Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1903-07-20
RED LETTER DAY
FOR THE WEST
Six Hundred Thousand Acres
of Land to Be Re-
claimed.
EXPENDITURE OF MILLIONS
Government to Begin Operations
Under the National Irri-
cation Act.

, l
pAtriotism as Bunker Hill Day. TIL,
same day also witnessed last year
President Roosevelt's approval of the
National Irrigation Act and the en-
thusiastic friends of the irrigation poll
cy take considerable satisfaction in the
fact that both events may be celebra
ted on the same day and are inclined
to claim that future generations viii
find almost as much glory and pride ir
the statesmanlike deed of 1902 as they
will in the military deed of 1775.
The stubborn and unequal contest Al
Bunker Hill was one of the things
which gave us country to work for
and the long-sough victory of nation
al irrigation was certainly one of the
development.
The irrigation law imposes a heavy
responsibility upon the Secretary of the
Interior. That already busy official is
charged with the work of selecting the
projects to be undertaken, fixing the
size of homesteads which may be taken
up on the public lands to be reclaimed
and making rules and regulations for
the use and distribution of the water
supply. The task is an arduous and,
in some cases, delicate one, since
there are often conflicting interests
that must be reconciled.
Furthermore, 1t Is obvious that with
a limited amount of money at his COM
mand the secretary cannot build
works everywhere at once. Western
communities are proverbially enthus-
iastic over their own local advantages.
The people of each valley are prone to
believe that theirs is little the best
valley in all the west and that they
enjoy the glorious privilege Of living on
the "best soil that ever lay out
DOORS"
Hence, they are bound to be disap-
pointed when the interior department
makes it's necessary, but always diff
cult, choice between the claims Of
many are called but few are chosen"
And so It must be unless the nation
shall some day decide to enter upon
the work on a much greater scale.
Secretary Hitchcock committed the
details of the new policy to the geolog-
ical survey, which has long been deal
ing with photographic problems in the
west and whose founder. the late Major
John Wesley Powell, was the first
scientific man to comprehend the econ
omic value of the arid region.
The director of the survey organized
new branch to take charge OF the
irrigation work, naming it the United
| States reclamation service" Frederick
H. Newell, who has been in charge OF
| water Investigations in the survey, was
made chief of the new service. He has
been trained for a dozen years for just
such an opportunity as has now come
| to him and the friends of irrigation are
profoundly pleased with the choice.
Mr.. Newell was confronted with the
task of organizing and setting in mo-
tion a very large undertaking. Its field
of operations Is half a continent. Its
contemplated expenditure will run In
to tens of millions. And the number
of people whose veal or woe will ulti-
mately depend upon the wisdom and
honesty Of the administration OF this
work will be equal to the total popula-
ton of many an American state and
| many European nation. In other
words. 1t is a big thing. requiring the
services Of big men.
|. Mr.. Newell had the advantage Of
wide familiarity with the conditions Of
the arid region to begin with. He was
thus able to direct the preliminary In
vestigations with little loss Of time or
money. To this end. he brought to-
gether large numbers of bright young
men from various parts Of the country
and set them at work measuring
streams, surveying reservoirs and
canal sites and estimating the cost and
efficiency Of the first proposed works.
These are the dams on the Sweet
water River in Wyoming. the dam at
the outlet of Saint Mary Lake in Mon
tana and the diversion of it's waters to
the Milk River. the construction Of the
Gunnison River tunnel for the irriga-
ton of Uncompahgre Valley In South
western Colorado. the construction OF
a chain of reservoirs on the boundary
Of California and Nevada, for the re-
clamation Of land in the latter state.
and the building Of the great Tonic
reservoir on the Salt River Of Arizona.
It is estimated that these five pro-
jects will cost about seven million
dollars and reclaim upwards of six
hundred thousand acres of land. That
Is to say, It will probably cost about $1l
an acre to make this land At for the
highest cultivation. The money Is not
permanently invested by the govern
ment. It Is to be returned by settlers
in ten equal payments over a period OF
ten years. There is no Interest
charge. The government collects its
interest In the form Of social and
(Coatlnusd on Fourth Pag&)