Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1911-12-10
LET GOVERNMENT BACK DEFIN-
ITE POLICY, THEN ELIMIN-
ATE ALL STATE LINES.
A Stroke OF DIPLOMACY
Project Of Making Wet Lands Produc.
tive Offers Sure and Splendid cash
Profit 10 Capital.


policy would change 100000 acre
Of now unused wet lands into $1,000,
000.00 worth Of enormously fertile
ana highly productive farm lands
reduce the cost Of living 20 every
family in the United States. ana almos
double the agricultural commerce oI
the country Hon. Hunter q. Leake OF
New orleans, In an address urged the
National Irrigation Congress 10 ask
the federal government 10 adopt a
drainage policy that IN It's scope viii
ignore state lines and the barrier here
tofore imposed by states rights.
THE purchase of the Louisiana ter
rltory," said Mr., Leakc, was the best
stroke Of diplomacy in the history of
the United States. Tho drainage of the
10000 600 acres Of enormously fertile
low lands In the country will newt
ably prove the greatest, the best and
the most profitable business stroke
ever credited 10 the United States.
Cost OF reclamation should not aver
age more than $40 an acre. Available
10 the pillow. these drained acres will
be WORTH at low valuation, 500 each
Here alone is a profit Of 1000 per
cent
This 1000 per cent Is only the in
itlal and smaller profit to accrue.
There is no means 10y which the broad
qualifications of suvc developed as
set may be traced to fnality or the
benefits TO be derived from an aug
mented food supply an augmented
commerce 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 IA rela-
tive increase in demand over produo-
tion.
some years ago two-thlrds of the
oountrys population engaged In agri-
cultural pursuits. Today only one
third of the country's population is
so engaged. Yet agriculture, the his.
tory Of which Is the history of man
in his most primitive and most en-
calling as when Cincinnatus was twice
called from the plow to the highest
offices in the state"
Describing the effect on the farmer
of the telephone. the railroad ana
other modern inventions, Mr.. Leake
said:
"Thc farmer now walks in the
bright light Of knowledge, whereas
he formerly stumbled in the dim light
of experience alone,
"The son of the soil now demands
the same relative return from his
brain, his education and his labor
that men IN other walks OF life enjoy,
Under the old order of things he can
not get II.
"A few years ago, to encourage the
farmer, the federal government found |
it necessary to place water on the arid
lands of the west where men and wo- !
men desired to engage in scientific /
agricultural pursuits might build and /
develop their homes. These lands /.
have been taken up as rapidly ms ir- /
rigated. ana have become very yalu- /
able. and other fertile low cost .
farms 10y the tens of thousands are .
needed.
such farms, meeting In every way
the requirements of the modern cdu-
Gated farmer can now only be oh-
tanned through the opening mp OF tho
100000 acres of aluvial lands,
consequently the Drainage of these
lands must engage not only the atten-
lion of the states in which they Me-
but OF the federal government MS well
since the permanent prosperity of the
nation not only depends upon the
tolumc and stability of the food sup
ply but ON a low average cost of pro-
lucton both of which are obtainahle
1ny under the most favorable con-
liuons OF soil OF climate and OF CON
'enlence which those remaining low
ands alone can supply. such lands
invite intensive cultivation, and In
ensIve cultivation Of the 100000
lcres Of richest soil in the country viii .
rot only Increase, relatively and actu- =
N.Y. the nations food supply. but It
win decrease relatively and actually I
he average cost OF food 10 every fam
ly in every section Of the country.
"Our experience in Louisiana. where
reclamation work is progressing rap
dly and entirely successfully shows u
.onclusively that the 10.O0O.OO0 acres
# low lands In the country can be re- ,
.laimed at relatively low cost and !,
made enormously productive within =
period of a very few years Thus far
bout 100000 Of the 100000 acres
( wet lands in louisiana have been
eclalmed and the cultlvators are
asst growing rich. one farmer-A "
NTH who halls from Marshall.
Itch, has cleared 100000 In four
ears from the products Of his re. Il
laimed farm near Lockport La. lie d
merely a type. b
louisiana is reciaimlng her wet I
nds without federal aid, not because s
.deral aid Is not desired, but because a
has not been available. The state @
as authorized the creation Of drain d
re districts and the sale Of drainage ,
,nds. against which an annual acre n
,e tax on the improved land is coll Q
rted and applied by the state treas Il
err
Louisiana does not ask the federal S
vernment to reclaim her low lands, \
1 does ask that the fereral govern
ant sunulv outfalls for the drainage 90