Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1922-03-31
CARL HAYDEN URGES INTENSIVE PROGRAM
 OF RECLAMATION

When the bil to provide adjusted compensation for the veterans of the World War was under consideration in the House of Representatives Con- gressman Carl Hayden said:
 MT. Speaker, I want to briefly dis cuss that part of the minority report submitted by the Republican members of the Committee on Ways and Means because the chief objection which they make to this bill is the controlling reason why I shall vote in favor of its passage. These gentlement say that the land settlement provisions of the bill--
 establishes an expensive machinery of management, offers untold opportuni- ty for useless expenditure, and under the guise of veteran aid permits, among other things, the board to lay out town sites and build unlimited highways. The so-called re- clamation feature is dangerous at worst and uncertain at best and of itself should be sufficient reason for the rejection of any bill carrying it even though the measure were in all other respects unobjectionable.
 In another paragraph of this report these gentlement say: Enactment of this bill would be directly contrary to the advice of the Executive" It is true that the President opposes the passage of his bill unless it includes sales tax as means of raising the money to meet the cash payments when due. These gentlemen evident ly propose to follow MT. Harding's advice only when he happens to agree with them, which is convenient but most inconsistent. A little over three months ago, in an address to the Con- gress, the President said:
 After each war, until the last, the Government has been enabled to give homes to it's returned soldiers, and large part of our settlement and de- velopment has attended this generous provision of land for the Nations de- lenders.
 There is yet unreserved approxi- Hrately 200,0OO,000 acres in the public domain, 20,0O0,0O0 acres of which are known to be susceptible of reclamation and made fit for homes by provision of irrigation.
 Contemplating the inevitable and de- sirable increase of population, there is another phase of reclamation full wor- thy of consideration. There are 79,- 100000 acres of swamp and cut-over lands which may be reclaimed and made as valuable as any farm lands we possess.
 Home making is one of the greater benefits which government can bestow. Measures are pending embodying this sound policy to which we may we'll adhere. It is easily possible to make available permanent homes which will provide, in turn, for prosperous Amer ican families, without injurious com petition with established activities, or imposition on wealth already acquired.
 These words from the Presidents message of December can not be construed in any other manner than a complete and unqualified indorse- ment of the land settlement features of this bill. The plan for the estab- fshment of veteran settlement pro- jects for the reclamation of lands by irrigation, drainage, or other manner or method," literally and specif- ially carries out the recom- 'mendation thus made by the Execu- tive, and his advice should be needed | by those who are so prompt to quote him on other occasions and for other purposes.
 There are gentlemen who refer with approval to the result of the referen- dunn taken by the Chamber of Com- merce of the United States which dis closed that over two thirds of the votes cast were against bonus legisla- tion, whether paid in cash immediate ly or with payment deferred through the use of certificates, but they are careful to tell but half the truth. At that same referendum, which was com pleted on February 21, the following question submitted to the business or ganizations in every State which con- stitute the membership of the nation al body:
 Do you favor a national system of reclamation to be initiated through adequate Federal appropriations and to be carried out for the purpose of | 'affording ex-service men opportunity to cultivate the soil?
 On this question the vote was 1,250 votes in favor and 461 opposed, the majority being larger than that ]