Show BENEFIT Of ALL STATES I Senator Newlands of Nevada Proposes a Conference of Western West rn Congressmen on the Waterway Question ADVOCATES CREATION 4 OF A FUND OF Arid and SemiArid States to Share in the Appropriation to the Extent of Annually for Irrigation TEXT OF LETTER SENT OUT Theme Rene Nay Key Oct Newlands has addressed a letter to the senators from the arid and aDd semiarid states calling their ur attention to the waterway move movement meat ment for tor the development of navigation which is ie to be emphasized by the pres pros presence once ence of ot the president of the deep water waterway waterway waterway way convention at New Orleans Orleana Oct jn and to the importance of the senators and representatives from th arid and anI semiarid states conferring together In the Interest of their region lie alls ails atten attention attention attention tion to the importance of comprehensive plans plane that will cover contemporaneous development of the rivers in every ey see sec section e tion of the country and particularly In Inthe Inthe inthe the arid region where the I he storage of flood waters can be made useful both for Irrigation and navigation in the main maln maintenance of a steadier stream flow tin Ha lie urges the creation of a waterway fund fond of annually and shows that of this amount the headwaters headwater of the navigable rivers in the arid region I should receive about annual annually I which in addition to the reclamation fund will take care of ot unfinished aa as 8 well as u contemplated irrigation projects project This ThIB movement contemplates a confer conference ence of senators and representatives from about fifteen states west of the Missouri at the beginning of the next session selon on of congress with a view to making the arid region re on a 1 factor In waterway development The letter is 18 as all follows follow The Senators Letter Reno Bonn Nev Oct a My Dear Senators Senator r The waterway question will come up for discussion during the next session aon and I venture to make a few tew suggestions as asto asto asto to the course coure to be pursued purINe bythe by the sena aena senators ton toes from the arid and semiarid states in the Interest of their region In the first place we have from these thee states nearly of or the entire sen senate senate ate and we have the power if we e act to so lID shape hape action as to tl t benefit the region we represent whilst Hiding in itt inthe inthe the great movement for a scientific and businesslike solution of the water trans tram transportation question que Uon which Is i now so Sf much in the Kl Mississippi valley and on the Atlantic scaM In the LI s place we have ha ye vp been trained by actual experience in m Irrigation Irrigation tion Uon legislation to take hold of the busi business ness flees side Ide of ot this flitS question which involves such an expert and business organization tion of the waterway service as will 11 en fn ensure ensure sure comprehensive plans plan wise WIM selection of projects that will iII dovetail Into info earl I other as parts part of a whole I the union and coordination of the scientific sd sdi e i entitle services of ot the government related to water in such a manner as to unite I their experience and knowledge in some Borne effective way an ample fund wil wi insure continuous work and such co cooperation cooperation o operation of the nation with states vr cr and individuals as u will insure the full exercise of all sit their power and the enforcement of oC all their respective re rights In the development of oC our rivers and our streams stream not only for navigation navIgation navigation tion but for every incidental and aux auxiliary auxiliary use u e to which civilisation can put pt them such as a the Irrigation of arid lands the drainage of swamp lands th lh conservation con of ot forests forest the prevention rf ef f of water waterpower waterpower I soil waste and the development power lower We shaped the reclamation act on these lines and I think it is safe to say that it was the first piece of constructive legislation in the history of the country that was wu free f from the evils of the spoils spoil system such as has prevailed for years yeara in legislation relating to rivers and har bar harbors harbors bors hers and public buildings Our Immediate interest attaches not only to the rivers whose waters water wat ulti ultimately ultImately ultimately flow into the gulf or the Par Pacific If I o ocean but the region controlled by these waterways includes of the en erl entire entire tire area a a of the country All the coast roast rivers rIven have their sources in the tho mountain region of tl UP tie e west and the large lar tributaries tr bu of or the Mississippi IppI name namely namely ly Iy the Missouri including Its Ita tributaries the Platte the Arkansas and the Red R d dhave have their sources In the Rocky Moun Mountain Mountain tain lain region Storage of Waters Irrigation of arid lands binds Is la one of the great uses usell to which these waters of or th tho Pacific cot coast coa t and Rocky Mountain region I are applied The reclamation fund is III I not notI I sufficient to push the reclamation work with the speed peed that Is desired and it is important that In the formation of the tha new waterway fund the storage torace of or water upon and the Irrigation of arid land ad adjacent adja jacent ja to the rivers river in the arid and semi 8 semiarid ml arid regions which are tributary to nav nay navigable navIgable streams should be entered upon as all asan allan asan an essential part of the development of or these streams for purposes of navigation and that the work upon these headwaters Continued on Page 2 BENEFIT OF ALL STATES Continued from Page 1 should be prosecuted contemporaneously with the work upon the navigable rivers rivets themselves In this way we could supplement the present irrigation fund by a share in the contemplated waterway fund and could claim the part in the water way expendi expenditure ture which fairly belongs to our region If It we should organize the movement In a big way with full power to the President to organize the inland water waterway waterway waterway way service on the lines of ot coordination and cooperation above suggested and creating c a fund of annually for that purpose it might be apportioned for tor forthe forthe the time being as aa follows for the Atlantic waterways including the coastal canals necessary to connect the bays bas and sounds for the rivers on the gulf guU and the inland coastal waterway from the Mississippi river along tho the gulf and across Florida to the Atlantic for the great lakes for tor the main Mississippi river Including a connecting canal with the great lakes for the eastern tributaries of the Mississippi for the western tributaries of the Mississippi for the headwaters and source streams of ot the western tributaries of the Mississippi river In the arid and semiarid regions for the Pacific coast rivers th for the headwaters and source streams of ot the Pacific coast rivers in the arid and semiarid region Would Benefit Utah and Nevada Under this plan tha the arid and semi semiarid semiarid semiarid arid region would receive about annually from the waterway fund for the storage and control of its waters vaters above the amount now available from the reclamation reclamation reclamation mation fund The states in tho the great basin bABin Utah and Nevada NeRda would not be bethe bethe bethe the beneficiaries s of the waterway fund for their streams are not the sources or tributaries of navigable streams but they would be enabled probably to get a greater great r proportion of the reclamation fund than at present These views were presented somewhat at length In my ny speech at a banquet at Casper Wyo upon the occasion of ot the recent visit of ot the senate committee on irrigation to that locality I would be greatly obliged to you ou if It you would read it and then writ me In your views and sug regarding it If you think well of the tho matter we can early In the next session se slon bring together the tho senators and representatives from the arid and semi arid region for conference Just as we did in 1901 regarding re the Irrigation atlon question we Ve can then after a full fell expression of views appoint a subcommittee to form and report to the full conference a plan plait of legislation and we can Lan thus not only greatly benefit our own region but be a potential factor in the great and patri patriotic patriotic otic work of or organizing the water trans p of the country Hoping that I nay may ma hear from Irom you ou at an early date I am Very sincerely yours vours FRANCIS G NEWLANDS |