The Washington times., 1919-11-18

Tono part of the country this slogan more
however than to the residents of that part of California
known the Imperial Valley from which shipped last
year farm products worth more than s40,000,0OQ
This territory of those great tracts which before
the application Of irrigation desolate waste where
horned toad would slowly starve to death.
Its 100000 acres is the home of than 10000
people whose welfare and prosperity the wonderful
results of the application of science to nature
But strangely enough, all this wealth and all this hap
pness rests stronger foundation than the continued
good will and uninterrupted frendness of foreign people
The people of Mexico if they chose if in case of
international disagreement thought desirable could
IN single day wipe out the great investments in the I'm
per Valley and return to its former desolate and
less condition
for this reason that the people that country have
asked the Government through the Kettner BILL for national
legislation which will make possible the building an ALL
American canal that will the welfare of Imperial
Valley from the of harm at Mexco caprice whim
You will see, therefore why "An American" has par
hcular significance to the people of California.
The wonders of irrigation little appreciated by
the people of the East The gigantic reclamation projects
that have been fostered by the citizens of the West
ned unnumbered of baked arid deserts into
fertile fields and great sources of supply.
Before the Imperial Valley irrigated there was not
single dollar worth of food grown its hundreds of
InOuSauQS
Colorado River turned it into garden.
But like all plans of this sort and especially when thew
conducted by PRIVATE INTERESTS and not by the
Government they should be- this reclamation of Amer
can lands was joined with plan to profit the owners of
land across the border in Mexico and in order that the
project should be outside the control of California laws
there juggling of finances and charters which put the
money control in the stockholders Mexican corporation
and the physical control of the itself on the Mexican
side of the border
The money expended came from the pockets of Ameri
can residents The benefits to the extent of than so
per cent are enjoyed by holders of foreign property
The building of All American canal will establish the
money control and the control where should be
on the American side of the boundary
1t will establish and maintain the value which has been
given to the reclaimed lands and than that built as
1t proposed to build it. it will reclaim 500 600 more
OF desert land and about half that land would be land
belonging to the United States Government
1t estimated by the engineers who have been over the
whole plan that it would about s30OOO0OO and that
when completed the half million now practically
worthless would have value of $500 per acre. profit of
s135oOoo approximately half of which would accrue to
the Government.
This whole development is provided for in measure
known as the Kettner bill now before Congress
The sponsors for this measure are not asking the
ernment to either appropriate donate money for the
Imperial Valley.
They ask instead that Congress provide the machinerv
that Will make it possible for the people that great
tory to do the work themselves sound basis at their
own expense.
Powerful interests connected with or allied to the
ershp Of the Mexican lands alleged be responsible
for the delay in the consideration of the Kettner bill
The conditions In the Imperial Valley the enormous
interests involved and particularly the fact that ANYTHING
American is put at the mercy and subject to the whm Of
Mexican interests should be sufficient argument for an earlv
settlement Of the problems which the Ketner bill was