Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1906-09-03

shall be done, now IL snail De done, or
the precise way in which the expendi-
lures shall be made. All that is set
lied. There remains, however, the
critical question of how best to utilize
the reclaimed lands by putting them
into the hands of actual cultivators
and home makers who will return the
original outlay in annual installments
paid back into the reclamation fund;
the question of seeing that the lands
are used for homes and not for specu-
lation or for the building up of large
fortunes
This question Is by no means SIM
pie. 1t is an easy matter to make
plans and spend money. During the
a great investment like this, the men
in charge are praised and the rapid
progress is commended. But when
the time comes for government to
make a demand for the refund of the
investment under the terms of the
law then the law itself will be put to
the test, and the quality of it's admin
istration will appear
The pressing danger just now spr-
ings from the desire of nearly every
man to get and to hold as much land
as he cam whether he can handle it
profitably or not, and whether or not
it is for the interest of the community
that he should have it. The prosper
ity of the present irrigated areas
came from the subdivision Of the
land and the consequent intensive cul-
tivation. With an adequate supply Of
water, a five acre farm in some parts
of the arid west, or of forty acres
elsewhere, is as large as may be sue
cessfully titled by one family. When,
therefore, a man attempts to hold 100
acres Of land completely irrigated by
government work, he is preventing
others from securing a home and is
actually keeping down the population
of the state.
the government must be checked at
whatever cost. The object Of the re-
clamation act is not to make money,
but to make homes. Therefore, the
requirement of the reclamation act,
that the size of the farm unit shall be
limited in each to an area which will
comfortably support one family must
be enforced in letter and in spirit.
This does not mean that the farm
unit shall be sufficient for the pres
ent family with it's future grown chill
dren and grand children, but rather
that during the ten years of payment
the area assigned for each family shall
| be sufficient to support it. When once
the farms have been fully tiled by
free holders. little danger of land
monopoly Will remain.
Problem Before Congress.
This great meeting of practicable
| irrigators should give particular at
tention to this problem and others OF
the same kind. You should, ana, !
doubt not that you will, give your eff
fectual support to the officers of the
government in making the reclama :
ton law successful in all respects
and particularly in getting back the
original investment, so that the money
of other projects and thus in the gen.
erai extension of prosperity in the
west. Until it has been proved that
this great investment of $4,000 OOO
in irrigation made by the government
will be returning to the treasury, IL
is useless to expect that the people
| of the country will consider direct
appropriations for the work. Let us
| give the reclamation service a chance
to utilize the present investment a
second time before discussing such
increase. I look forward with great
| confidence to the result.
BY the side of the reclamation
| servise there has grown up another
service of not less interest and value
to you of tthe west. This is the forest
service, which was created when the
charge of the forest reserves was
transferred from the interior depart
ment to the department of agricul-
ture. The forest policy of the admin
istration. which the forest service is
engaged in carrying out, is based, as
l have often said, on the vigorous pur-
pose to make very resource of the for
| est reserves contribute in the highest
degree to the permanent prosperity OF
the people who depend upon them. II
ever the time should come when the
! western forests are destroyed, there
will disappear with them the prosper
ity OF the stockmen. the miner, the
lumber man and the railroads, and
most important of all the small ranch
man who cultivates his own land. ]
know that you are with me in the in
tention to preserve the timber, the
water, and the grass by using them
| fully. but wisely and conservatively
We propose to do this through the
| freest and most cordial cooperation
between the government and every
N hn tc in, At-.-