Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1916-11-17

In the Country of Mighty Endeavor
the land of the Colorado, have seer
the American with his bare, unaidet
hands lay hold of the work of ma
ton, and through twelve long, weary
years wiring victory from Nature and
force the desert to blossom as the
rose"
l have seen that nations govern
ment destroy that work ruthlessly and
heartlessly turn away these Ameri-
cans, uncompensated, reduced to beg
gary, to start life anew or to die in
the almshouse.
Again. I have seen the American
bare handed and unaided, through an
other twelve years and unutterable
hardship, aid that same government
4 to turn seven million dollars, mig
gardly doled out through that long
twelve years, into seven hundred mil
/ lion dollars worth of valuable farm
property, which will within twenty
years more be valued at seven billion
dollars.
A seven billion dollar oasis in the
desert, which joining hands with the
great Imperial oasis to the southwest
and the great Palo Verde oasis to the
northwest, and the great Salt River
oasis to the northeast. will be worth
more to the nation in thai same
twanty years in actual cash value
than the entire American navy of
today, and as a matter Of defense
in case of war with Japan, than fifty
first-class battleships of the line
And yet these projects, The Laguma,
the Imperial, the Palo Verde, and the
Roosevelt, have altogether cost the
government less than the price OF one
such battleship, and must be paid back
to the government dollar for dollar,
besides paying taxes whilst the dear
battleship goes to the scrap heap in
eight or ten years. after costing US
quarter of a million per annum, and
has been a constant menace besides.
Yet, to this mighty Laguna project
this same government has voted a
niggardly half billion dollars, and has
voted to the navy four hundred sew
enty million dollars, and to the Mexi- |
can punitive expedition one hundred
-. l1TI nrA
lion dollars spent on war in times of
profound peace. We are at war with |
no nation.
who taketh the sword shall perish |
by the sword" is the Interchangeable |
word OF God, and is spoken to us to- |
day, whilst bleeding Europe cinema /
tographs the word in fire and blood.
In defiance of that word we have TAX
en- into our hands. in this year of our
Lord, a billion dollar sword.
Listen to what that billion dollars
would have done for our country. But
we must be prepared" you cry. Yes,
yes, I know Let me show you what
it would have given us.
With the Mexican punitive expedition
we sent men there to watch. With
that s135, 1000, 600, had we summoned
Goethals with his mighty Panama en-
gineers and the 100000 men we have
tional guards) and placed this grand
Did man in charge, and directed him
70 place these men as he needed them
$50 as not to interfere with their ac-
feasibility for service, about as fol-
ows: One-twentieth on the lower
Rio Grande, one-twentieth on the Lit
lie Colorado, one-twentieth on the
middle Rio Grande, one-twentieth on
he Pecos, one-twentieth on the upper
rio Grande. one-twentieth in the DEM
ng Basin and the White River. one
wentieth in the Wilcox Basin and
he San Cruces River at Nogales, one
wentieth on the upper Gila, one-twen-
ieth on the middle Gila, one-twenti-
tn on the lower ella, one-twentieth
n the Colorado at points for con-
truction of canals to fill dry lakes !
ower than the sea level. including =
eath's Valley. one-twentieth at Par
er (for the great dam there), one =
yentieth at Black Point for the Palo =
erde project, one-twentieth on the i
olorado between Palo Verde and the u
aguna dam, one-twentieth to finish y
lie Laguna project and to construct =
intake for the Imperial
-oject, one-twentieth in the San Di- =
20 country for the preservation and =
,velopment OF the water for San Di- .
20 on the creeks and small rivers
ljacent; yes, and the crowning glory
it all. one-twentieth to extend the
orks on the Colorado into Mexico