The Lamar register., 1909-12-22
IRRIGATION OF LAND
It Provides the Possibility for
a Community to Develop.
Society Interested in Work to See
That Land 10 Properly Utilized
snd Protected. ard Persons
May Secure Homes.

Irrigation profoundly affects society
and institutions. and any person who
Is interested in rural civilization must
necessarily. therefore, be interested
In irrigation.
The best rural civilization will de-
velop out of native rural conditions.
rather than be imposed from without.
said L. II. Bailey. director of the Col
lege of Agriculture of the Cornell uni
versity. in a speech at the recent
Spokane irrigation congress Irrt-
cation makes a rural condition. 1t
provides the possibility for a COM
munity to develop: and 1t must. there
fore. color the entire life of the com
munity. AS the civilization of New
England developed about the town
meeting. and that of the south about
the court house. SO must the civiliza-
ton OF irrigation communities develop
about the ditch meeting.
Irrigation communities are compact
As all the people depend on a single
utility. SO must the community life
tend to be solidifieo and tense. Prob
ably no other rural community will
be SO unified and SO intent on local
social problems. We shall look. there
fore. for a very distinct and definite
welfare to arise in these communi-
ties; and they will make a peculiar
contribution to rural civilization.
All our efforts in forwarding rural
civilization must express themselves in
the development of the community in
. neighborhood sense
The people have made II possible
for MISREPRESENTATION to be de-
veloped; for whether the work is per-
formed by the government directly
or by private enterprise. 1t neverthe-
less rests on national legislation; and
this legislation expresses the consent
and the interest of society in the
work. All Of the people have not
only right to an interest in irriga-
Characterization. but they carry an
obligation to be interested in It. cince
It reclaims and utilities the funda-
mental heritage OF all the people. I
take 1t that society's interest in the
work is Of two kinds: to see that the
land is properly utilized and protect
ed. and to see that persons desiring
homes shall have an opportunity to
secure them. Society is not interest
ed in speculation in land or in mere
exploitation.
In the last analysis the land be-
longs to all the people. No man real
ly owns his land: society allows him
to use II. and to say who shall use It
when he is through with IT: and every
man is under obligation to soci-
ETY. to maintain the fertility of his
land Even a farm is not a mans
own. In the sense that he has a right
10 abuse It without check. More
than that. he is under obligation to
use all the natural resources of the
earth with a care for those who are
to come after him. No man has a
moral or social right to denude the
land of its forest. unless he leaves the
land in condition for his successor to
utilize 1t with satisfaction. The Amer
lean practice OF raping the earth OF
its timber has no defense. none in
economies. but also none in moral
obligation. In making this statement
the fault lies with the timbermau or
with society in general.
Society has a right to ask that you
be careful of your irrigated valleys.
They are Astounding in riches. II is
easy to harvest these riches by the
simple magic of water. You will be
tempted to waste these riches and the
time will come quickly when you will
be conscious of their decline. This
seems remote to you now. but the dan
ger is real Not even the fertility Of
the irrigation waters will maintain
the land in the face of poor agricultu-
"a practise.
1t is tie fat valleys of the great arid
west that will be opened by irrigation.
These valleys are small areas COM
pared with the uplands. the hills and
the unirrigable regions. Society is
interested. also. that you be careful
OF your uplands and hills. for in the
arid regions they give small yield in
forage and In timber; this forage and
timber must be most thoroughly pro-
tected. When the irrigated lands
begin to decline you cannot fall back
on your hills.
Profit In L amba