Bisbee daily review., 1903-01-18
MEANS MUCH
 TO ARID WEST
ENTIRE WEST INTERESTED IN
 SUBJUGATION OF DESERT
Guy E. Mitchell Writes About Great Work of Reclaiming Arid Lands
 Which Government is Considerino

Which Government IS Considering
 The great work which the national government is just embarking upon of the subjugation of the America desert is being discussed by the entire west ern half of the United States, and was brought into particular prominence by the recent National Irrigation con gress held at Colorado Springs.
 The west has so long striven for some assistance from the government that it's people can hardly realize that congress actually did make an appro- priation of about s6,00o.000 for con- structing irrigation reservoirs, and providing further that the proceeds from the sales of all western public lands as received year by year. shall be used for such development. Even western senators and congressman who, it might be thought, would have known the temper of congress on this subject have expressed the greatest astonishment that such bill should have received the votes of a majority of congress. They had not reckoned however, upon the change of senti- ment in the east. as the question be- came better understood, and the sup port which eastern men have been giv- ing the irrigation movement the past few years since the captains of the great manufacturing centers have con sidered the possibilities of arid Amer ica and have actively forwarded the proposed plan to reclaim the western deserts and thus create new home markets for the sale of their goods.
 The eastern agricultural opposition, too, it seems, has largely disappeared since it is seen that irrigation prod ucts will not come east to compete with eastern farm products out will find a market in the Orient and that wheI the eastern manufacturer sells additional goods in the west he will have to employ more factory hands and that eastern agriculture will be stimulated to feed them. Trade is the life of the land, and the motto suggest cd by speakers at the recent irrigation congress that trade follows the irri- gatioa flag is appropriate and axiom atic.
 Now the great question is to save these irrigable lands from spectators. While the people of the country are complacently sitting back, waiting for
 
 operation and populate the desert, the land grabbers and spectators are ab- sorbing by fair means or foul, and as rapidly as possible every acre of good land which there is any possibility of irrigatiDg
 The national irrigation act is as well guarded against speculation as it was possible to frame a law under the eX- isting conditions; but the men who have had the interests of the west and the nation at heart, pointed out, at the time of the passage of the act, that to safeguard the public domain and in sure it's reservation for actual settlers the desert land law and the commuta- ! tion clause of the homestead law must I be repealed. The activities of the | land sharks since the passage of the ir- Irrigation law shows the necessity for | their repeal forthwith. Under these l laws millions of acres of the nation s i best remaining lands have been, dur l ing the past year, absorbed by big | concerns, and fraudulently acquired al ! that
 A strong effort will be made at the present congress 10 secure the repea Of these laws. Several bills looking tC such an end have been introduced and they will be urged. Needless to say too. they will be urgently opposed by those interests which wish no inter ference with their schemes for gaining control of as much land and water 1T the water in the west as possible Guy E. Mitchell.