The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1906-09-06
IRRIGATION CONGRESS.
President Addresses q Message TO the
Delegates to the National Meet
ina nj Boise. Idaho.

ing nj Boise. Idaho.
Boise. Idaho. Sept. 5.-The national
irrigation congress opened It's sessions
I'm his city. with "A fair at
tendance of delegates. The secretary
read the following letter from Presi-
dent Roosevelt.
To the officers and Members OF the Ir-
r%iyation Congress, Boise. Idaho: opera
I signed on June II, isos. have been carried
on cncrgetically during the four years
since that date. Tn reclamation service.
consisting of over 900 skilled engineers and
experts N various lines. has been organ
ICED. aud .; IL now handling the work with
rapidity and effectiveness Construction
Is already well advanced on t~wenty-ihrce
great enterprises In tho ard states and
territories. over i.0a.ooo acres OF land
have been laid out for irrigation. and OF
THIS 200" acres are now under ditch. NO
miles Of canals and bitches and D.g"o feet
OF tunnel have been completed and is.cs~
90 cubic yards OF earth aud a.o~.0o cubic
yards % rock have been moved. Detailed
topographic surveys have been extended
over 1000 square miles OF country within
While, the reclamation work IL located. and
coco rHt.cs % level Ines ave been run.
Thr"" hundred buildings. including offices
AMI sleeping quarters for workmcn. have
b-.vu erected bV the reclamation service,
and gbuu: an equal numbrr by the contrac-
tore. over ig.U" men AMI about 300
uprEr- are AT present employed.
INF t'Finu OF EfttfNl surveys anu *
am,Hations for projects " past. Effort IL
now Coao'ntrltsd la getting the water
upcu a sufficient area ~ .rrigablc land In
.acn P-oj"ci to put u on "A ~r"vcnu"-pro-
duciug basis, To bring all the projects TO
thr point will require upwards OF $1,000
on. which amount. q is estimated. will b.
available" from the receipts from the d,s-
posal OF pubic lands Tor the years i~9oi-lsS.
"" may we'll congratulate ourselves
upon the rapid progress already made. and
rejoice that the Infancy OF the work has
been safely passed. But We must not FOR
get that th'r" are dangers and difficulties
stu ahead. and that only unhrokcu vigil
lance. efficiency. Integrity ard good rens"
viii suffice To prevent disaster. Their" -
now mo question az To where the work
shall be- done. how IL shall h. done. or the
precise way In which the expenditure
shall be made. All that is Fcttcd. There
remains. however. she critical question OF
how best TO utiliY" the reclaimed lands by
putt ng hem into the hands OF actual cul-
tiyu.ois a&d home-mnkers who will re-
turn the ortE!ral outlay In annual INSTALL
mcuts paid back into the reclamation
fund. ihr question of seeing that the lands
IRE used Tor home. and not Tor purposes OF
speculation or for the building up 81 large
fortunes,
This question IL by no means simple. II
ls easy To- make plans and spend money.
During 10" time when the government Is
making a great Investment like this. the
men IN charge are praised and the rnp.d
rogrrys H. commended. Hut when tn"
AAsit' f'Htt'H " ~ A'N'A NAAA ~ ~
maud IA" refund 81 the investment under
the teens % the law. then IN" law Itself
viii b" pat 10 tho test. and tn" quality OF
It, administration will appear.
Th' pressing danger Just 10Y springs
from th' desire 81 nearly every man to get
and hold as mu"h land AZ n" can. whether
h. can handle q; probably or not. and
whether ar M. u . FOR the Interest OF the
community that De- should have ". Tn"
prosperity Of the present irrigated areas
cam, from The subdivision 81 the land and
IN" consequent inicnsis" cultivation. With
an adequate upp OF water. "A farm ~
~" acres in some parts of the arid west.
or % forty acres elsewhere. II as large as
may be- succcsy!ully tillcd 10y one family.
when. Therefore. a man attempts to hold
leo acres OF land completely Irrigated by
government work. H. H. preventing others
from acquiring u home. aud u actually
keeping down the population ~ the state.
Speculation in lands reclaimed by tn"
government must L. checked at whatever
cost. Tn" object % %, reclamation act -
not 'u MAX" money. but 10 make. homes.
Therefore. the requirement OF tire rrclama-
ton act hat the size Of the farm shall b"
limited Ia each region 10 the area which
viii comfortably support OF" family. mus,
b~ enforced In letter and In spirit. This
does not mean that the farm unit shall be
sufficient for the present family with Its
fuiur" children and grandchildren. hut
rather that during the ten years % pay
mcnt IN" area assigned for each family
shall y" sufficient TO support n. When
once the farms ayc been fully tiled by
f%rceholdcrs little danger Of land monopoly
will rcmain.
This great meeting OF practical irriga-
tors should give particular n, to
this problem and others OF the same kind.
You should. and ] doubt not that you Will.
give your cncctuai support TO the officers
of the government IN making the reclama-
ton law susrcssful. In all respects. and
particularly In getting back the original
Investment. - that the money may h."
used again in the completion OF other pro-
tFNfa. and thus In the general gNtgnaLan Of
prosperity In the west. tntl "a has been
proved that his great Investment OF Sto.-
$500 In Irrigation made by the govern
mont VIII be returning TO tho treasury. it
In useless 10 expect that the people OF tho
country Will consider direct appropriations
for the work. let us give the reclamation
service a chancc TO utilize the present In