The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1914-04-29
THE PRIOR LEvELING Of LAND
Should Be A Governmental Pol
icy According To An Off
cial High in Service.

vices first conception of a correct
plan of reclamation of government
arid lands was nothing short of idi-
otic most everyone familiar with the
facts are now willing to admit. In
reality the reclamation propaganda,
friend, Hon. Franklin K Lane was
f. II. Newell-A. p. Davis phantas-
magoria, which was phantasmagoric
only insofar as success was
concerned. The failures-the men
who We're ground up in the mill of
their peculiarly faneiful notions,
approached real, crude, raw, bleed
ing tragedy times almost without
number. 1t was in the days of jim
mie Garfield, deceased politically,
that the real activities of the Newell
Davis combination was in greatest
evidence. Their activities were
spread over the scope covered by Ire
governments irrigation projects,
and their slogan, ''if the first settlers
cannot make good, the second or
third or fourth crop can; this is a
game for the fittest to survive" was
resounded by small army of SUBJ
ordinates. Out of this apparent
apathy for the public's veal or VIC
hate and envy became existent, ano
between the reclamation service and
the settlers developed a feeling that
only a broad humanitarian of the
stamp of Franklin x. Lane could
ameliorate.
And even brevity in reviewing the
past would not excuse the omission
of mention of Newell and Davis and
their instrumentality in shaping rec
lamation affairs early in the game,
nor can we, along with others sup
press our amazement at their wond-
rous change OF front with the ad-
vent Of a Democratic and more hu-
name administration. Formerly
beauracratic chiefs they have slipped
into the fold of the friends OF fhe
common herd and now specialize Ia
peddling palaver and tickling the
ears OF their auditors over the coun-
try who continue to pay for their
junkets. Newell and Davis have
seen the light. They had to see 1t
and see It quick in order to sit tight
in their Jobs.
Now the settler is about to
have his inning. We are not over
sanguine OF the effects that will fol-
low the passage of the pending rec
lamation extension measure, but we
earnestly hope and believe that an
emulation of Australia and Canada
in the treatment of its homebuilders.
Land should be prepared for settle
ment by leveling and even cultiya-
tion. This in short is the text
around which an extended memorial.
recently forwarded to the secretary
of the interior, was framed by a com.
mittee representing the local cham
ber of commerce. We shall deal
more extendedly with this memorial
in another issue, and we shall con-
tinue to make pleas for a more lib
eral treatment of the arid land farm
ers than is contemplated by any law
yet proposed.
That the settlers have a friend in
the reclamation service in addition
to the Hon. Franklin X. Lane. is evil
dent from the following letter re-
ceived this week by the local eem-
mercial body from Supervising Engi.
neer e. G. Hopson, within whose
district this project is included. May
his kind multiply.
Committe Churchill County Cham
Der of Commerce. Fallon, Nevada.
have read with much interest
the memorial to the Honorable Sec
retary of the Interior on the neeessi-
ty and benefits of the prior leveling
of lands upon reclamation projects.
believe your committee is entire
ly right in this matter; while l do
not necessarily wish to endorse
every single word of your memorial,
think It's general purport is right.
would in fact go futher than your
Committee has indicated, and urge
the necessity of planting to crop at
least a substantial portion of every
holding before II is open to entry.
Yesterday | was interviewed by GER
tain parties who are desirous of taxi
ing up some of these questions from
a commercial standpoint. 1t is be-
ing recognized more and more that
the mere building of irrigation