Bisbee daily review., 1907-10-24
COLORADO IS CHANGED
 BY IRRIGATION WORK

DOUGLAS, Oct 23.-tSpecial. )-
 Colorado is being virtually changed in its industry and in its physical as- pect by the national irrigation laws that have reclaimed thousands of acres of arid land that, before the active
 carrying out of the law, President Roosevelt labored so industriously in behalf of, seemed consigned to waste and useless purpose.
 W. E. Slater of Denver, who is at the Roy, believes that eventually the work of irrigation will change the in- dustrial aspect of the state in a great measure Heretofore Colorado has been famous only for its great mineral resources. With the active pushing of irrigation ditches, however, land that possesses no mineral value has been converted into agricultural land of the highest value. This land has laid dormant for years. Its resources have not been taxed With the com ing of the irrigation ditch it's wonder ful productive quality has sprung into life like the rose bush that the Indian magician conjures up for the Europ- can eye.
 | From mines and mining matters many of the eyes of the Coloradians have been turned to agricultural in dustry and pursuits. Last winter they held a live stock show in Denver that convinced middle west cattlemen that Colorado as a future home of pure bred stock possessed inherent quail ties that had for many years been ov- erlooked in the wild craze for mining. Mir Slater admits to possessing 8 few cattle that made very good showing at this show. Although, like many of the other cattlemen of Colo rado, he is only learning the cattle business, he is intensely enthusiastic over the outlook for the successful and profitable raising of cattle on the hitherto arid wastes of his native state When the subject of irrigation was first suggested the politicians of Colorado were apathetic to say the least Mir. Slater explains that many of the politicians out his way possess only the quality of vision that admits of their seeing only as far as the al mighty dollar looms in the distance Only the activity of men who were greater than politicians in both Wash ington and Colorado has brought about this change in state a greater part of which was composed of arid wastes that landowners had struggled unsuccessfully with, in their efforts to eonveAt the soil to producing quality.
 What has been done in Colorado, Mir. Slater says, has been accomplished in Arizona and other states that possess a great amount of arid land. The work of national irrigation is as yet in its infancy, yet thousands of acres of land have been opened for settlers, who are taking advantage of the opportunity to get farms and ranches on easy terms. They are finding that the land is responding to the irrigation and is producing in a manner that would have been thought impossible before the government thoroughly proved the truth of its theory.
 The resources of the state will event ually be doubled by this new agricul tural asset. The population of the state is increasing under the stimulus of land settlement: indusHries incident to cattle raising are springing into ex- istence; the population is spreading to a wider area, and the reclamation ot~the arid lands is proving a boon to .Colorado's growing resources that IS rpToying astonishing to the peopIe wraO scoffed at the national irrigation jaws as a visionary idea of visionary poll ticians.