Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-28
GOLD In COLORADO.
GILBERT M'cLURG TELLS OF
WONDERFUL PROGRESS IN
MINING.

WONDERFUL PROGRESS IN
MINING.
Value of States Agricultural Products
Greater Than Those From the
Mines-President Roosevelt Versus
Grover Cleveland.
Gilbert McClurg, who was inter
viewed at the Bal1ingall Saturday, rep
resents Colorado and is endorsed by
the Business Mems association of his
state and by the governor. He is thor.
oughly informed on the Centennial
states history development and re-
sources. For the past several years
he was director of and In charge of
the programs of the National Irrigation
congresses. Mr.. McClurg said
At the Irrigation Congress held
two years ago in Utah, liberal edu-
cation was gained by the delegates,
who came from every state in the
union.
There, was held a fair of the GER
calls. fruits, vegetables grown in what
was once known as the Great Ameri-
can Desert 1t was an exposition Of the
wondrous products of the semi-arid
region and was the first exhibit of the
kind In the history Of America.
When Lieutenant Pike discovered
Pixies Peak in 1906 he pronounced
the plains incapable of cultivation.
Daniel Webster was later prophet.
Webster when declaiming against the
mail route appropriation in the SEN
ate said:' "I am not in favor of spend
ing one cent toward bringing the Pa
cif1c slope one inch nearer Boston than
| it is today!'
ut is not so long ago that an Iowa
senator declared himself adverse to
the development of the semi-arid re-
gfon by irrigation and gave expression
to the 'bugaboo' of over-production
That certainly was narrow minded doc
trine and wrong.
Cleveland and Roosevelt.
"Over two years ago 1 lectured at
Princeton university on the develop
ment Of the Rock Mountain region;
and at Princeton met Grover Cleve-
land. officially invited him, on that
occasion to attend the next National
Irrigation congress and act as it's pres
ldent. l was amazed at the foremost
statesman of the democratic party ex-
| pressing himself as unfamiliar with
the National Irrigation Act and he ac-
tually knew nothing Of it's provisions.
1t may be recalled that he once char
acterized Iowa as an agricultural state
out west somewhere
1T seems to me that President
Roosevelt well illustrated his breadth
OF understanding of the nations needs
and his foresight, when he wrote to
me two years ago, when I directed the
National Irrigation Congress at
Ogden that the nation Is as strong as
are the state links which make up the
chain of the states.
believe that irrigation Of the
sem1-arid region is the greatest ques
ton OF public, internal, policy before
the United States today. It is largely
because of President Roosevelt's atti
tude on this question that the National
irrigation act was passed. The. gov
eminent now holds over thirty mil
lions of dollars in the treasury, which
has been received from the sale OF
public lands in the states and terrific
ries of the semi.arid region, which
moneys are to be expended In the de
velopment Of great irrigation works
IN those states and territories. This
will reclaim other lands that are now
OF no value to the agriculturist and
the desert will be made to blossom
like the rose.
Splendid Agricultural Production.
When the first colonists went out
to Colorado over thirty years ago they
alighted from pioneer train in will
derness covered with cacti on an aka
line soil. That land in Weld county
which was sold to those first pioneers
at $1.25 an acre, Is today yielding
over 500 per acre annually of pota
toes, sugar beets and fruits There is
no danger of the great agriculture
production of Colorado lessening the
prices of the products of Iowa. On
the contrary, the development Of Col
orado means the development of Iowa
along many lines. Increased demand
for the various manufactures Of Iowa
| may be made through the increase OF
farms and orchards in Colorado.
The first irrigation canal in the
United States was run by a vegetable
gardener near Boston and proved tt
be money maker. Today Colorado
has the largest area Of irrigated lane
in the United States. Water is stored
in natural reservoirs where 1T is only
necessary to build dam, or it is run
in canals from mountain streams
along bitches, and from the bitches
into burrows, SO that the water covers
the land. This water carries dowI
with it from the mountains fertilizinf
salts, in the silt, requisite for the
nourishment Of growing things, and i
is seldom that the Colorado farmer
uses any other fertilizer on the SOIL
4 Never Have Drought.
| Under irrigation there never II
drought and our farmers more nearl,
render agriculture an exact science
| They apply water to plant life whe1
1t is most needed: when the laws o
chemistry demand water carrying fer
/ tiItzing salts Orr farmers THEREAFTER.