The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-12
IRRIGATION LAW
IS SATISFACTORY
SENATOR HANsBRoUGH NOT CO.
ING TO TRY FOR AMENDMENT. ..
North Dakota Solon Says He Was Only
DESTROYS Of Having High Glass
Engineer in Charge and President
Has Seen to This Without Amend
ment to Law.

Senator Harsbrough of North Da-
kota, who was in St. Paul yesterday,
denies the report from Washington
that he is going to try for an amend
ment to the irrigation law this winter,
which will take the work out of the.
hands of the interior department. He
says the present organizations of the
work, with a competent engineer to
supervise the bureau, is satisfactory,
and he has no intention Of trying to
change it,
In an interview Senator Hansbrough
stated the situation to Il j u n a /
as follows:
the irrigation law was passed in 1902,
the work was placed under the interior
department. What has since been
known as the reclamation bureau was
organized out of the employees of the
geological survey. There was gen
eral feeling in congress that the gov
ernment, having entered upon the recla-
nation of arid lands, the very best en-
gineering talent of the country should
have charge of the work. There was
some doubt, whether well-founded or
not, about the capacity of the geogra-
piers and photographers of the survey
bureau, and their fitness for this i'm
portant service.
Gas chairman of the committee on
public lands, I had had charge of the
Irrigation law. By reason of this fact
] felt a very deep interest in its sue
cess. l had no doubt in my mind of the
Importance of securing the best engl-
neering ability; so | introduced the bill
creating the office Of supervising engi-
neer Of the reclamation service. This
was done after consultation with Presi-
dent Roosevelt.
''Some of the members of the recla
nation service objected to my bill, and
devoted themselves very strenuously
during the entire session to preventing
consideration of it. The irrigation
committee was quite evenly divided or
the measure, and the session adjourned
without any action.
President Took Action.
engineer of high attainments appear
to have been deeply impressed on thu
president s mind and about wear ago
being advised by the attorney genera
that he had full authority under the ir
rigation law to do so, he appointed MI
Grunsky, who had been on the Panam;
canal commission, and who was an en-
giH'eer Of pronounced ability, to tn
position which [ had sought to creat
in my bill. Very naturally the reclama
tion service was greatly displeased witt
the action of the president, and thr1
what may be termed the literary de
partment Of the service, this displeas
ure was extensively paraded in tn
newspapers, the president being severe
ly criticized for his action. 1t wa
charged to begin with that when I in
troduced my bill to create the office o
supervising engineer, my purpose wa
to take the reclamation work out of tn
hands of men who were appointed un
der the civil service law, and to plac
it in the hands of some man who woul
build up political machine. Thi
charge was enlarged upon from tim
to time, until numerous senators an,
Representatives were brought into tn
alleged conspiracy.
every naturally the literary bureau
of the reclamation service was great.
embarrassed when President Roosevelt
himself, a famous stickler for civi
service methods, came to regard the sit
uation as 7 did, and Mr.. Grunsky wa
frowned upon as an interloper. Moth
ing has since transpired to confirm tn
dire apprehension Of the reclamatio
service. I am sure that, in the appoint
ment of Mr.. Grunsky.s the presiden
had no thought of building up polit
cal machine. Nor do [ believe that M
Grunsky himself had any idea of tina
kind. I am glad to know that tn
reclamation service has concluded t
work in harmony with Mr.. Grunsky
and feel confident that they will wor
together without friction.'