The Cairo bulletin., 1910-09-08
TWO PRESIDENTS
Of BIG RAILROADS
JAMES J. HILL AND w. w. FINELY
TELL CONSERVATION CON-
GRESS WHAT TO DO.
FAVOR STATE CONTROL
Hill Says Federal Government Too
Slow, Too Far Away and Too
costly--Tariff an Enemy Of
4 Conservation.

st. Paul Sept. 7.-Witn the presi
Dental and former presidential lu-
mnaries shedding rays elsewhere,
the light OF the National Conserva-
tlon Congress became visible today!
Monday and Tuesday Taft and Roose
welt delivered addresses which over
shadowed all else ana when they left
the hall were followed by most OF the
delegates, to say nothing of the spec
tatofs.
The two sessions today. addressed
by james j Hill, Senator Beverage.
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson and
others. were well attended and en-
thusiastic.
Beyeridge waxed eloquent to differ
ent purpose, but the crowd noisily ap-
proved.
Clifford .incnot almost lost during
the perioI of presldentian presence,
suddenly found himself in the lime
light and received an ALMOST hysteri-
sal welcome, Tears sprang to his eyes
and We're still in his voice when he
said few words of thanks.
Another feature, of which the
spectators knew little il anything,
was the closing of the Edward &.
Hines incident. He defied the Illi-
nois delegation which had protested
against his being chairman OF the ere
dentials committee on the ground
that public gossip connected him too
closely with the alleged purchase of
Senator's Lormer's seat in the SEN
ate. Hines told his fellow Chicago
ans that he aad been appointed chair
man ana that siuce they Chose 10
play penny politics" he would fight
them all along the lire.
N. 2. Baker, president OF the con
gress. understanding that Hines did
not desie 10 seve, had appointed Prof
G. e. Contra. of The University OF
Nebraska. Coulra suggested a com
pomise which Hines accepted, name
ly that Condra should report on the
numbr of delegates present and then
ask that the committee be discharg
ed. This was done and the incident
declared closed.
Speaking on Practical Conservation
Jas. ]. Hill, president of the Union
Pacific railway said in part;
They are dangers inseparable from
national control ,andconduct of af-
fairs. The machine is too big and
TOO distant; its operation is SLOW
combrous and costly. So slow is It
tnat settlers are waiting in distress
for water promised long ago. So
faulty has been the adjustment Of
time and money that congress has
had to authorize the Issue OF $20,000,
600 OF national obligations to- COM
plete the project still hanging in the
air, So expensive is it that estimates
have beef exceeded again and again.
The settler has had either to pay more
than the cost figure he relied on Or
seek cheaper land in Canada. II
costs the government from 80 per
cent more to twice as much as it
would private enterprises to put wat
er on land. Under the Lower Yellow
stone project the charge is $42.50 per
acre. and one dollar per acre annual
" for maintenance. The Sunnyside
proiect carries a charge of $52 per
acre. and 95 cents maintenance I'm
der the North Platte project the
charge Is $45 per acre, plus main
tenance charge not announced. These
projects in widely separated localities
entail a land charge prohibluve toI
the frontier settlers to provide homes
for those for whom this work was be-
lieved 10 have been undertaken. TneI
pioneer settler who can pay even IN
ten annual installments, from $4,000
TO $4,000 for eighty acres of land, In
addition to the yearly fec peracre,
must have some other resources to
ahl him. The work of Irrigation would
have been more cheaply done II turn
ed over to private enterprise or com
mitted to the several states within
which lie the lands to be reclaimed.
This is not a criticism upon any In
dividual. 1t is merely one more
proof of the excessive cost of govern
ment work.
Water Power Control Illegal.
The attempted federal control OF
water powers is Illegal. because the
use of the waters within state is
the property of tine state and cannot
be taken from It, and that tile state
may and actually does, in the case OF
Ilahoi for example, perfectly safe
guard its water powers from monopo'
ly and made them useful without ex-
tortion. has been shown conelusively
by Senator Boran In a speech In the
United States Senate in which this
whole subject Is admirably covered.
Ought the public domain be admin
istered by the government and dis