The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1914-06-01

for state funds, not as an essential
part OF the scheme but only as an
incident to it, it any state should so
elect. By this course, what the state
may not be able to do itself, it may
authorize to be done by it's district
, sub divisions of property benefited.
If the state provides a plan whereby
it raises a dollar for the dollar from
the Federal Government, it becomes
matter of just cooperation.
Now as to time for the payment of
the cost: Let me say to you that the
first years are the difficult years, and
under the state irrigation district
system, the principal is deferred, in
all cases, for a period of at least 10
years, but even then interest should
not be paid. The United States
should at least forego the interest for
certain period of years, if not en-
tirely; but it it be necessary before
it's funds can be invested that it
must be guaranteed interest, let the
interest be added to the principal
and collected when the farms are
producing wealth and abundance.
There is one other suggestion.
Who is going to construct the works?
Governor West made a suggestion
last night that meets with my APP
proval, that the Secretary of the In
terror direct the supervising engineer
of any particular region to cooper
ate with an engineer to be appointed
by the governor, or with the governor
himself-preferably the latter-and
the two select project engineer, and
under the supervision OF that project
engineer, the construction work will
be carried on. There is your dollar
70 10 Sc
operative system of Investigation,
and there is your cooperative meth
cd of construction; and when the
construction is done. the works will
be turned over to the district for
operation, and the private discord
and disagreement arising out of COM
munity interests may be settled and
the system managed by local govern
ment, and without that irritation
which inevitably comes when there
is supervision by some outside or
foreign power, such as the federal
government.
| have taken up more time than l
expected to this afternoon, but ii [
talked to you for an hour | could not
explain this thought to you more
fully. You now have the general
proposition. We believe it to be
good. We think all the propositions
that have been advanced heretofore
have been good although not suffi-
cient. We believe that all of the
complaints which have been lodged
here are well founded, in way, but
let's get away from the personal ele
ment and get down to the actual
financial consideration. The thing
to be obtained in all of these things
is the money, and the plan that will
produce that money is the plan that
should be taken.
The plan which we have suggested
means not the overturning of our
present district legislation, for lrriga-
ton districts are now in vogue In
nearly all the western states. The
supreme court of the United States
has upheld the cOnstitutionallty OF
the district acts, and every court OF
last resort within the states where
they have come into ontest, has up
held the constitutionality and all the
operative features of these acts. In
our own state there is no instrument
of security that has been as we'll
adjudicated and SO we'll determined
or which stands so firmly upon
adjudicated courts as does the lrriga-
ton District law.
In conclusion, let me say this:
One-half of the territory of the
United States is wholly or partly de-
pendent for successful agriculture
upon the irrigation of the land, and
any man who gives his time, his
auarov hia thOupht and his best