Arizona republican., 1909-08-12

been dOutu 10 lllt NdIut Ol lIloSt ldlltln' With the additions which are now contemplated in the completion of irri- gatIon works now under construction and those contemplated, the increase of values will be more than propor- tionately continue and the cOnsumma tion of the revolving fund brought about by the return of the cost of con structiOn of present works will enable the government in the course of years where feasible projects exist to In crease beyond calculation the wealth of the irrigable regions and the con- tinual expansion of opportunities for settlement and for homes; the end to be reached only when irrigable lands cease to be available. Lands that may be considered under present methods non-irrigable in the development of mechanical and electrical capacity for raising water onto higher levels may be economically irrigable in years to come, so that no one can today define the limits of possibility. as they are not the limits of conceivability.
 Any one who has visited one or more of the reclamation projects now in operation and sees on the one hand the desert covered with sage brush and barrenness, and on the other the water flowing over the fertile soil producing heavy crops of grain or orchards of fruit, appreciates to the fullest extent the benefits of irrigation.
 Too Much Under Way.
 "The people of the west. therefore. who are familiar with these wonderful results in Irrigation are highly appre- ciative of the importance of the rec lamation service, but the great diff culty which that service encounters is in finishing the projects now under taken as against a clamor for d diver sion of the funds to new fields. In this respect the service has suffered in not carrying to completion a less mum Der of projects than it is now engaged in constructing.
 q cannot conceive of anything which will contribute more to the permanent wealth and prosperity of the reclama- ton states and territories that the continued construction on the broadest scale possible of irrigation works
 "The danger which the government is undertaking to overcome is the es- tablishment of small irrigation projects in localities whereby such establish ment the larger opportunities are de- stroyed. this preventing enormous areas of lands from ever acquiring the use of water. It is quite true that many small projects capable of being financed by men of limited means can be carved out Of larger possibilities. but to encourage them means the loss of the larger possibilities. For lack of funds the government is at present often required to surrender possibil- ities in water appropriations which means an enormous loss in future de velopment of irrigation works. and fear this is not fully appreciated. It is for this reason that at times private enterprises are disposed to contend that the government is obstructing their interests which from the larger view their interests are Obstructing greater possibilities for larger areas of irriga- ble land. l may mention here what has frequently occurred to me as a source of advantage, both to the states and federal government. and that is the securing from the various state of uniform legislation in the matter of the appropriation of water and it's ben eficial use, and also legislation looking to the control and conservation of all available water power.
 Need of Uniform Regulation.
 This congress could accomplish no greater work beyond the stimulation of interest in the development of irri- gation than to secure uniform water regulations in the interstate waters
 "Ours is a nation of busy people, a nation of great resources and possibil- ities and most favorably situated for trade and commerce It's wealth is greater than that Of any single coun- try. even of France and Germany com bined, and this wealth is increasing at a fabulous rate. Much of 1t has been accumulated by the destruction, by the sacrifice and waste of natures gifts, and it is a fOrtuitous circum- stance that the country has been brought to understand the importance of utilizing and saving our natural wealth and making it possible for the nation to continue to prosper and for the generations that are to come to have some share in that prosperity, es- pecially since no element Of the na- tion's wealth is greater than that con tained in the soil. For this reason, if no other the wOr kOf reclamation of the arid and semi-arid lands of the west is worthy of first importance in the development of the nations re- sources. Every acre of irrigable land will be needed in the nations economy.
 'In century we have passed from a purely agricultural country to an in dustrial and commercial country, but we have not Outgrown the necessity for agriculture. We have of necessity maintained agriculture and have added to our national activities industrial and commercial progress to a wonder ful degree. The wealth of the nation