The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-02-03
SETTLERS UPON DESERT LANDS
Object Of Plan Of Federal Reclama-
ton Bureau.

ton Bureau.
which drafted the irrigation code
which is now pending before the state
legislature, state that the measure was
drawn, So far as their wisdom enabled
them to do it, to fit into the plans of
the national reclamation bureau. This
policy is explained as follows:
The object of the federal government
plan of reclamation Of arid land Is to
place upon the soil actual settlers at
no greater cost to those settlers than
will compensate the government for it's
own expenditure in furnishing an irri-
for land spectators. The PalOuse
dith is understood to be one Of the
experimental systems which the gov
eminent engineers hope to employ as
an actual demonstration of the utility
of the federal plan. Engineer Noble.
now in Olympia, is urging legislation
which will enable the state of Wash
ington to avail itself Of the government
fund set aside for the promotion Of
state irrigation schemes. He favors
the adoption of the proposed irrigation
code as a means to that end.
Cost Question Considered.
The objection raised by the oppon-
ents of the code is that of expense. The
ccde provides that when an appropria-
ton of water is attempted every per-
son already interested in the water
sources affected must be brought into
the superior court by personal service.
This provision was incorporated in the
code, members of the commission ex-
plain, because the state constitution
provides that all property litigation
must be taken before that tribunal.
They feared that any effort to evade
this plain provision would result in a
judicial declaration that the code was
unconstitutional. Opponents of the
measure have seized upon this pro-
vision and raised the question of ex-
pcnse. 1t is asserted that in the case
5000 persons will have to be served in
order to bring the matter before the
court for final adjudication.
Answer the Objection.
This fact is admitted by advocates of
the code, but they ridicule the sugges-
ticn that the cost would be very large
because each one of these separate
summons upon which fees and mileage
could be charged. A member of the
commission said yesterday:
Under our code of civil procedure
any male citizen of adult age may
serve a summons. In a matter involv-
ing water rights the state engineer,
who, under the proposed irrigation
would simply put man on a horse at
SO or 81 day and send him out to
serve the papers. One man could do it
in few days, because the interested
persons all live within a comparative
ly small area. The cost, therefore,
would be trif1ing compared with the
magnitude of the interests involved.
Elwood Mead, who was state en-
gineer of Wyoming when that state
embarked upon irrigation experiments
about dozen years ago, has stated
lately in Washington that of all the
lands involved in the establishment of
irrigation districts and the construc-
ton of bitches, the owners of only two
fifths of l per cent. ever appealed to
the courts. In all other cases the is
sues were settled before the officials
empowered by the irrigation code of
the state to manage such matters. The
proposed Washington code follows that
OF Wyoming in matters of procedure,
and it is believed would entail no larg-
er percentage of litigation.