Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-08-16
BITS OF WASHINGTON LIFE.
Minor Scenes and Incidents Sketched
on the Spot.

! irriga ton bureau, is back in Washing
| ton from n tour of the irrigation dis
| ,ricts of the West. The government
| has 300 engineers, surveyors and help
| ers in the field of experimenting con-
| struction works and studying and plan
| ming others. Speaking of irrigation
activities Mr. Newell says: There ar.
| MANY instances Of honest, effective ana
legitimate irrigation works, where the
settlers themselves or their capital, to
some extent. have gone in and built the
works, owning or controlling them
| along with the reclaimed land; but |
do not know of any of the big private
irrigation schemes which might be
| called legitimate development enter
| priseS. They are exploited, probably
more for selling stock and bonds than
FOR watering land. Irrigation develop
ment can be compared to mining
| development. The two are quite
| similar i'm their method of finance. The
| gold or copper mine, or the oil well.
| which is really proven good thing. is
| taken up and operated by it's owners.
| 1t Is made into a close corporation pro-
| position in every case. If, on the other
| h md the supply of metal or Oil is
problematical. then it is made an at
tractive stock and bond scheme. with
glittcrirg letter heads and artistically
printed circulars, and other peoples
money in large quantities is solicited.
Attempt is being made to float very
questionable irrigation schemes all over
| the West.
1T is singular. too. how many men of
ordinary hard business sense will go
into these wildcat things. A success
ful grocer, for instance. who. if he were
investing his money in the grocery
business, would find out every detail
and every in and out of the new bust
ness and would make a close and
advantageous DEAL will draw his check
for some irrigation stocks or bonds in
the most trustful and confiding manner
I-paying for an investment regarding
which he knows absolutely nothing
can find out nothing and which is as
problematical in its returns as the
veriest wildcat mine Other people
make a personal investigation. They
go over the splendid crops growing on
! other lands which have been reclaimed,
and having investigated, they co"fi
IDENTIFY invest. even though tract of
so 900 acres is to be reclaimed with
| water supply insufficient for 5000.
| am mentioning these figures advisedly.
There are instances today where irriga
ton shares are being sold for land con-
tanning absolutely no water supply at
| all, and which can never be irrigated,
but will always remain desert.
THE meanest and most contemplate
class of sales are where the promoters
hold out the alluring picture to the poor
man of family. that he is by small
regular contributions buying a home
for himself-a little home to which he
can 90 in his older age. and by reason
of the hountiful crops due to irrigation,
support himself and his family. Thou
sands of people in the United states are
| making such contributions which they
might as well throw into a rat hole"
| Charles V. Barton. a 'labOrer" in the
government printing Office. who says
he predicted the death of President Nc
Kinley three months before it occurred
| has founded the millennium league"
He styles himself Earl Count Court
ney. the Dream Prophet" His princi-
pal idea is that "the greatest evil in
| this world is the concentration of
money" He declares that voices from
the under world invite him to correct
this evil and prepare the world for the
millennium, which is sure to come in
1905.
| Barton lives in two simply furnished
rooms on the second floor of a three
story house. S13 North Capitol street
| A ha nh Itch ad ha
| issue of his newspaper. a four-pag
sheet called the Millennium. 1t reprints
various articles relating to Dreams
| among them an interview with Bishop
Potter. in which the bishop. in response
| to the question. What do you think is
the greatest want of the age?" says:
Prophets, men who can see into the
future" Barton believes he is one of
| the men Bishop Potter is looking for.
| The counts" newspaper advertises
for ministers. editors and temperance
people who would be kind enough to
help organize the Millennium league.
| Barton says that in June, 1901. he left
Seattle. Wash. to warn President Nc
Kinley that he was to be assassinated
but he reached Washington too late.
! Allied with Barton is a clairvoyant
who says that the count" Is CARRYING
forward the work Of the Christian re-
ligion by practical means. The clair
voyant left for Virginia beach.
| Governor Chatterton of Wyoming
who is in washington on official BUSH
ness, talked politics with a Washington
Post reporter in these words: "There
is no sort of doubt as to the outcome OF
the election in Wyoming. Indeed I do
not believe the democrats make much
claim of carrying it. Our country 10 q
Roosevelt stronghold; many of the peo-
pie know the president personally ana
are devoted to him. This sentiment
permeates the whole region contiguous
to our state, and, besides that. the
times are too prosperous for the peenle
to desire a change. Wyoming espe-
cially is afraid to risk the Democratic
party Tor we have vital interest in