The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1909-07-28
WEDNESDAY, JULY %. 1909.
The Irrigation Problem.


Arthur Brisbane, the brilliant edi
tor of the New York Evening Jour
nal has the following Ieadind editor
ial headed give Billions for Irri-
gation-why Not?" In a recent is
s.,e of THAT publication, endorsing a
plan outlined by Arthur Hooker of
Snokane. secretary OF the board OF
control OF the National Irrigation
Congress. to memorabilia congress to
Issue 3 per cent gold bonds, running
100 wears. to the amount of $4,000
600 600. equally apportioned for drain
age irrigation. forest protection, deeI
waterways and good roads:
usomebody is shocked because the
advocates of irrigation by the nation
nj government suggest spending five
billions within a few years. putting
water on dry, desert land. One bril-
liant paragraph writer says:
"Only five billions. The national
irripators are too shy. Make 1t a
hundred
"Yes. make It a hundred billions,
bv all means. II that amount is re-
ouired for irrigation, and II the coun-
try in the centuries ahead can spare
ft-wbich It can.
ono money can be spent more
wiselv than Hbe money speut to SUD
plv water. fertility and crops to soil
drv and useless without the water.
"FYye billions seems like a good
deal nj money hut At isn't very
much n n Ia we'll snent. The ma.
ton that can talk eliblv about nil
ing nm battleships. instruments of
death at Ian millions apiece. the
nation that can give that fortune of
n Thousand millions tn an individual
the nation that can spend millions
for vbiskv that ru,na the brain and
bodv-can we'll afford to spend bill.
lion. on irrigation whsch IA the i'm.
provement of the earth.
UTbe greatest somrce nj wealth
that We know ia water. The water :.
drawn I'M from the salt OCEAN scat.
tered over Tho land nv tho clouds
The rain poura into the great lakes
And this wafer worth many times
five hirliona usbes ont into the
ocean. where A. ia lost taking with
II through the month Of the Miss,ssir
nj and other great rivers the valu
able soil worth many millions more.
UBefore the waters of our lakes
and rivers rim hack tn the ocean
human ingenuity shouId take all that
In needed IN scatter over tho drv
fields. Even the fields that we call
fertile mead moro water and ought 4,
have IL.
"The hav crop of this country
could he dnubled without extra La.
bor or expense. N theree were water
unlimited for the growing Of erass.
"Farmers tmpoverish Themselves
having thirty and forty dollar. a
von ,o- ,art,Itxar d., ,ho ,.-.u,x.,
without the water IA useless and
with irrigation the water wou,d no,
cost hall n cent . ton
.When the government snends Its
millions and billions on IRRIGATION !,
will be doing the real work n, the
human race ON this earth our work
here is to deyelop the earth make
II into m beaut,,rl MARI fert,le ayarx
inch irrigated and cu,tivated-a ma II
in which human beings NAV live tn
zether in neace and n,entv In bar
mo,v and ,-,.rdsh,r
"This work ia going IN ba dane
and the advocates os ir,dvat,or ha,,
II along Tha dav w,I, cor,a ,vban
not a dollar win ba snert for n It'll
a bullet. a hattIesbin or n lawver
Emulation will replace comnetit,or
everywhere. Contsets between men
~ oo 'oH.eSls VI iaiho' each strue
Shh6' nol " neip nimseu, Dut tC