Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16
SENATOR FRANCIS O. NEwLANps

Irrigation law Now IN suc
full Operation
FRANCIS G. NEWLANDS for ten years member of Coprrs
from the of Nevada and member Of the United St
has been active for many years the promotion western inter-
est and in the agitation Of both the silver and irrigation question:, In
$780, realizing that the development of the state had up no
been one-sded development of mining interests only he started
for the reclamation Of the arid lands Of the state insisting
upon it that Nevada proportions until she
supplemented the mining development by the development Of ag
ture commerce and general industries With view to giving tho
people OF the state information regarding irrigation p
ties he employed engineers the chief of whom L. Taylor now
supervising engineer charge Of the T. reclamation service sent out
surveying parties and secured exhaustive reports of the storage 3
tiles and reclamation projects Of the four leading Of the state
the Trckee Carson Walker Humbolt He published tho
result these investigations in 1892 in printed report accompanied
by maps diagrams which circulated throughout the
also wherever practicable secured the title the sites wa
view to preventing them from being held for speculative purposes h
early announced that his purpose entering upon and pursuing this
work was simply to aid public action either upon the part Of the
government or upon the part OF county governments Of irrigation
districts be organized the various valleys Of the state
THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION LAW
The hard times resulting from the panic OF 1893 prevented tho
taking up any Of these enterprises in the hoped for So
Mr. Novnds having become member Of Congress turned his
ganers Of National Irrigation Congress and always prominent
in the Of education and agitation which conducted He soagh;
upon every when the subject could be introduced to present
it the representatives, feeling assured that national u
CATION could be passed until the representatives Of the
c southern and mddewesern fully educated upon tho
subject After considerable period Of education both national con-
yenons in 1896 declared for national irrigation, and Immediately after
wards Newlands framed general which subsequent
" became law and is generally known the Newlond Irrigation
act This bill provided that all the proceeds Of the sales Of public
nd
al fund in the treasury Of the United to be called the "cam
alton Fund" The bill then provided that the secretary of the interior
should make investigation and surveys and wherever he found an W
CATION project practicable he should have tho power commence the
work. provided the moneys necessary then in the treasury
AS TO COST OF THE PROJECTS
It also gave him the power fix the Of each project upon
the lands reclaimed by the sale Of water rights payable in ten equal
annual nsamnts without interest 1t provided also that he oua
divide the land reclaimed into small tracts ranging from 40 to ]"
acres unit Of entry be varied in the acreage, according " It's
ability to support family It also provided that the government
could sell rights for lands in private ownership Blu, that "
sale Of water right should be made any person for more @
100 acres the purpose being not only prevent monopoly
lie lands but to break up the existing monopoly by making
interest Of Of large tracts Ct land to divide and sell @
lands into small purchasers who could obtain water HgD"
from the government
Under this act over s2oOOOOOO has been accumulated in the
amaton fund, and is confidently expected that within me H
twenty thirty years from $lj00O0OOO to S2000OOO00 VIII
pended I'D the various irrigation projects or ue WE"
large projects have been nauguracd in different states inc 49,
naugutcd that in Nevada which embraces the UNION Oh VIZ
tiers Of the Tucke and Carson rivers in the great IrucSeeO
seryor from which will be drawn and conducted cna
about 100000 Churchill county Other projects arc u6
yesmtod by the United States geological survey other He
the state Senator Newlands cooperation with the irrigation
uittees Of the Nevada senate and assembly drew up state
bl which intended to bring all tho state authorities INTO c1
ton with the federal authorities in the work Of irrigation VI
This bill characterized by President Roosevelt upon MS wv
l. Il. I.fl. LIT o.,tbor uiNt