The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1907-09-03
THE CONGRESS IN SESSION
Delegates Present From Many Sections
Praises Reclamation Work.

the Improvement of the inland water
ways and praised the government
policy in regard to the preservation Of
the forests. He spoke in part as fol
lows:
"The suggestion that the govern
ment should participate in the work
OF irrigation awakened some opposi-
tion among those who had given little
thought to it and who failed to rea-
lize It's tremendous possibilities.
look upon no incident Of my public
service with more satisfaction than
the support which gave to the recla-
nation act upon the statute books.
The measure now speaks for itself.
It's critics have become its support
ers, and the marvel Of it all is that
its virtues were not earlier foreseen
and such a measure sooner enacted.
! The work Of Development under lt
4 may sometime seem to be slow. The
results, however, are sure. Those
who are familiar with what has been
dome by the government will agree
that much progress has been made
and that the faithful execution of the.
law will result in bringing under
high state of cultivation many mil
lions OF acres OF land which are now
unproductive.
"The effect of irrigation in this
western country can be appreciated
only by those who are familiar with
it from personal observation. The
change made in the conversion OF an
arid waste into fruitful fields seems
almost incredible. There is no more
radical transformation to be found
any where than In the parched val
leys and plains which have been ir-
rigated and which prior thereto pro-
duced nothing but sage brush. The
most unproductive land has become
the most fertile. From the worst, it
takes rank as the best. It is hard to
find anywhere more apparently un-
productive land than that which is oc-
cupied by sage brush, and no more
bountiful harvests are gathered than
those which this same forbidding
land produces when touched by the
vitalizing ..4nuence of irrigation.
There are promising fields today
where there was no sign OF habfta
tion before we entered upon the pres
ent 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 entered and carry it out to the
limits OFF is possibilities.
I. I'VE have long since passed the
experimental stage and it only re
mains to push the work wherever
feasible with the utmost vigor. The
reclamation of every 10 or 20 acres OF
land means the creation Of home
stead which will comfortably support
la family of Industrious, intelligent
and patriotic American citizens. |
'"rhe development Of irrigation by
the national government must have
profound and far-reaching influence
upon the general subject OF irrigation
throughout the country. It will tend
powerfully to the extension OF irriga-
tion into portions of the country
4 which have hitherto relied largely
upon rainfall in the cultivation AMI
growing Of crops. There is no more
important subject for the considers
tion of farmers in many Of the humid
and semi-humid regions than that OF
Y so-called supplemental irrigation. We
must prepare more and more for tho
increased demand upon cur food
supply which comes with the multi:
plying millions OF our population.
Therefore the development Of the sub
ject of irrigation is of interest, not
only to the farmers of these great
] western regions, but to the farmers
!. an,. consumers everywhere.
I. eve do a substantial and perma-
/ net service to our country by en-
larging the area unto which men
land women may come from the CON
il gested centers and hnd occupation
, for their energies and homes for
IL fContinusd ON NiRhta pag@),