Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1904-12-15
SENATOR HANsBRoUGH's REPLY

North Dakota Senator's Reply to A.
tack Made on Him BY Irrigation
Bureau.
Washington Post: Another effort
will he made during the present ses-
sion to pass in the senate the bill, in
troduced during the last session by
Senator Hansbrough of North Dakota,
providing for the appointment of su-
pervis!ng engineer, by the president,
to take charge Of the government re-
clamation work is connection with the
public irrigation of arid lands. The
opponents of this measure are already
lining up for continued campaign
against it, and considerable ''litera-
ture" has been spread broadcast re-
Gently in which Senator Hansbrough's
name has been used in such a connec-
tion as to cause his exception to it.
Senator Hansbrough's bill is now
before the committee on irrigation, of
the senate, and he intends to urge a
favorable report upon it. The bill
would practically relieve from the
direction of the work Engineer New
ell of the geological survey, the pres
ent engineer-in-chief, but would not
take the reclamation work from the
control of the department of the in
terror.
Senator Hansbrough last night made
the following statement in regard to
the literature" sent out by the Ma
tional Irrigation associations:
Il have seen similar reports, but
they were so far from the truth that
l have paid no attention to them
Since my attention has been called to
this report will say that have never
had any intention of introducing a bill
to take the conduct of the reclamation
service out of the hands in which it
was placed by the existing law. It
will be remembered that 1 had the
honor of managing the irrigation bill
in the senate two years ago, and I
know something about the legislative
history Of the subject.
IF had ever felt that the secretary
of the interior was not the proper
officer to manage the matter, 1 GER
tainly should have insisted upon a pro-
vision is the bill to that effect. Just
what purpose is to be served in circu-
lating these false reports am unable
to say. It is charged that I have in
troduced bill to provide for spoliti-
cal commission to take charge of ma
tional irrigation. The facts are these:
Wants Best Engineer is Country.
"A year ago I became convinced
that owing to the magnitude of the
work, and to the very great impor-
lance of having the great dams and
other works which are to be con-
structed under the reclamation acts
done in the best possible way, and by
the very best engineers that could be
found in the country, I introduced a
Dill providing for the appointment,
by the President, Of supervising en-
gineer, at a salary of $4,000 a year,
to have immediate charge Of all con-
struction work under the law. The
proposed supervising engineer was to
be under the immediate supervision
OF the secretary of the interior, and
the bill specifically provides that all
assistant engineers that may be re.
quined shall be taken from those now
engaged in the work and who are in
the classified service.
"This bill, it will be seen, doesn't
| take the irrigation matter out of the
hands of the secretary of the interior
nor does it remove any one in the re-
clamation service from any duty in
connection Herewith. This bill is
| still pending, and it is my purpose to
push it at the first opportunity"