The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1914-02-11
Land Reclamation Work
Needs Attention.
MILLIONS SPENT IN FAR West
To Reclaim Arid Lands, But
Nothing For Southern.
Central States.
WHO IL TO BLAME FOR THIS?

News from Washington indicates
that the neglect of the South in land
reclamation work continues while
the Far West is getting more and
more Government aid and consider
alton.
The National Government has ex-
pended approximately $75,000,00O
on the reclamation of a little over
5000, 900 acres of arid land in the
Far West. 1t has spent nothing for
the reclamation of the 100000
acres of swamp and overlooked
lands of the country. the most OF
which are in the Southern and Cen
trail States.
Secretary Lane of the Interior De-
partment, which has the irrigation
work in charge, favor an appropria-
ton of $1OO,OOO,OO0 for additional
work, but has said nothing i'm favor
of public appropriations to aid in
the work of Hood protection and the
reclamation of the swamp and over
flowed lands of our section.
With a Southern man in the Pres
ident's chair, Southern man as
Speaker of the House. and both
Houses of Congress Southern in
politics and the control in the hands
of Southern men, it seems great
oversight that nothing is being done
for land reclamation in the South
and Central West.
The situation is all the more pa
thetic when it is recalled that the
| reclamation of the swamp and over
flowed lands and their protection
from floods, means much more to
the whole United States than the re-
claiming of few million acres from
the desert. 1t means many hundred
million dollars in annual crops, the
saving of more than a hundred mil
lion dollars a year in flood losses,
the prevention of many deaths in
Hoods and OF many more needless
deaths and inestimable suffering
due to malaria and other diseases
caused by the existence of swamps.
There is pending in Congress a
measure that would do for the South
and Central West all that the Re-
clamaton or Irrigation Act has done
for the arid West. 1t is the bill
III. II. $3.50: Senate 7194 present
ed in the House by Speaker Clark
and in the Senate by Speaker John
Sharp Williams of Mississippi. This
is known as the Clark-Williams flood
protection and drainage bill and is
supported by the National Drainage
Congress whose next annual meet
ing is to be held at Savannah, Ga,
April 1925. 1914.
The Clark Williams bill is not in
River Regulation or the Ransdell-
Humphreys Levee bills. II makes
Immediately available about $780,
100000 for flood protection and
drainage work, placing the eXpendi-
ture of this sum in the Department
of the Interior. II is. in reality. an
extension of the Arid Land lrriga-
ton act to include flood protection
and drainage in the South and Cen
trail West and to put all of the cOun-
try on an equal footing.
The Williams bill provides
that the Secretary of the Interior
shall make surveys and plans for
jects: that he may undertake the
construction of the work with the
consent of the land owners and
States, the cost to be repaid by tax
upon the lands, assessed and collect
ed by the State authorities; or he
may turn the plans over to the own
ers or States for them to carry into
effect. II provides that the Secre-
tary of the Interior may purchase
the drainage bonds issued by the
State or drainage district, at par. to
supply the needed funds. II pro-
vides for cooperation between two
or more States In the construction
of Interstate drainage or food pro-
lection projects. II provides for CO.
operation between the Departments
of War and the Interior when the
question of navigation is involved
In fact the Clark Williams bill
will provide for the systematic,
comprehensive and speedy reclama-
tion of swamp and overHowed lands
and their protection from disastrous
foods II will be passed and the
South will receive the consideration
to which this great and rich and
largely undeveloped and neglected
section OF the country is entitled.
But this will not be done until
our Southern Senators and Repre-
sentatives awake to realization of