The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1913-06-06
PUBLIC DUTY, NOT PRIVATE
INTERESTS.

DI the vast mtSSiSSlpp4 fdiif9 :
which contains two-thirds Of the
continental area Of the United
/ States, is one thing and the car
rying on Of drainage land, recla-
nation is quite another, wisely
suggests the n. O. Picayune.
The one is being recognized as
a duty which devoIyes on the
United States a nation 10 protect
a vast area of low lands from be-
ing periodically deluged by the
flood waters from thirty states OF
Union and from the foreign coun-
Try OF British America.
The other is the business Of
draining swamps and lands too
wei 10 be cultivated aud which
are either state or private prop
ertv.
The lands which need TO be pro-
tectcd from occasional floods are
covered by cultivated farms, the
dwellings, Of a busy population
by towns and cities, all their in
habitants being engaged in their
ordinary industries and occupa-
tions, until in some season when
there has been a general and ex-
cessive rainfall, covering a WIDE
extent Of country, the assembled
waters pour down upon the peo-
ple Of the lowlands, and breaking
down some weak spot in their
barriers and defenses work much
damage to a most fertile country
and otherwise prosperous people.
Such are the conditions which
demand a certain and sure de-
tense against floods.
But in the matter OF drainage,
the lands which call for il are wet,
whether or not they are ever
touched by floods, and they need
10 be drained, each location re-
curing a different treatment.
Thus il is that drainage is not a
national duty, but one for the
most part falling on private own
ers, with possible conditions some
times when the county or parish
and even the state might step in
and take a hand,
Nevertheless, desperate efforts
are being made SO to confound
and confuse drainage with protec-
ton from floods that the National
Government will take up the two
and provide money for both. It
is for this that the bill drawn by
Senator Newlands, of Nevada,
complexities drainage and the re-
clamation Of swamp and over"
flowed lands" with irrigation, the
construction Of reservoirs and the
ref0restation of cleared lands with
protection from floods and a mis-
celianeOus assortment Of other
matters.
Referring to a paper by Colonel
Townsend, Of the United
engineers, and president OF
the Mississippi River Commission,
and recently printed in the ScIen-
tific American, the most dIstIn.
guished publication in this coun-
in which scientific discovery
and practical adaptation and use
are brought together, the colonel,
discussing the proposed reservoirs
and retorestation, showed that in
to hold back 10000 cubic
feet Of water per second ii would
be necessary to reforest q terri
tory equal to one-sixth Of the area
Of the United States. Further
more, it would take a hundred
years for such a forest TO grow
and shed enough leaves TO form
the spongy humus necessary to
this amount Of moisture.
The reservoir idea put forth in
the bill is also based on a popular
mlsconception Of the vast amount
of water that flows down the Mis-.
sissippi system, 1t is usually con-
tended that the reservoirs could be
made to payfor themselves, owing
to the amount Of hydro-electric
power that could be generated by
the use Of their waters. But in
order to obtain a working head, |
such reservoirs would have to be
placed near the head waters OF
the rivers and tributaries. where
they would be of little service in
taking care of the floods on the
lower reaches, II has been dem
onstrated concIusiveIy that a res
ervoir will only regulate the flow
of the river in its immediate vcia-
ity, but will have very little effect
on points a hundred miles or NO
further down the stream. CaAonei
Townsend has shown that il al
reservoir were placed near Carlo
ILL.,, il would have to cover s9rBe-
thing like 1000 square miles sE1
would have to be excavate9 In d
depth Of fifteen feet In order tgl