The river press., 1904-09-28


Manhattan Island, but | BELONG west
OF the Missouri river
This is u key to the depth and breadth
Of the Presidents knowledge concerning
MI things pertaining to the United States.
He is the first President who ever resid-
cd west Of the Missouri river He is the
FIRST who ever perceived the incnlcl,lable
importance Of the arid west, aud he is
chiefly responsible for the national irri-
cation act which is to transform deserts
into gardens. BY chain Of endless rev
enues derived from the sale of public
lands in the arid States, each arid State
in turn is to be reclaimed and populated
by independent, higl-minded, self-sup-
porting citizens
Roosevelt established himself, in 1884,
on n ranch at the headwaters Of the Lit
tie Missouri river in South Dakota. He
was then only rs years Of age. After
4 residence there OF about two years he
returned to New York, not only restored
in body, but different man mentally
and psychically. He had entered into the
spirit of the West so completely that he
was actually westernized. There the
mountains communicated to him the Sc
cret OF their strength and he learned of
He made ranch, herded cattle, mingled
with cowboys and hunted the big game
of the plains. There, too he learned the
ma,yels Of the arid soil when joined to
the waters Of the mountain streams.
Vast Areas to Be Reclaimed.
1t was such experiences as these that
enabled him to link his name forever
with the great irrigation movement. He
thus was induced to put the presidential
shoulder against the barred doors OF
arid America and do one of the biggest
things since the signing Of our Declara-
hon Of Independence. Perhaps few Of
~ have more than vague consciousness
Of the mighty issues involved in this act.
It adds at once 125, 900 acres Of fer
tile soil to our agricultural and horticul-
tural area and opens up one OF the most
beautiful and promising vistas ever per-
seived by the husbandmen OF America,
Or elsewhere. 1t might be said by cnvi-
ers that the reclamation OF these deserts
was inevitable, sometime. But it was by
no means inevitable that they should be
reclaimed by means Of public works. and
that the ownership Of land and water
wou]d be indissolubly united. The great
est thing President Roosevelt has done
here was to write this flaming sentence:
"PR1VATE OWNERSHIP OF WAT
ER. APART FROM LAND, CANNOT
PREVAIL WITHOUT CAUSING EN-
DURING WRONG That was anoth-
er Proclamation OF Emancipation. Into
the great struggle between private greed
and public good came, at the psycholog-
ica' moment. the mighty words Of the
FIRST irrigation President--aud the battle
was won.
Praise for the President.
William f. Smythe author OF "Con-
quest Of Arid America" pioneer in the
irrigation movement. and now Demo
cratic politician Of San Diego. California,
writing Of President Roosevelt's visit to
the West awhile ago, exclnimel: "Wel-
come. Theodore Roosevelt! Welcome,
because you are the President. Welcome
again, because YOU wrung national irri-
CATION from al unwilling Congress! And
thrice welcome, because with IL stroke of
your pen you slew the dragon Of water
monopoly! Much as the men Of today
appreciate the thing you did when op-
portunity opened the door, it is only the
men who nre to live, as the long genera
tions shall unfold, who may know the
full significance of that great deed" 1t
Is universally recognized. irrespective OF
politics, that the passage OF the national
Irrigation act by Congress. June. 1902
could never have been accomplished il It
Had not been for the fact that Mr.. Koose
welt so strongly recommended irrigation,
legislation in his message to Congress
and put his personal shoulder to the
wheel to help the friends OF the bill
swing the forces into line in its favor.
When his official signature was dul,
amxed to the measure. making it tn,
law Of tbs land, the press from the At
Mntic to the Pacific, from the lakes tt
the gulf, and irrespective OF religion o
politics, sent up one hearty acclaim 0
well done" 1t was sincere heart
tribute to the man. to his honesty, pat
ziotism, craftsmanship, Americanisn,
Maine We'd with California, and the Mis-
sissippi valley said "Amen!' The eulo
gies. information, civilizations, prediction
and prophecies were edfying and inspi,
ing. They emphasized the Monroe doc
trine Of America for Americans.' EN
tracts from many Of the papers publish
ed in different parts OF the country-al
pearing at the time-are here repro
duced:
Presid ent Roosevelt's TriumDh.
As the first distinctively Administrative
measure to pass both houses OF Congress
during the present session the nation,
irrigation bill is deserving of especial a
tcntion ut the moment. Not that it's sp.
eifc provisions or its passage preset
anything new in a matter that has lon
been under public and legislative discus
sion and consideration in this countr,
but because irrigation legislation was Oh
Of the comparatively few things to whic
President Roosevelt called the especi,
attention OF Congress in his first annu.
message, and to secure which he has d
voted his energies and influence uncea
ingly for nearly seven months. His al
proval Of the bill by formally attachin
his signature to it-which he will ma
urally do with becoming promptuess-