La Junta tribune., 1904-09-10

Il am OF the sixth generation born on
Manhattan Island. but / BELONG west
Of the Missouri river"
This'is n key TO the depth and breadth
Of the Presidents knowledge concerning
ali things pertaining to the tuiied States.
He is the first President who ever resid-
ed west of the Missouri river. lie Is the
FIRST who ever perceived the incalculnble
importance of the arid west. and he 1,
chiefly responsible for the national irri-
Eatiou act which is to transform deserts
Into gardens By chain Of endless rev
suues derived from the sale of public
lands la the arid States, each arid State
In turn is TO be reclaimed and populated
BY independent high. minded, selfsup-
porting citizens
Roosevelt established himself, in 1881.
on n raBch at the headwst.rs OF the Lit
tie Missouri river in South Dakota. He
was then only ~ years Of age. After
q residence there OF about two years he
returned TO New York. not only restored
In body. but different man mentally
and psychicsily. lie had entered into the
spirit OF, the West 80 completely that he
was actually westcrnized There the
mountains communicated to him the
cret OF their strength and h. learned of
the bcnedictiOns of the uncluuded sun.
Ait "a il'Ab'ai 'FAAAFs
with cowboys and hunted the big game
OF the plains. There. too. lie learned tine
narveis OF the arid soil when joined TO
the waters Of the mountain streams.
Vast A reas to lie Reclaimed.
1t was such experiences as these tha,
enabled him to link his name forever
with the great irrigation movement He
thus 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 becln "a.
ton OF Independence. Perhaps few Of
~ have more than vague consciousness
Of til. mighty issues involved in this act
1t adds ut once i2J.pJO.DoO acres of fer
tile soil TO our agricultural and horticul
tural area and opens mp one Of the most
beautiful and promising yistls ever per
eeived by the husbnndfncn Of America
or elsewhere. II might be said by cayil-
ers that the reclamation OF these deserts
was inevitable, sometime. But il was by
no means inevitable that they should bc
reclaimed by means OF public works. mud
that the ownership OF iaud and water
would be indiSolubly united. The great
est thing President Roosevelt has don"
here was to write this flaming sentence;
"FEINATE OWNERSHIP OF WAT
ER. APART FROM LAND, CANNOT
PREVAIL WITHOUT CAUSING EN
DURING WRONG" That was auoth
er Proclamation Of Emancipation. Into
the great struggle between private greed
and public good came. at the psycholos
icnl moment the mighty words OF the
first irrigation Prcsideut-and the battle
was won.
Praise for the President.
William T. Smythc. author OF "Con
quest OF Arid America" pioneer in Tia"
Irrigation movement. and now Demo
cratic politician OF San Diego. California.
writing Of President Iioo..vclt's visit 10
the West awhile ago. exclaimed: "wcl,
come. Theodore Roosevelt. Welcome
because you are the President, welcom.
again, because yOu wrung national irri
CATION from an unwilling Congress, And
thrice welcome. because with "A stroke of
your pen you slew the dragon OF water
monopoly, Much as the men OF to-day
appreciate the thing You did when ol-
portunity opened th. door. 1t is only the
men who are to live. a. the long genera
tions shall unfold. who may know tho
full Significance OF that great deed" II
h universally recognized. irrcspe,t tive of
politics. that the passage OF the national
irrigation act by Congress. June, 1902
could never have been accomplished II 4
welt so strongly recommended irrisatinn
legislation in his message to Congress
and put his personal shoulder To- the
wheel to help the friends at the hili
swing the forces into line in itS favor.
When his Official signature was duly
afnxed to the t1casnre. making il th.'
hw OF the land. the press from the At
lantic TO the rtgifc. from the lakes e.
the gulf. aud Irrespective OF religion or
poiitics. sent M ono hearty acclaim Of
"w-II dons!' II was = sincere heart
tribute to the tasn. to his honesty. pat
ssotf-m. stntcsuisnShiP. Am-rieanisrn
Maine vicd with California. and the Mis-
sissippi valley sasi Amen The euio-
si~s. information. Civilizations. predictions
ssA prophecies were <ii,yin ard iaspir~
1ag- They cmphs -ized the M9nro- doc
erine OF "Amcriea for Americans" Ey-
tracts from many Of the papers publish
- in different parts Of the cosntry-ap
soaring at the tims-ars her. repro
eaced:
Prsssdeas Roese~efs's rrin~ph-
As the first dis,inetivciy administration
measure to pass both houses Of Congress
during the present session the national
Irrigation hiH is deserving Of especial at
erntion as the moment Not that its -le-
ei6c provisions or its passage pre>enf
anyfhinx new in a matter ;'iat has long
been under puhiic and ie=i~!stirc discus
- aud Consideration i. this country.
baf because irrigation ic=is,a.i.ss was one
sf the Comparatively fcsE things to which
President Roosevelt calsesi ;,s- especial
attention of Congress in his FIRST annnai
9esra<e, ard 20 secure vhseh he has de
vse~i his energies and iaas~nce unceas-
nU1y for a~ariy seven mouths His ap-
psovaI Of the bin By formally attaching
- signature to it-whicE he viii nat
o1ai3D d ~stb bccoering Dryo9<,se>s-