The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-09-16
Telegram to Nationa! Irrigation
Congress at Ogden, Utah,
Last Year. 4
"GREATEsT STEP FORWARD"
Such Is the Presidents Opinion of
irrigation Message Shows Vast Fund
of Information on Reclamation
OF Arid Lands.

President Roosevelt sent the following
message to the National Irrigation Con
gress in session at Ogden, Utah. Sept
-, 1908. 1t is characteristic of the
man. 1t shows a broad, deep, patriotic
interest in both irrigation and forestry.
1t also shows his mastery intellectual
grasp of any and all topics concerning
the public welfare:
Oyster Ray n. Y Sept Is, 1903
The pnssnGc Of the National Irrigation
Law was one Of The greatest steps, not only
IN the forward progress Of the States, but
TO that Of MI manliiud,
1t was the beginning Of an achievement
so great hat we hesitate to predict the
outcome, but Il was only the beginning.
Now tllnt the law Is an accomplished fact,
INA, must b" given effect 70 that end the
reclamation service organized under the
National Irrigation Law of June II, 1902.
has been pushing It's surveys and cxnmlna-
tion OF possible irrigation projects cncr-
grtlcally III each of the thirteen States and
tnrr" Territories named In the act, Some
or the projects which promised we'll nj first
are found ON cnrcful study to be lmprnc-
ticnblr, either because of scanty water sup
Ply or OF great cost Others must await
higher values in land while Siil others
stand the test ana are ready for immediate
construction.
Necessity of National Aid.
The feasible projects are always large
and costly, because private enterprise has
expensive ones, leaving to the government
the great works which are to be essen
tini part In bringing the nation to It's
full development. Great care ana the high
est engineering SIKH reQhircd to plan
and build such works which are among the
most difficult undertakings of mankind, They
must be built for pcrnnncncc and safety.
Tor they are to last and spread prosperity
for centuries, To design and build such
works a body of engineers of the highest
character have been brought together In
rHp reclaim ion service. for only I'M
partially selected for capacity alone are
capable of creating these great structures.
Merit must govern, not only In the Sclcc-
tion of men, hut still more In the selection
of the projects
Every reclamation project selected for
construction must possess the qualities
which commend 1t MS national undertake
Ing certain to reclaim large tracts of arid
land and to support In well being dense
benefits Of the reclamation law. there will
be many disappointmcnts, which necessarily
await both the advocate. of special projects
results outruns the slow and stcndy 1cvcl-
opment of these great undertakings. 1t
should be borne in mind that II broad sur
N"y OF all possible projects gives the con
crption of their relative value, and that
work of prime Importance to one group of
men may seem less desirable In the light Of
wider knowledge.
Caution Urged.
Nor Is it wise in large affairs to begin
construction first, and elaborate details If
forwards. Each important point must be
carefully studied In advance, and the whole
pan tested ana approved before work can
begin. Yet If we proceed both cautiously
and pcrslstently under this bcncfccnt law.
we may confidently expect the largest pos,
their settlement by Industrious, prosperous.
self-rcsnectng men and women, who will
exchange the products of irrigated ngrlcui-
throughout the United States. Communl-
ties tourisllng in what is now the desert
VIII tnally take their places among the
strongest pillars of our Commonwealth.
The irrigation development OF the arid
West cannot stand alone Forestry is the
companion ana support of irrigation With
out forestry iii iEutlon must fall. pcrman-
ent Irrigation Development and forest de-
struction cannot exist together Never for
get that the forest Preserve policy OF the
national government means the use of all
Is little profit in destruction compared with
use.
Home Making Chief Object.
!. The settlement Of the great arid West by
both of the irrigation aud the forest policy
Of the United States. III forestry, as in
irrigation. the Immediate private interests
of some individual must occasionally yield
to their permanent advantage which is the
public good The benefits of forestry are
not only for the future, but for the present
The forest reserves are for all the people,
but first for the people In the Immediate
ncighborhood, for whom supplies of wood
and water are among the first ncccsSarcS of
life With the wiser and more skilful
management of the reserve by trained men,
the greater obviously will their usefulness
lie to the public
Ultimate Success Sure.
We must never allow our chagrin at tenn
porary defeat and difficulties in the man.
agement of the forest reserves to blind us
to the absolute necessity of these reserves
10 the people Of the West.
Support Of the forest-rcserve policy has
grown with wonderful rnpditv In the West
during the last few years. 1t will continue
to grow till the last vestige of opposition,
now almost gone, has wholly disappeared
befor" the understanding of the object and
the t of the reservation. The greater
the support of the forest reserve by the pco-
pie of the West, the greater the assurance
that the national irrigation policy will not
fall for the preservation of the forests is
vital to the success of this policy.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Senator Stewart of Nevada Secs the
Great Light.
Senator Stewart Of Nevada, the last
Of the Siiyerites, has seen the great
white light His visions are those of
Joseph and the seven fat years. His talk
is Of minerals and Nevada; and the bless
ings Of the Dingey tariff on boraN and
wool. He said: