East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-08-29


to hold "A session in the city of Pu-
eblo late in September. I am keenly
sorry that l could not have accepted
the invitation to be present. l must,
however, be in the east at that time.
But since l cannot be present then
to express my keen, long-held, and
deep-felt interest in the reclamation
of arid lands by the federal govern
ment, l desire to do so now There
Is no more effective instrument for
the making of homes than the Unit
ed States reclamation service. and no
government bureau while l was pres
ident had reached higher standard
Of efficiency, integrity and devotion
to the public welfare.
Like the forest service, the reclama
ton service has clashed with certain
private interests, and has had to pay
the penalty of its service TO the pub
lie in form of bitter opposition from
those with whose profit it has inter-
fered. The cry has been raised against
it that the government must not do
for its citizens at less cost what pri-
vate interests are ready to make them
pay for at higher prices. Now,
believe fully in the private develop
ment of irrigation projects which the
government cannot undertake. There
is large and legitimate field for such
work. But the essential thing is to
make homes on the lands, not to en-
able individuals to profit from the
necessities of the men who make
those homes. There is no more war
rant for objecting to the reclamation
of arid lands by the government than
ther would be to protest against the
government for patenting agricultur-
al lands directly to the actual settler
instead of through a middleman. who
could make a profit from the tran
saction. The men who assert their
right to get something for themselves
at the cost of the community instead
of by service to the community We
have always had with us. and doubt
less we always shall. But there is
no reason why we should yield to
them. The reclamation service has
not done so, and that is the chief
reason for the attacks upon it.
/ don't think that there is one
among you who is better and more
thorough-going westerner than l am.
There has been no support given to
the conservation policies so welcome
az that which came from the west,
and none in the west more welcome
than that which came from Colorado.
There are men and organizations in
Colorado and 1 mention Delta in par
ticular, whose support Of the conser-
1t L. Of tl,n =
est value to the nation. 1t has not
always been an easy tning for them
to stand for what was right to stand
for the real ultimate good as against
the seeming temporary good; but they
have stood for 1t steadily neverthe-
less.
From the standpoint of conserva-
ton the east has wasted much of its
own superb endowment; ana as an
American, as a lover Of the west, 1
hope that the west will profit by the
casts bitter lesson. and will not re-
peat the mistake of the east. The
east has wasted its resources, it suf-
fers from the effect OF the waste,
which now puts 1t at a disadvantage
compared to the west, and it is sor-
ry. Most of the capital and very
many of the men now attempting to
monopolize your western resources are
from the east The west should learn
the lesson of the casts mistakes and
IL should remember that conservation
in the west will help the west first
and most, and that the movement for
conservation is most earnest, most
vigorous, and most effective in the
west and among western men. That
is one strong reason why the conser-
walton policy has come to stay.