The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1913-06-20
WOULD DRAIN
THE SOUTH'S
WET LANDS
SECRETARY LANE SUBMITS A
PLAN FOR A GENERAL
RECLAMATION.
LIKE POLICY IN WEST.
Senators Williams and RansdeII
Probably Will CoIIaborate In
Drafting the Measure.
Washington, June 19.-Answer.

Washington, June 19.-Answer-
ing the question propounded to the
Secretary of the Interior in the last
rivers and harbors bill, Secretary
Lane has prepared plan for the re-
compton of swamp ard overflowed
llnds which will do for that part of
the country which has too much
water what the arid land reclamation
law has done for that which had
rot enough.
His proposal, in brief, is that the
national government shall do for the
swamp and overflowed lands exactly
what it has done for the arid and
semi-arid. To that end he recon-
mends that Congress pass a swampy
and overtlowed land act that, in
language, will be as near the arid
land reclamation law of 1902 as pos
sible. Senator Williams has intro
duoed a bill appropriating 81, 900, 900
to start the project, and Mr.. Lane
recommends that Senator Ransdell
confer with Mr.. Williams in its pre-
paration. To get around the fact
that much of the swamp and over
flowed lands in the East is in private
ownership, he proposed that the law
shall provide for the drainage of the
wet public lands, as the primary
object, and that, when project for
the drainage Of public land has been
the Secretary of the lnte-
rior may include therein on like
terms, "such private lands as may
be in the vicinity or in the same
drainage BASIN"
1t is believed the quoted words will
enable any reasonable Secretary of
tie Interior to include any and all
private lands the owners of which
may desire to participate in any given
project. Of course, the
word vicinity" may be made to in
clude any property that may be sep
alated from the public land by a !
ridge. The words in the same
drainage basin" will enable the Sec
retary to take in lands in Missouri,
because they are in the same drain-
ace basin with public lands in Ar
kansas or in Louisiana.
The fundamental idea In the re.
clamation of arid or semiarid lands,
is that the general government shall
furnish the capital to start given
project and that, when it is COM
p.eted, the Treasury will be reim-
bursed from the proceeds of land
sales and the sale of water rights.
The reclamation service has
been self-sustaining almost from the
first. The money coming in from
land sales and on water rentals give
tie officials of the reclamation SER
vice funds enough to carry out the
projects they have in mind.
Secretary Lane, who has one of
The best constructive minds now en-
ployed in the public service, is en=
.lusiastic about his proposal. He
has not the slightest doubt about the
successful outcome of the propos.
ion, if Congress will but pass the
Necessary legislation. The fact Of
the matter is he believes reclamation
oi wet lands will be a greater suc-
.ess than the reclamation Of the arid
AID semiarid lands, for the simple
reason that most of the swamp and
lands are in parts Of the
,ointry where there already has
been great development, while the
i'd and semiarid projects are re-
mote from railroads and great masses
1f population.
The government naturally will
hive lien upon all private land in
j .ded in areclamation project. which
WI be ahead of all others, to cover |
he pro rata cost Of the work, |