The Glasgow courier., 1920-01-23

Under the auspices of the Northern
Montana Development association, a
joint melting was held in the Orpheum
theatre, Thursday afternoon for the
purpose Of promoting irrigation and
state highways.
Mr.. Sam Teagarden, secretary of
the Montana irrigation congress,
whose speech is published in full in
this issue, addressed the meeting up
on the irrigation problems confront
ing the state, and Mr.. Mathews gave
brief account of the activities of the
state highway commission touching
the 1920 constitution program, and
emphasized the necessity of early &C
tion on the part Of counties which con-
template bond elections for the pur-
pose of providing funds to meet fed
eral aid appropriations. He stated
that the final apportionment of fed
eral aid funds to the respective coun-
ties of the state will be made by the
State Highway commission on the first
of May this year, and that the appli-
cations on file at that time will de-
termine the amount of the apportion-
ments to be made.
While the attendance of this meet
ing was not all that could be desired
it was as large as could be expected
considering the severe weather con.
ditions. The addresses were interest.
ing and the subject we'll handled.
Following is the address of Mr.
Teagarden on irrigation:
The people of Montana must go tt
the mat with the drouth problem, this
year and next year and in succeeding
years, until repetition of the secia'
and economic tragedy of the last three
years shall be made an impossibility
Water sufficient to irrigate 5O0,-
900 acres of as fertile land as Gods
sun shines upon originates in Mon
tana. 1t has been flowing through
our stream beds to the oceans, east
and west, unused here or elsewhere.
To permit this condition to continue
in the future, with the certainty that
there will come other periods of
drouth, will be to convict ourselves of
sheer, wanton, wicked waste.
The loss to Montana farmers,
stockmen and business men during
the last three years has reached an
aggregate of not less than $30O,000,-
000-a sum sufficient to put water
usefully and profitably at work over
100000 acres. The farm wealth to
be produced upon that acreage would
annually reach total equal to the
entire cost of the irrigation. That
acreage, farmed by irrigation would
produce double the farm wealth pro-
duced in the state in the most pro-
ductive year in it's history as an ag-
ricultural state. 1t would literally
transform this state of ours. The vast
would mean better farm homes and
buildings, better stock and equipment,
better schools and community centers
and better roads. For the cities, towns,
and villages of Montana it would mean
greatly increased and steadily main
tanned prosperity.
The time has come for the people
as whole to make an honest and
fearless inquiry into the facts, and
to then set themselves courageously
to solve the problem these facts make
plain.
We must cease deluding ourselves
with the notion that the federal gov
ernment will provide the money with
which to put our vast water resources
upon our millions of acres of fertile
lands. If by any possible means we
can persuade the federal government
to finish the projects it has already
under way, and in the next ten years
we will have accomplished all that is
humanity possible from the source.
For new irrigation projects the
state of Montana must cooperate
with our farmers and land owners.
There is no other way. The states
credit is as yet untouched. 1t must
be invoked to provide an investment
fund which will take up the bonds of
irrigation districts at 100 cents on the
dollar, at low rate of interest and
for such periods for repayment-20,
% or 30 years-as the land owners
in the various districts may elect.
The Montana Irrigation congress
has been organized to bring about
that era of cooperation. 1t is hoped
that bill can be drawn to be initiated
and voted upon next November, so
that ample funds for all new and