Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1905-01-27
Maxwell Gets
California Roast

The San Francisco Call: The
National Irrigation association,
which seems to be an alias for
Mr.. Maxwell is greatly in evi-
ldence in an attack on. Senator
lHansbrough Of North Dakota
one of the authors and promoters
Of the federal irrigation law.
Mr.. Maxwell in his Incorporated
capacity has memorialized con-
gress in a general attack on the
senator, and belabors him with
| the same fervor he used in It :
lacking the Modesto and Turlock
| districts in this state, to prevent
their completion Of one Of the
finest irrigation plants in the
world, which is now fertilizi1lg
a quarter of a million acres Of
land
The federal irrigation fund
now amounts to about $50, 900, :
900. 1t is to be hoped that it
will not come to be considered
a companion pork barrel to the
river and harbor bill. It is
growing at the rate Of So, 600, 900
| a year by the sales Of the pub
lie land. Mr.. Maxwell has tried
hard to stop this increment by
lobbying for repeal of existing
land laws, under which alone
does the irrigation fund get adj
ditions to it's volume. Senator
Hansbrough seems to favor not
only the enlargement Of the
fund, but its conservation, by
putting its expenditure under
proper officials and prof ssional
supervision. To do this he has
proposed that a supervising en-
/ gineer be appointed by the presir
Ident, who under direction Of the
| interior department. shall have
general supervision, and direc-
ton of the engineering work re-
CURED by law. ri.
| AT present this task is assign
ed to an employee Of the geologi-
Ical survey, who has neither the
time for the work nor the COM
pensation to Justify his giving
the attention it needs. 1t is
easy to foresee that under such
circumstances the fund will be-
gin to spring leaks. The gov
eminent has a military engi-2
Ineer in chief. who has supervi-
sion of the large expenditures
made under the engineer corps
of the army. That system de-
posts authority and responsible
| lily in one place. The authority
is ample as the responsibility re-
quires, and the effect is to pro-
tect the public land funds. It is
doubtful il authority and respon-
lsibility can be found hand in,
hand anywhere in the admins
tration of the federal irrigation
law. Each work now in pro-
gress seems quite indep endent
of any relation to any other
work, and il there be any con-
nection between them it is
through a subaltern Of a subordl-
nate Of the interior department
We submit that a work as
great as this, pre- senting as;
many mplexities, and implying
such ultimate risks to the ma
tional treasury, was never be-
fore LETT as slipshod in respect to
over sight and exactness in ad I
Iministration. Government, of.
necessity. does such things
Wastefully and therefore there
[ are safeguards, audits, counter
|signs and all sorts Of rifles es-
ltablised by law to catch things
las they flow and reduce to the
minimum the Inevitable waste.
To say that this stipend us ex-
pertinent and enormous expendi-
ture of money shall 60 on under
the normal conditions Of govern
rnent waste, without the safe
guards proved necessary by ex-
|perience is to utter folly Of the
|fiathead brand.
It is not proposed to disturb in
any way the present corps of
construc tion engineers nor to re-
wise or cancel existing contracts
or in any way check the progress
of work now under way. But
it's proposed to put it all under
the direction Of a SUI pervising.
engineer Of the highest quaIifi-
cations equal to those of the
chief engineer OF the army irl
whose Office and under whose eye
every plan made, contract let,
dollar appended, shovel Of dirt
moved and drop Of water I'M
pounded shall be focused
Those who are I'd occupy the
lands irrigated and pay back the
Observation-Disclosures az iian pavnrn yYae4fS