The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-12-03
should he kept free from every tain, =.

CO1GtQ
should likewise be developed. More
over. the development OF our water
ways Involves many other important
water problems. all of which should be
considered IA part Of the same general
scheme. The government dams should
bc used to produce hundreds Of thou
sands OF horsepower as an Incident to
improving navigation for the annual
value Of the unused water power or
the United States perhaps exceeds the
annual value OF the products Of all our
mines. Az an Incident TO creating the
deep waterway down the Mississippi
the government should build along lis
| whole lower length levees which, TAX
en- together with the control OF the
headwaters. will at once and forever
put n complete stop to all thrent oil
floods IN the Immensely fertile delta
region. The territory lying adjacent
TO the Mississippi along It's lowcr|
course will thereby become one Of the
most prosperous and populous ns II nj
ready IL one OF the most fertile farm
Ing regions In all the world. haveI
appointed nm Inland waterways com |
mission to study and outline n comprc
hensive scheme Of development nlongl
all the lines indicated. Later I shall
lay Its report before the congress.
Reclamation Work.
Irrigation should be far more exten
sively developed than at present. no
only in the states of the great plains
and the Rocky mountains. but in many
othcrs-as. for instance. In large nor.
tons of the south Atlantic and gulf
states. where II should go hand in
hand with the reclamation OF SWAMP
land. The federal government should
seriously devote itself 10 this tasl;
realizing that utilization OF watervnvs
and water power. forestry. irrigation
and the reclamation OF lands threat,
ened with overflow are all intcr,lc-
pendent pnrts OF the same problem
The work OF the reclamation service IN
developing the larger opportunities o.
the western half OF our country fo.
irrigation IL more important than nj.
most any other movement. The con
slant purpose OF the government I'm
connection with :hc reclamation sery.
Ice has been to use the water resources
OF the public lands for the ultimate
greatest good OF the greatest number.
In other words, to put upon the lanl
permanent homemakers. TO use and
develop II for themselves and for their
children and chlldrcn's children. There
has been. OF course. opposition TO thI;
opposition from some Interested
men who desire 10 exhaust the land
Tor their own immediate profit without
regard TO the welfare OF the next gen.
Grafton and opposition from honest and
well meaning men who did not fully
understand the subject or who did nor
look far enough ahead. This opposi-
lion Is. ] think. dying away. and our
people are understanding that Il would
DE utterly wrong TO allow a few In
dividuals to exhaust for their own
temporary personal profit the resources
which ought to be developed through
use so as to be conserved for the per.
manent common advantage Of the peo.
pie as a whole.
Public Lands.
The effort OF the government to deal
with the public land has been based
upon the same principle as that Of the
reclamation service. The land law sys-
roo,, -, a., "as u.S'sneu 10 meet thc
needs or the fertile and well wntered
regions OF the middle west has largely
broken down when applied to the drier
regions OF the great plains. the noun
,.naro VI .ne i"e'nc Slope
,ro,o VI ioo ncies u made
- A., support IN these re-
"a - .ne s!s,ein "n' user 10 fraud.
., ,,a '"nu pasSeu our OF 'he hahds
,ho ,',.. "i'nou. passing mo
na 80. ..e noneinaher' Inc de-
rar,n,.n. VI. INFERIOR ana the dc-
'n, 81. ~ 'uase Jo'neu ~ prosecu',
,hov -. asu'ns' 'he iaw' ana
,,.o . aeonp'isheu huch. whiie
nas - ~, au'n's,rat'on OF the law
o.. " nas pecn changeu.