Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1904-08-15

The certainty that floods may again, |
IN any year. inundate Kansas City and
the adjoining towns along the Mis-.
souri, river, brings to mind the awful
Hoods Of one year ago which brought
death and destruction in that vicinity.
AS you have requested me to contri-
butte an article concerning the Mis-
souri, river, will gladly do so il you
will publish with it the latter part of
the original paper l wrote, which was
omitted from the official proceedings
of the Eleventh National Irrigation
Congress, for what reason could not
then understand. In my judgment,
it was the best part of the paper, and
my engineering friends at st. Paul
express the same opinion. I read the
paper before that body January 18th
last, at their request.
OF late, however, l begin to under
sstand why it was omitted. In the
Central Rocky Mountain States those
who are active in the Irrigation Con-
gress are as rule states rights men,
as the latter part of my paper showed.
They wish to draw state lines and
contend for paramount state rights.
That controversy was fought out in
our late civil war, and as had hoped,
was ended.
A Work for the Federal Government.
If the Missouri river, or any other
stream, is improved for irrigation or
amy other purpose, on large scale, it
must be done by the Federal Govern
ment and in the interest of all con-
cerned, recognizing the rights of all
from one end of the river to the other.
Kansas and Colorado are now wrang-
ling about the rights of the respective
states to the Arkansas river. Wyom-
ing is quarreling with Montana on
the north and with Colorado on the
south about state rights to interstate
streams, and now Wyoming and Ne
braska are about to quarrel over the
Platte River. All this controversy
seems to me to be absurd. The
United States government should i'm.
prove the large rivers, with their tribu.
taries, in the interest Of irrigation,
upon generous scale for the people
at large, regardless Of individuals or
state lines, in order to make 1t q sue.
cess for the teeming millions to come
and the real honemaker. ~ 's.~os .-''
I should like to say something about
legislation, or lack Of legislation, for
the reform of our land laws last win
ter at Washington. 1t was the same
Indifference to the rights OF the people
and to the lands of the people as wae
shown in the last session OF congress
that resulted in the public lands Of
the Roman people falling into the
hands of the partician class in large
estates, and finally caused the down
fall OF both the republic and imperia
Rome. H.-
But 1 will stick to my text: "Tht
Missouri River and Dams" G.
Irrigation In this country Is in it.
Infancy. In fact it may be said to b
in it's infancy in every country ,excep
with the British in India and Egypt
where they have gone at it upon ,
grand scale for irrigation alone. Tn
Assouan dam, holding all Of the Rive
Nile back for miles, is great under
taking as compared to damming th'
upper Missouri river Our govern
ment engineers should at once max
a scientific survey for q large dam Of
the upper Missouri. sf = III
River Control and Flood Protection.
Building large dams to prevent floo'
water on the lower levels Of a river !
no new idea with me, but since attend
Ing an irrigation convention it Is nov
a twin idea with irrigation and power
5 since electrical transmission has be
come an established fact. Senator 3
". Durant, an old steamboat captail
X Of this city, together with other steam
boat men who tow logs to st. Louis
agrees with me that Z twelve foot dan
at the foot of Lake Pepins would cor
u troll the flood waters Of the upper n My \
sissippi to the mouth Of the Missour
ana would help navigation - 10y
water season. The same kind
engineering on the Missouri river WI
q accomplish several different results
FOOD water storage and irrisatio