Arizona republican., 1907-09-03
MIR. FAiRsANkS' ADDRESS.
MT. Fairbanks said in part

The suggestion that the government i should participate in the work of irri- gation awakened some opposition among those who had given little thought to it and who failed 10 realize ! its tremendous possibilities. look
 upon no incident of my public service
 with more satisfaction than the sup
 port which I gave to the reclamation act upon the statute books. The meas
 now speaks for itself. Its critics have become its supporters. and the marvel
 of it all is that its virtues were not earlier foreseen and such a measure sooner enacted. The work of develop ment under 1t may sometimes seem 10
 be very slow. The results. however. are sure.
 There Is no more radical trans- formation to be found anywhere than in the parched valleys and plains
 which have been irrigated and which
 prior thereto produced nothing but sage brush. The most unproductive land has become the most fertile. From
 the worst. it takes rank as the best.
 + is hard to find anywhere more ap- parently unoroductive land than that
 which is occupied by sage brush, and
 
 cred than those which this same for bidding land produces when touched
 by the vitalizing influence of irriga- tion. There are promising fields today where there was no sign of habitation before we entered upon the present reclamation policy. and what Is being done is but prophetic of what we shall accomplish if we faithfully adhere to the policy upon which we have enter ed and carry it out to the limits of it's possibilities.
 The development of irrigation by the national government must have a profound and far-reaching influence upon the general subject of irrigation throughouk the country. It will tend powerfully to the extension of irriga- ton into portions of the country which have hitherto relied largely upon rain- fall in the cultivation and growing of crops. There is no more important subject for the consideration Of farm CTS in many of the humid and semi humid regions than that of so-called supplemental irrigation. We must prepare more and more for the in creased demand upon our food supply which comes with the multiplying millions of our population.
 We do substantial and permanent service to our country by enlarging the area uoto which men and women may come from the congested centres and find occupation for their energies and homes for their heads. Increase the home builders and the home owners of the republic and you augment it's real abiding strength.
 'The development of the reclamation service in this western country means the increase of migration hither of many desirable citizens. It means that in good time many immigrants who otherwise would settle upon the Allan tic seaboard will come here and avail themselves of the opportunities which are to be found in this vast region where natures bounties afford an am pie and inviting field.
 "One of the most promising things in the extension of irrigation Is the development of the beet sugar indus try. This is a subject of no more local importance. We are sending abroad more than one hundred millions of dollars a gear for sugar. This enor- mous sum goes to the enrichment of sugar producers in foreign countries. This is an unwise policy and should not be continued forever. This tre- mendous annual drain should be stop ped. By pursuing a rational course, we can produce from our own soil and refine in our own factories all of the sugar needed for our use.
 Closely related to the subject of ir- rigation is the work of forestry pres ervation. The two subjects go hand in hand. We have pursued q somewhat reckless policy with regard to the for ests O: the United States. In some sections of the country, in fact. in al- most every section, we have denuded our lands of timber in what now seems to have been almost a wanton fash ion. We now see what some of the older countries in their experience have seen, that 1t is necessary to ad- here to a rational. scientific forestry system. not only in the interest of our future forests but in the interest of the important subjects of irrigation and navigation.
 We have not fairly begun to appre- ciate the full value of our streams and rivers. We have not fairly begun to appropriate them to the benefits of our agriculture. industry and commerce. The waters which come down from the sides of these mountains may be con- verted into electrical power and car ried hundreds of miles with but little loss to the initial energy and appro- priated to lighting and heating cities. operating mines and driving the wheels of industry. We have thousands of miles of rivers which may be made navigable ard thousands of miles of rivers which are navigable in a degree but which should be deeDened and improved so as to meet our growing i needs. Our rivers are the natural highways of commerce and there ! should be additional facilities to in- sure cheap and ready transportation. The capacity of the railways of thel country is already taxed to the ut |