The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1914-10-09

anu snow Lne government some
thing practical, how it will get
it's money back, and the general
good that will be done. We are
in the position of the man who
has borrowed money from bank
and has been unable to meet his
obligations, but wants to borrow
more. Instead Of going down to
New York with a prospectus on
which to raise money, it is up to
us to frame a prospectus here
that we can take down to WASH
ington."
He endorsed the plan of OBJ
tanning money by the creation of
irrigation districts. The storage
works and the reservoirs, he in
sisted, should be built by the
government and be absolutely
under government control. Then,
when a district was formed, the
land owners would pay for the
works from the outlet of the res
ervoir, the main canals, struc-
lures and laterals. The district
would be bonded for the cost of
these works, and the bonds would
be deposited with the govern
ment, which would advance the
necessary funds. He likened
the building of the storage works
and reservoirs by the govern
ment to the dredging of the
rivers and harbors by the gov
ernment. In the one case the
water user would be expected to
build his own bitches for divert
ing the water, and in the other,
the user of the rivers and harbors
is expected to build his own
warehouses.
Mr.. Englehart said it has been
his observation and experience
that if the settlers are left to
work out their own salvation they
will do it much better in the end
than if someone tries to work it
out for them. He said the aver
age settler objected to being
forced to do things that were for
his own good, but after he had
made a number of mistakes, he
would find the better way him
self and be satisfied.
E. E. Benson advocated So
year loans by the government
for the construction of irri-
cation projects, settlers to pay
neither principal nor interest the
first five years, but both to be
taken care of in subsequent pay
ments. He said the money could
then be obtained at low rate,
and through the creation of
sinking fund could be paid when
due without imposing an onerous
burden.
Clay Tallman, commissioner
Of the general land office, after
exhaustively discussing desert
land and Carey act projects, told
the delegates he was not sure
but that the commission would
have difficulty in framing up any
kind of prospectus, even with
the backing of Secretary Lane,
that would induce congress either
to give money directly to the ir-
rigation projects or to lend the
nations credit, UNLESS" he ad-
ded, 'you link up with the same
general sort of a thing in which
the eastern and southern con-
gressman is interested. For in
stance, unless money should be
forthcoming for the reclamation
projects, that there will be no
more money for levies."
He said this policy had been
adopted to some extent, as shown
in the rivers and harbors bill,
but there, he said, congress adop-
ted just the reverse in principle
it did to the 20 years payment
bill. The expenditures under
the rivers and harbors bill were
entrusted to the secretary of
war; under the reclamation bill
the expenditures were taken
away from the secretary and
vested in congress.
Commissioner Tall1nan said
that since the passage of the
Carey act 3,700,O00 acres have
been segregated for irrigation.
Only 440, 600 acres have been
patented, and an additional 1884,
900 acres listed for patenting,
indicating that the land was
claimed to have water available.
Nine projects covering over
$50, 1000 acres now at a standstill
are financially embarrassed, he
said, four covering 200. 600 acres,
II