The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-10-19
eY HERBERT QUICK.


The one hundred. meridian OF
longitude cuts in two each of the
states of North Dakota, South Da-
kota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma
and Texas. Dwellers west Of that
line will object to the term, but
science, keeping long records. judg-
ing the future by the past, and
knowing that climates do not
change, will put down the regions
west of this meridian and east Of
the coast range in the Pacific
states as arid or semi-arid.
This means that half the United
States is deficient in rainfall-a
fact the Importance of which long
ago drew together men interested
in the development of the west in
irrigation congresses. Among those
attending these were two men of
the United States geological sur
vey. Frederick H. Newell and Ar
thur P. Davis. They were engi-
neers, interested in the work of
damning streams and promoting IT.
rigation projects. Irrigation had
long been practiced in the south
west. Many irrigation companies
had been formed and most of them
had failed. 1t seemed to be a work
like forestry, in which it took the
financial power and patience of the
whole people to carry the schemes
through. | think it was Arthur P.
Davis who, in speech at the irri.
cation congress at Los Angeles,
first advocated the reclamation of
arid lands by the general govern
ment. 1t was in measure revolu-
tionary. 1t was "the government
going into business" and the bu-
reaucratic cry was that 1.-The gov
eminent can't do such things as
well as individuals can"
But there were the rich soils and
the steady sunshine, and the land
hungry people, and the only thing
lacking, water, wasting off through
the rivers. The constitution might
not allow it--but the needs of the
world OVERRIDE the power of that
venerable document, and the geo.
logical survey. under Mr.. Newell,
was to set to work at the reclama-
ton business.
Newell has a genius for organi-
cation and accomplishment: Davis
an equal gift in practical engineer
ing management. The two men
went to work with a fine patriotism
that was admirable. Newell then
chief photographer of the geologi-
cal survey, by some beneficent pre-
vision. formed the nucleus of the
reclamation service long before the
reclamation act was passed in 1902.
When 1t was passed, the new
service at once became a more
active and aggressive one than the
geological survey of which 1t is a
child. Newell took Davis with him
as chief engineer of the new SER
vice, and left Marshall o. Leighton
as chief photographer to continue
the great task of gauging the riv-
ers and preparing the way for the
control of floods and the deepening
of navigable streams by head
waters control. The work of util-
izing the water resources of the
nation had so grown that there
was room for all these big men in
it. And the reclamation act was
the first Of those great measures
for the conservation of national re-
sources in which Senator Newlands
of Nevada, the democrat. worked
with Theodore Roosevelt, the re-
publican. ushering in the day when
in the same great cause Roosevelt,
Bryan. Deneen, Folk, Sheldon.
Conner. Hoke Smith, LaFollette,
Hoch and John A. Johnson might
sit about the same council board
comforting together upon issues so
M