Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-05
Reioices That He Inherited
the Policy From His
1c Predecessor.

l which. when perfected. give the settler
the right 10 farm the surface. while the
i coal beneath the surface Is retained IN
| ownership by the government and may be
| disposed OF by II under other laws.
/ There is no crying need for radical re-
| form in the methods of disposing of what
are really agricultural lands. The pres
| ent laws have worked well. The en-
| larged homestead law has encouraged the
successful farming OF lands in the semi
arid regions. or course the teachings OF
the Agricultural Department as 10 how
these subarid lands may be treated and
the soil preserved for useful culture are
! of the very essence of conservation. Then
conservation of agricultural lands is
shown in the reclamation OF arid lands
by irrigation and | should devote rev
words TO what the government has done
and is doing In this regard.
by the reclamation act a fund has been
created of the proceeds Of the public
lands OF the United States with which to
construct works for storing great bodies
OF water at proper attitudes. from which
by a suitable 81 stem of canals and bitches
the water is TO be distributed over the
arid and subarid lands OF the, govern
ment. to, be sold to settlers at price
sufficient 10 pay for the improvements
Primarily the projects are and must be
for the Improvement Of public lands. In
cidentally. where private land fs also
within reach Of the water supply, the fur
nishing at cost or profit OF this water TO
private owners Dv tHe government l. Hciu
by the federal court OF appeals not to be
a usurpation of power. But certainly
this ought not TO be done except from
surplus water. not needed for government
land About thirty projects have been
set on foot distributed through the public
land states in accord with the statute. ny
which the allotments from the reclama-
ton fund are required TO be as near as
practicable in proportion TO the proceeds
from the sale of the public lands in the
respective states. The total sum already
accumulated in the reclamation fund Is
sGO. 213 25S. 30. and Of that all but SO. 49,
955.34 has been expended.
1T became very clear TO Congress at its
last session, from the statements made by
experts, that these thirty projects could
not be promptly completed with the BAL
ance remaining on hand or with the
funds likely to accrue in the near future.
IL was found, moreover. that there are
many settlers who have been led into
taking up lands with the hope and un-
derstanding of having water furnished in
short time. who are left in a most dis
tressing situation. I recommended to
Congress that authority be given to the
Secretary of the Interior TO issue bonds i'm
anticipation of the assured earnings by
the projects so that the projects. worthy
and feasible. might be promptly COM
pleted, and the settlers might be relieved
from their present inconvenience and
hardship. In Authorizing. the issue of
these bonds Congress limited the applica-
ton Of their proceeds to those projects
which a board of army engineers to be
appointed by the President should exam
inc and determine to be feasible and
been appointed and soon will make its re-