The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-10-10
RECLAMATION Of
THE SWAMP LANDS
Eighty Million Acres Can Be
Added to Productive Domain
of the United States.
MATTER SOON COMING UP
CONGRESS WILL BE ASKED TO
LOAN THE MONEY.
MATTER SOON COMING UP
fspecial 10 me HeraldD

Washington, Oct 9-Is the government
of the United States justified in making
a temporary loan of a few paltry mil
lions out of the federal treasury when by
so doing il can add to the arabic area
of the nation approximately S0.000.000
acres of land, thereby increasing farm val
ues anywhere from 1850 900 to 81 000,-
10000? That is the question Ttsed by the
men who advocate the passage of a ma
tional drainage law; the men who would
have the federal government advance the
money for draining the swamps of thirty
seVsn states, just as il is now advancing
Money to reclaim the arid lands of the
west Under the drainage plan the gov
eminent is safeguarded against loss, just
as under the reclamation act. and every
dollar advanced will be returned to the
treasury. There is this difference; the
drainage advocates propose TO repay every
cent of government money with interest
at 3 per cent; the reclamation fund Is
loan withoueinterest.
States Own the Land.
There is but one vital difference between
the proposed plan of federal reclamation
of swamp lands and the adopted plan of
reclamation of arid lands, but that diff
ference is so essential as to engender ma
terial opposition to the proposed law. The
irrigation act permits the use of federal
funds for retaining public arid lands, or
lands held by individual settlers. The
drainage law would provide for the recla-
nation of lands that are almost entirely
the property of the respective states. I'm
der our dual system of government there
Is a serious conflict at once, and before
the national government can undertake
general swamp-land drainage proposition
ii must surmount this substantial diff
Guilty. The only practical method so far
suggested is to have the swamp lands
ceded back to the general government for
purposes of reclamation, and no such plan
can be carried out except by action of
the respective state legislatures.
How II Could Be Done.
Certain it is that in their present over
flowed condition, the eighty odd millions
of swamp lands are of no value TO any
one. The states can not dispose of them;
they can therefore collect no taxes on
them. The individual will not buy them.
for usually the sWampS are of such dl-
mansions that private capital cannot af-
ford their drainage, notwithstanding the
large profits insured. Yet these eighty
millions of acres can be turned into farms
by the expeditions use of money, and this
vast domain, greater in area than Ohio,
Indiana and Illinois, could not only be
made TO support two or three million
families but would add annually to the
farm output of the nation something like
5000 ZOO. And all this can be accom-
plished by borrowing money from the fed
eral government at 3 per cent per an
mum. the government being adequately
safeguarded against loss.
Senator Flint's Bill.
Advocates of a national drainage law
will concentrate their efforts next win
ter TO secure the passage of the bill pre-
pared and introduced by Senator Flint of
California. This bill makes direct initial
loan from the federal treasury of 81, 600,
and provides that moneys derived from
the sale OF public lands in states not con-
tributing TO the national reclamation fund
shall be added to this two millions from
receipts OF the past three years, which,
with the two millions, would provide
about S5.O00.OOO to start As land is re-
claimed and sold, the cost of drainage is
paid back into the fund just as under
the reclamation act the fund being re-
volving, yet constantly increasing in size
due to the annual receipts from public
land sales. The Flint bill would not per-
init any conflict with the work of reclaim
ing arid lands, for there would be two
separate and distinct funds. each indepen-
dent of the other
A national drainage law is advocated
not only because IL will give value to
lands now valueleSS. but because 1t will
render healthful vast areas that are today
disease breeders. The elimination of the
mosquito means great reduction in the
number of cases of malaria and yellow
fever, some scientists believe il means
the determination of the disease which
they maintain, result entirely from the
bite OF a particular breed of mosquito. But
the passage of a drainage law is based
largely upon the sound business principles
underlying the contemplated legislation.
Drainage Would Be Cheap.
The government has expended or is ex-
pending about $40, 900 in retaining arid
lands, and the results so far attained have
been profitable and satisfactory Swami
lands can be reclaimed much cheaper than
arid lands The latter casts on an average
OF SIS per acre; the swamps can be re-
claimed at an average cost of S325 per
acre. Here are S0.0000 600 acres of land
can be sold readily for $50. sometimes $40
and even so per acre, yet today every
iTcre is valueless. Add to the>Value of the
reclaimed lands the value of improve
ments in the way of houses, barns fences
horses, cattle, etc. and the benefit to the
states is Immediately apparent Where
they now derive no taxes they would then
collect taxes on property ranging from
$50 TO 500 TO the acre. Certainly such an