Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-12-09

~ OttumWos AOWA
4ntsreA - second class matter
Octobsr III 1909. &C the DoskonIce, CO..
II ku1aNn Iowa. under the Act OF So0
grsss q March :. 1879. ------
DRAINING WET LANDS.
The question OF draining swamp
lands has taken up such Dig parI ~
the deliberations of the National It'll
cation congress, now in session IN Cnl'
cago. that It Is planned to organize 2
National Drainage congress whlcn VIII
devote itself to urging the federal gov
eminent to do for swamp lands, What
1t has done for arid lands. Hunter y.
Leake OF New Orleans, one or the
speakers ut the Chicago meeting, de.
ciared that the adoption by the federal
government of practical reclamation
By drainage policy would change 70
} OOO. 900 acres Of now unused wet lands
into $1,000, OOO, 900 worth Of enormous
" fertile and highly productive farm
lands, reduce the cost of living 10
every family in the United States, and
almost double the agricultural COM
merce OF the country. Mr.. Leake
added:
"The purchase of the Louisiana ter
ritory was the best stroke of diplomacy
IN the history Of the United States.
The drainage of the 10000, 900 acres OF
enormously fertile low lands IN the
country will inevitably prove the great
est. the best and the most profitable
business stroke ever credited to the
limited States. Cost of reclamation
should not average more than SO an
acre. Available to the pillow, these
drained acres will be worth, at low
valuation. 800 each. Here alone is q
profit Of 1000 per cent: .a
saThis 1000 per cent is only the
initial and smaller profit to accrue.
There Is no means by which the broad
ramiications Of such a developed as
set may be traced to finality, or the
benefits to be derived from an augmen-
ted food supply, an augmented COM
merce and an augmented national
wealth may be calculated.
There is no other project on earth
that offers such a sure and such
splendid cash profit on capital invest
ed. or such sure and permanent
means Of checking the advancing cost
OF food, the cause of which Is a rela-
tive increase in demand over pro
duction. - si .ss:, ~ q. Z
"Our experience in Louisiana, whore
reclamation work is progressing rapid
I " and entirely successfully, shows con-
clusively that the 100000 900 acres OF
low lands in the country can be re-
claimed at relatively low cost and
made enormously productive within
period Of a very few years. Thus far
about 100000 of the 100000 acres OF
wet lands in Louisiana have been r
claimed.
Il Louisiana is retaining her wet
lands without federal aid, not because
federal aid is not desired, but because
it has not been available. The state
has authorizes the creation Of drain
age districts and the sale OF drainage
bonds, against which an annual acre
age tax ON the improved land is col
lected and applied by the state treas
urer.
Louisiana does not ask the federal
government to reclaim her low lands,
but does ask that the federal govern
ment supply outfalls for the drainage
OF the states northward which will not
prove inadequate when the flow from
Louisiana's drainage pumps shall reach
maximum volume as the acre brought
under drainage increases.
"The federal government has
watered the arid lands of the west. has
cleaned I'D Havana, and has improved
the health OF Central American. ports
IN the interest Of citizens OF the United
States. It has also wisely invaded
states rights and established a fed
eral medical inspection at the gulf
ports
There was logic, common sense
and practical economy behind these
acts.
""There is even more logic. more
common sense and greater practical
economy behind the request you will
make of the federal congress to render
direct and expansive aid in draining
our 7O,OOO,0O0 acres Of fertile low
lands.
II desire to suggest that when you
make that request you ask the govern
ment to ignore state lines, to forget
the. ancient and Outlines abused prin-
ciple Of the states rights that you
urge the government to adopt a broad
policy that will enable and instruct
its officials to aid and assist in freeing
the low lands of excess moisture
wherever such lands lie"
MI. Leake added that reclamation of
these lands does not present onetenth
the diflculty presented by the irriga.
ton projects in the west.
colonel c. s. Richie, of Detroit, a
famous government engineer, who has
been studying the Dies Moines river,
finds that there is sufficient water in
the stream to carry 24,00O,OO0 tons Of
freight, If the stream is improved with
view to making it navigable" the
Burlington Hawk-Eye observes. THAT
would be at its lowest stage. When
the river is big, it would carry prac-
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