The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-09-19


win the recommendations OF the presi-
dent and all officials concerned. to the
OBVIOUS advantage OF all the interests
which depend on the reserves
I Resolved. That the congress Of the
( lnited states should Immediately repeal
the lien land provision Of the forest reser-
! walton act. and enact a law whereby
{ blNate land within forest reservations
I or the improvements thereon NAV be ac-
! uIlred BY purchase or condemnation
resolved. That water sheds which have
Deeh dehuded OF their forest growth by
Iife or otherwise should be reforested by
tne national government and thereafter
preserved by stringent laws from in
d I.fN OF obstruction from grazing by live
stock. and the forest reserves should be
. enlarged 20 include the water sheds of
/ an streams furnishing water to COM
muniues dependent on the water supply
/ thereIrom for water for Irrigation.
Forestry Experiments.
/ whereas The government has set apart
as "a forest reserve every alternate sec
/ ton OF land being within the watershed
districts OF Salt Lake city and county.
1 Where's. Salt Lake city has purchased
] ine sections Of land alternating to said
J sections set apart by the government. arr
li'lS made ample provision for the ca Z
and protection OF said watersheds. ana
whereas. An inadequate supply for an
nurDoses has made the protection and
preservation or these watersheds an
/ urgent necessity. BE IL therefore
Resolved That tine secretary of agri-
culture De urgently requested TO make
some forestry experiments in that To-
caiitv conducive to "a further deveIoprnent
, and preservation OF said watersheds and
the protection of the water supply.
Government Irrigation Works.
Whereas. The principle Upon which the
natonat irrigation policy rests as
foundation. Is that the reclamation of
the arid region of the United States can
not be fully accomplished unless the ma
uonal government constructs the great
mi mr.. . e T.
must be built on a scale so large that
their construction by private enterprise
or with private capital is impra ctfca BILE
leaving to private ENTERPRISE the con-
strucuon OF the smaller systems, and
Whereas The utilization Of the great
floods which now run to waste in the
rivers Of the west necessitate the con
strucuon OF irrigation works Of such
magnitude that they can never be built
by private capital and
Whereas. The national government is
now actually engaged in the survey of
great system of engineering works for
bringing the waters Of the Peud d'Orielle
lake, one of the sources of the Columbia
river, out upon an area of more than
million acres of rich and fertile. but now
arid. land, I'm the eastern part of the
state Of Washington. and is also making
preliminary surveys for comprehensive
plan for the solution of the whole prob
lem Of the regulation Of the flow of the
sacramento river the protection OF the
lower valley lands from floods and the
utilization OF the waters Of the Sacramen-
TO river which will furnish water enough
Tor t--e irrigation of over l0000.00e acres
Of land in the Sacramento and San
Joaquin valleys IN California. and is also
now surveying a system Of reservoirs and
large canals as harmonious unit for
the conservation of the flood waters Of
the Colorado river and their use in ir-
rigauon OF the rich aluvial lands i'm the
valley Of that river, which contains an
area Of over 100000 acres Of irrigable
lands. and
Whereas These great works and other
similar works, will when built rival the
great irrigation systems of India and
the AssOuan dam recently completed on
the Nile and develop closely settled
population in regions which will. i'm fer
unity and prOducuVeneSS. equal the most
denselv settled parts of France and
Belgium. and such marvelOusIy fertile ir-
TiFated regions as the valley Of the Nile
in Egypt and Of the Pc I'm Italy.
Resolved That we urge that the nation
al government should proceed with all
practicable expedition to complete the
SURVEYS and make the necessary plans
and estimates for the construction of tho
great reservoirs and canals necessary to
regulate for navigation and for the
utilization for irrigation and power Of
the enormous volume OF flood water TINT
now runs to waste in such great rivers
as the Columbia Sacramento. the Colo
RADIO. the Rio Grande the Arkansas and
the Missouri and their tributaries and
that as soon as surveyed and ready for
construction. ana approved by the SecTe-
tarv Of the interior. these great engineer
ing works should be built just as rapidly
as actual settlers viii take the lands and /
build homes on them and repay 10 the
government the cost Of the construction
Of the works, and a loan 10 the reClama-
ton fund i'm tho treasury Of the United |
states should be made each year by con-
gressiOnal appropriation for the fun I
amount which the secretary of the in
terror may annually recommend to CON
gross as the amount which should be /
made available FOR disbursement for con- /
struction during the ensuing year. all !
such loans 10 the reclamation fund 10 he |
repaid Go the fund i'm ten annual Install I
cation act
A Comprehensive Reservoir System. Z
Resolved. That il is the sense Of this I
congress that the storage of waters in /
the extensive catchment basins of the /
western rivers Tor the prevention or I
floods and for power and irrigation is [
both possible and practical and that the I
government should supplement its pres (
ent policy of levee construction by "A com /
preheusive reservoir system throughout /
the ARID region, not only for the purpose {
Of conserving the wafer for irrigation, /
but also for the preservation Of life and /
property I'm the lower reaches. The wa I
ters thus conserved would be of incSti- |
mable value and a blessing TO tho people /
in tho arid and seml-arjd district. We /
believe that irrigation and flood proven
ton are two ideas TO be developed to-
gether.
The reservoirs to be built should include
not only large reservoirs. but also all
smaller reservoirs for which feasible 10
cations exist. and throughout the great
plain region the construction OF such
small reservoirs by damming the coulees
and draws should he encouraged by both
the state and national governments.
Interstate Streams.
Whereas. The Platte the great river
Of Nebraska is an interstate stream,
having its sources in the states Of Colo
Tado and Wyoming. and capable, when
its system is gully developed of irrigat-
ing millions of acres OF most productive
land, ana
Whereas. Such reservoirs as shall be
constructed under the national act for the
Of the waters OF the said river
that now run to waste must be located
outside Of Nebraska in the aforesaid
states Of Wyoming aud Colorado. where
the headwaters Of this great river take
their rise:
BE il therefore resolved. That the ma