Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1908-10-31
IRRIGATION PLAN is DEMOCRATIC

nope TO persuade the East unit
the men of the West were united
and SO, with yew of shaping 8
broad and comprehensive nationai
measure that would include the en-
tire arid region, and secure the sup
port of every State and Territory
in it, l examined carefully all the
bills that had been prepared on the
subject. l consulted Mr.. Newell OF
the Reclamation Service, Mr.. Mead
of your own State (WyomingO, the
| Secretary of the Interior, and others
| who had the cause of irrigation at
heart, and received most valuable
suggestions from Mr.. Shafroth and
Mr.. Bell; and finally, after serious
consideration, prepared a bill on
the 26th of January, 1901, which con-
tanned every essential feature of the
Reclamation Act that is now upon
the statute book.
1T provided that the receipts from
the sales of public lands should be
put into a reclamation fund which
should be used as a revolving fund
for the construction of reclamation
protects that the Secretary of the
Interior should have the power to
withdraw from entry not only the
lands essential for the construction
of irrigation works, but also the lands
tc be settled; that the Secretary of
the Interior should have the power
to enter upon the immediate construc-
ton of irrigation works wherever in
his judgement he might deem a pro
ject feasible, the only limitation up
on his power being that there should
be present in the fund the money
necessary to pay the contract.
1T provided against land monopoly
by providing for small homes for
actual settlers not exceeding ~
acres in area, and it provided for the
destruction of existing monopolies OF
land by providing that no private
owner of land could secure water
right for more than 80 acres, thus
compelling the division into small
farms of all lands in large areas
which the owner desired to come
under the operation of the reclama-
ton act. The bill also provided for
the payment of the cost OF the pro
iect by the settlers, without interest
in 10 annual instruments, the fund
being maintained as revolving fund
for future operations.
THIS BILL SOLVES PROBLEM.
This BILL" Mr.. Newlands contin-
ued, "was considered at a meeting
of a number of Senators and Repre-
sentatives at my house, and upon the
motion of Senator Pettigrew the bill
was approved and Senator Hans
brough who afterwards became so
strenuous a friend of national irrt
cation, was requested to Introduce
it in the Senate, which was done
few days later.
This bill was Immediately accept
ed by the Western newspapers and
Western sentiment as satisfactory
solution of the question, and within
six weeks, and before the close OF the
session on the 4th of March, the
movement for it's passage had made
such Roadway that it received the
sanction of the Committee on Irri-
CATION of the House which committee
had been moved to its consideration
by the overwhelming sentiment of
the West.
"All this was accomplished before
Mr.. Roosevelt became President. The
Western press announced that the
bill would be pressed by the West
at the following session, and when
Mr.. Roosevelt succeeded to the
Presidency it was confidently expect
ed that this bill would receive his
powerful aid.
OPPOSITION TO The BILL.
Meanwhile, however" continued
Mr.. Newlands, "a movement was or
ganized In Wyoming to defeat this
bill and to substitute for it measure
In harmony with the Wyoming view,
which had first favored the cession
of said lands to the State, and then
favored the construction of dams by
the National Government without ref.
erenca to compensation, and which
was always tenacious to maintain
the individualism of Wyoming which
had adopted advanced views regard
ing legislation on this subject, both
in it's constitution and laws. had
H..