are already COW
cred with farms. factories and towns
The subiugatiOn and settlement OF
the great empire of public lands
means that every factory wheel IN
the United States must whirl faster
that every banking house must han
die moro money and that every RAIL
road must transport more passengers
and freight This. in turn means
larger and buster population in every
eastern and southern town, and that
Of course. will quicken and enlarge
the demand for all the products OF
the soil in the older sections OF the
country. In the meantime, that which
is grown from the soil to be con
uuered by irrigation in the west vii
90 almost exclusively to the feeding
of new home markets, to be created
within the arid region itself. ana u
the satisfaction of unlimited demand:
in the orient and in the frozen north
Congress has decreed that tint
great policy of national irrigation
shall be entered upon without delay
Already the engineers and surveyor!
are doing their work and five grea
projects have been reported favora
bly, to the interior department. Onl!
about 81 900 900 are required to carr.
all five to completion, and the none!
is in the treasury awaiting the call
But upon the threshold Of the great
est constructive policy to which thl
nation has ever set it's hand, new
and appalling obstacle is encountered
Almost every acre .tof these lands
which the nation is about to prepar
for the swarming of a home building
population may, under existing laws
be stolen and used as the basis OF
profitable speculation. And thos
who desire to secure these lands TO
speculative purposes are stron
enough to tie the hands of congress
until the deed shall have been done
This, too. in spite of the fact tina
the president Of the United State
has urged the repeal of these 1nlqu
tous land laws as something wh1c
is vital to the success of the nationa
irrigation policy. Shall the nation
land then. and the nations money b
used to enrich comparatively FEY
greedy individuals, or shall they ID
used to furnish security and happ
ness for millions of men, women an
children?
"This is the question which mus
be answered when congress meet
again"
The answer depends absolutel
upon the will of the people. as
shall be made known to their repr'
sentatives at Washington. No powe
ON earth except the power of a
aroused and indignant public opinio
can save the arid region from fallin
prey to the spectators who al