Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1911-06-27
LAND ECONOM|CS
DISCUSSED BY
SENATOR
Member Of Upper House from
Washington Gives Facts
from Study Of Land Con.
ditions.



Chicago. III. June 29.--Miics Poly
dexter, United States senator from
tho state of Washington and chair.
man of the senate committee on cx-
pcnditurcs IN the Interior Depart
mcnt, this department Of the govern.
mont embracing tho United states
reclamation service. has studied the
effect Of irrigation development In thc
West from social, political ana eco.
monte point or View. and recently. In
an interview ut Washington. he dis
cusscd the law of supply aud demand
AZ u relates Ia land. emphasizing inc
importncc of CONSERVING and dcvcl-
oplng the resources yet oxtant He
asserted that the National Irrigation
Congress. which has It's nineteenth
annual sessions here Dee. j to ., has
been the leaing organization IN ere.
ating public opinion In behalf of this
work. Calling attention to the fact
that many arid areas which are now
practically worthless can be made TO
support the densest rural population
through irrigation. he said
with the settlement of practice
ally all of the public lands which viii
produce crops without irrigation. the
necessity appears OF utilizing those
vast arid regions which can be made
productive by the application OF wat
er. The striking features of this de-
velopmcnt are that by this artificial
supply of the needed moisture FOR
Veectation, Instead of merely lnplov-
ing the land. u transforms IL from the
most worthless to tn. most valuable
and fruitful land in the world. ana
areas which were Incapable ~ sup
porting single family have becn
made. aud can h" made capable of
supporting che densost agricultural
population 81 any part 81 III. country.
The desire FOR lands IL Unsuitable.
II - inherent In the great rae, which
has principally settled and given
form ana character To- our nation.
Homes upon IN" land are a social and
economical necessity. and by the
cruel law of supply and demand the
need for land has been intensified.
and Is being intensified thousand
fold while the supply has been cor
r.spondinely exhausted.
''Thcrc Is no more great open
West where everyone might hays OPP
portuniiy merely by moving to Il.
The constantly increasing Hood of
population is barred Of further vest
ward movement by the Pacific ocean
and ~ turning back upon itself. So
cial and political as well as economic.
problems more acute than any we
have had To- dispose ~ hertoforc, viii
grow ont of this condition. In solv-
ing these problems no greater help
can he rendered than In conserving
and developing the remaining natural
resources of the land IN order Ia meet
az fully az possible the needs OF the
coming millions.
There ARE yet millions of acres 81
arid lands So situated that water can
be- brought To- them. and the prosccu-
ton of this work. with the mainten-
ancc ana conservatism of the essen
tial elements for Is success. rank
among the very first In Importance of
those things with which the future
Of our nation has To- deal in working
out It's expanding d"stinios.
III the perpetual power of the
streams In the western mountains
can be preserved from private monop-
oly and If all Of this can he utilized
for tho general b.n-ii, of the nation,
there IL scarcely limit Ia the OPP
portunitics yc, To bc made by their
use and development.
The National Irrigation Congress
has taken tho lead In creating \ sound
public opinion In behalf of this grea;
"a In a.. nd