Arizona republican., 1908-02-20
PHOENIX. ARIZ, FEBRUARY 20. 'OS
A COMPARISON OF DEBTS OF
 GRATITTDE

Atit dpDtdlGu ACSteludA III dll dl- ternoon paper. an alleged contribution by "a Republican and Taxpayer of Maricopa county" in which a compari- son is made of the debts of gratitude aker ana President Roosevelt We think we detect the ungenuineness of the contribution in the argument which the same paper has now and then advanced, that we had better dc what President Roosevelt orders Tn all things or the great work of reclama- tion will be brought to standstill in this territory. That same paper warned it's readers in the midst of the statehood fight that if The Republican too vigorously opposed the join 1ure policy the president would likely retaliate by causing work to be stopped on the Roose- welt dam. No other paper. and no antagonist of the president has placed so low an estimate on his char acter. There has been no other such accusation of the presidents narrow ness of soul. as is contained in that warning to the republicans of Mari copa county.
 But it is of another matter We wish a comparison Of debts of gratitude is necessarily in bad taste. We would not follow the subject now but for the evident object of the alleged "com- Senator Foraker.
 Ii is true that President Roosevelt from the beginning of his administra- tion has been friendly to the cause of national irrigation; that, in message to congress he urged the passage of the national irrigation act and after its passage, consented at the request of the reclamation service to the un- dertaking in Arizona of the first pro- ject. the Tonto Basin dam, whose pos abilities had enthused the engineers of the geological survey Tor years.
 But the friendIiness of MT. Roosevelt toward national irrigation may be said to have been passive. It would have been active if there had been need for it but there was none, for the way had been paved for it before he became had been overcome and the bill was destined to pass when it did pass President Mckinley on the occasion of his visit to Phoenix four months be- fore his assassination, in public speech at the capitol building pledged his support to the cause of national irrigation.
 If there has ever been a great and successful movement that may be traced directly to a single source, it is the national irrigation movement The source of it, as We have before shown, was George H. Maxwell 70 whom we are doubly indebted in such a degree that our debt to him overshadows all others we owe to those who assisted him. He not only carried the idea to success but it was he alone who made it beneficial to the Salt River Valley.
 Twenty years ago MT. Maxwell was an apostle of national irrigation. The cast regarded the subject as an un- reasonable folly and the west generally looked upon MT Maxwell as a dreamer.
 Finally he interested the railroads and secured money from them for q fund for a campaign of education. Next, he interested eastern manufac- lures and showed them the possibility of a great market in the to-be- peopled arid wastes. The east was shown that it could well afford to as sist in establishing on the deserts what it had at first regarded as agricultural competition. Out of these efforts of Mir. Maxwell came finally, the Hans brough-Newlands act.
 As that bill was drawn, as all irri- satiOn legislation had been contem- plated. and as it had been recommend ed by President Roosevelt it would have been lo more beneficial Co the people of this valley than it would have been to the natives of the in- tcrrhF of South Africa The Tonto dam could never have been built for there was not enough public land un- de' it subject 10 reclamation to war rant such an enormous expenditure. Neither the president, nor any Of the friends of reclamation had ever had this region. or others similarly situted, in mind as beneficisTies of the pro posed legislation. Nor had Mir. Max the bill was introduced, he had begun seeking it's amendment so as to make it applicable to lands already in pri- Nate ownership, He at length, on the