Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1918-10-25

preparation OF plans for providing opportunity
for these men, And because his department has
handled similar problems in the past, he has
made It his duty TO bring the matter to the at
tention OF the president and congress. He points
out that every country has found itself face to
face with this problem at the close of great
war From Rome under Caesar to France under
Napoleon down even to our own Civil war, the
problem arose as To what could be done with the
soldiers mustered out Of military service.
At the close of the Civil war America faced
somewhat similar situation. But fortunately at
that time the public domain offered opportunity
to the home returning soldiers. The great part
the veterans Of that war played In developing
the West X of our epcs The homestead
law had been signed by President Lincoln in the
second year of the war; so that ont of our wealth
I'm lands we had Yarns to Offer the military vet
errns. II was also the era of transcontnental
railway construction. II likewise the period
of rapid yet broad and full, development Of towns
and communities and states.
To the great number Of returning soldiers In
the present war land will undoubtedly offer the
great and fundamental opportunity. The ex
perence Of wars points out the lesson that our
service men, because of army lfe with Its open
ness and activity, will largely seek out Of doors
vacations and occupations
This fact Is accepted by the allied European
nations. That Is why their programs and poll
cies of relocating and REIMBURSEMENT emphasize
the opportunities on the land for the returning
soldier The question then is, "Whpt land can
he made available for farm homes for sol
diersi
We have not the bountiful public domains of
the sixties and seventies. In literal sense for
the OF II on n generous scale for soldier farm
homes MS in the sixties, the public domain Is
gone. The official figures at the end of the fiscal
year, June 30, 1917. show that we have unappro
priated land In the continental United States
tl,, Of n II 20
say that not one.half of this land will ever
prove to be cultlvable any So have
no land In amy way comparable To that In the
public domain when AppomattOX came-nnd men
turned Westward with army rifle and roll blan
ket-to begin life anew
While do not have that matchess public
domain of 90, we do have millions Of acres Of UNI
developed lands In the Northwest lake states
and South, and also swamp lands In the middle
West and South which can be made available
through the proper development. Much of this
land can be made suitable for farm homes II
properly handled.
But II will require that each type of land be
dealt with In its own particular fashion. The
arid lands will require water the cut-over land
will require clearing and the swamp land must
be drained. Without any Of these aids they re-
main largely No Mans Land. The solution of
these problems Is no new thing In the admirable
achievement of the reclamation service I'm recla-
nation ana drainage we have abundant proof
Of what be done.
Looking toward the construction of additional
projects, Secretary Lane announces that plans
and Investigations have been under way for some
time A survey and study has been In the course
of contamination by the reclamation service on
the great Colorado basin. That project undoubt-
eddy, will appeal TO the new spirit OF America II
would mean the conquest OF an empire in the
Southwest. II Is believed that more than 5000
600 acres of arid land could he reclaimed by the
completion of The upper ana lower Colorado basin
projects.
II has been officially estimated that more than
15,OOOOOO acres of lrrgable land now remain In
the governments hands. This Is the great re-
naming storehouse of government land for recln-
nation. Under what policy and program millions
of these acres could be reclaimed for future farms
nd homes remains for legislation to determine
The amount of swamp and cut-over lands In
the United States available for farming Is exten.
tive Just how much there is has never been de.
ternined with any degree of accuracy Practical
~ all Of IT has passed into private ownership
For that reason, In considering It's use, II would
be necessary Ia work out policy between the
private owners nnd the government unless the
land was purchased II has been estimated TINT
The total area OF swamp ana overAowed lands I'm
The United States is between T00OOOOO and So
C00H)0 acres. OF this amount, about G0OOOOOO