The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1904-11-04

kota in the irrigation question up to
the present time, and none whatever
prior to the holding of the Bismarck
State Irrigation Congress, year ago.
No call was made upon the govern
ment by the congressional delegation,
Immediately after the passage of the
act. when all other western states
we're clamoriEg for recognition, insist
Ing upon survey or investigation Of
the state, no statewide movement for
such works was agitated by Senator
McCumber or others, and it is not to
be expected that the same progress
should be found to-day as has occurred
in other western states where large
local and state appropriations had
been made for preliminary surveys
and desire for the reclamation of
survey, and for local organizations
prior to the passage of the National
Irrigation act, two and half years
ago.
First of all the people of North Da,
kota must be awakened to a thorough
realization of the benefits of irrigation
and must evince such an interest in
and desire TO rthe reclamation of
their lands as will insure the govern
ment OF the fact that when it has
found and constructed an irrigation
state which is believed can be best
irrigated, several fair so.called wet
weather crops i'll succession can be
raised without irrigation, and that
when immigrants come into the couu.
try the people keep rather quiet about
the dry and lean years, makes an ex-
tensive campaign of education an i'm
perative coincident feature of irriga-
ton development. 1t is moreover en-.
tirely in advance of the times to prom
ise the people Of any state a federal
appropriation for s20,OO0,0OO dam,
besides additional millions necessary
for great canals, however promising.
Federal irrigation, as has been said,
is on trial before the country, and,
while it's friends believe that the work
ing out of policy will show it to be
great national one, as broad, bene-
ficent and truly national as any inter-
nal Improvement ever undertaken by
any government in any age, yet the
plan is, to the people of the east, a
new and untried one, and they will
certainly insist upon seeing several
large projects worked out to their en-
tire satisfaction, before congress can
be expected to think of appropriations
such as are now made for the big river
and harbor works.
The great water supply of the Mis-.
souri, and it's tributaries, which flow
through North Dakota, is an inestima.
bic resource of state, blanketed with
a deep and inlly loan, but North Da.
kota has yet much to learn of prac-
teal irrigation before her farmers will
realize this worth or can expect to
stand on par. so far as irrigation is
concerned with other western states
where irrigation has been carried on
for years and decades.
The plan for the state to proceed
upon is to awaken. a great public sen.
timent, to invite the cooperation of
every newspaper in the state to edu-
CdIC lie pcOplC as W uOW 1uuCu dill
irrigated acre is worth, how much it
will produce and that water is an alb
solutc crop insurance. If her citizens
and her press will enter the irrigation
campaign. devise, plan and work to
make irrigation the most popular
movement of the day. then irrigation
will come. 1t is we'll worth the ef-
fort.
In the meantime the reclamation
service, far from being hostile to the
expenditure Of the irrigation fund in
the state is making "Reminiscences
and detailed surveys of various pro-
jects. The government engineers be-
lieve that pumping the Missouri water,
through the use Of the vast cheap lig.
mite coal beds. even upon the higher
benches $50 and 200 feet high
through enormous pumping plants, is
entirely feasible, and not very expen-
sive. 1t is simply question of edu-
cation. Do the farmers realize how
much they can afford to pay for water?
Guy f. Mitchell in The Forum.