The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-10-29
Divergent Views

Here you have the views Of three
distinguished Americans on the great
est of all western problems-the own
ership and development of water in
arid and semi arid America.
Secretary of the Interior Work
wants to go back to that mid-Vic-
torian era Of forty years ago. when
private monopoly in water and land
existed over most Of the scattered
puny watered districts throughout that
great Umpire lying west of the 9th
meridian of longitude.
He thinks, honestly no doubt, the
work of the United States reclamation
service just entering upon Its twen-
ty-second year, has been pretty much
failure. He has fired that veteran
engineer, Arthur p. Davis. who was
the soul of reclamation for a genera
ton and more; abolished the office Of
director of the reclamation service and
created the new office of Commission
err" to which office he has appointed
his banker politician friend. David w,
Davis, on the ground that reclamation
needs a business man at its head and
not an engineer,
He has now appointed an advisory
or fact finding committee" to investi-
gate the whole reclamation service and
a majority of the committee, apparent
", hold to his views regarding the
reclamation service.
No Profit Shown
THE reclamation service has not
shown a profit says Work. Private
enterprise redeemed the West long be-
fore Government defamation was
thought Of"
But let us consider.
Irrigation is coeval with the race
or nearly so.
At what hour in the purple, prehis-
toric era primitive man first came
TO realize the tallest grasses and most
succulent herbs grew by the rivers
bank. we do not know.
Neither do we know the day on
which this dawning consciousness
caused him to draw the first forked
stick across the fertile alluvium
which made up the first garden of
the world.
In the tenth verse OF the second
chapter of Genesis we read: And a
river went out of Eden to water the
garden"
That was Chaldea- How long ago7
A long. long time, you may be sure
In one Of the great treasure rooms
of the Louvre in Paris--a room given
over to priceless relics Of antiquity
! the place Of honor in the center is
occupied by a steIe Of black diorite
stone, about eight feet high. curiously
carved with cuneiform characters.
Code of Hammurabi
Here we may look upon the code
of Hammurabi, greatest of Babylon
len monarchs, who hourished about
| 1900 B. c. or four hundred years be-
fore the time Of Abraham's laws, en-.
| craven IN stone as were those Jeho-
yah gave to Moses eight centuries
later.
OF the seven hundred laws which
| have been translated upon this block
of black stone, no less than thirty;
eight are devoted to the subject of
irrigation, reclamation. head gates
and bitches.
So much for Babylon, 1900 years
ago.
In ancient Memphis the hierogyph-
les on a monument of the time Of
Seostris I were deciphered recently
and among many other interesting
revelations from out the musty past
were found these words:
And (the Pharaoh) made just
laws for those who needed the waters
for their crops, that the head gates
should not be opened un1ustly. that
there should be water for all when
it was required in due season"
And this in Egypt, FIVE thousand
years ago and morei
Yet Secretary Work, A. D. 1923,
praises irrigation and reclamation by
private enterprise.