Show OFFICIAlS MAKE SLOW PROGRESS I I Work of Irrigation Hampered at th the Washington on End CHANGE SOON ENGIN ENGINEERS E AT T THE END OF I TETHER I ESpecial to The Horald I Washington Nt NOW ss there ther is isan isan an Immediate e In the method of money omit om of the reclamation I Uon tion fund for the construction of irrIgation then tion works In the varIous states anti and territories which are arc beneficiaries of tM thO I reclamation la law President Roosevelt Or will wUl be to step In and make a dUl change ge similar to 0 the tho change that wait ua made In the manage I mont of time the canal work worle During the first two or three years the reclamation law was in force its terms wore were carried out In a manner which gave general satisfaction There was some disgruntlement boc use large lurge sums slims wco set Willie aside for work in Ne Nevada i iada vada ada Arizona and a few other j states and territories which had contrib contributed I very cry little to the fund but when It was shown that time the government was not ready rady to build In other states this I disgruntlement dIed out I Waiting for fo Approval But Dut the reclamation law has been in 10 force threE years ears and a lull DurinG that time engineers or of the reclamation service have hac been develOping projects in states which were not r recognized out at the start and the service is 18 anxious to give each i state Ii a fair show In tact tile the reclamation tion tiomi engineers have developed eloped ono one or more feasible every state il 1 t the west where re work Is now In progress but 1 beyond that the reclamation service I cannot go until these projects are aro ap apProved Proved Their approval rests entirely with th the secretary of tile the InterIor and amI It IS In lila his office that much projected work Is held us UD UDAs ts As is wail th the reclamation service ser servIce vIce has developed several eral projects in Oregon and in it has 1118 an another another other feasible l project Utah but it can cami cannot not build any ot of them because the see rotary wilt will not authorize their construe construction tion nor set aside mone money for COQ col And nd until be does docs the reclamation mation service is to act Its are aro tied The reclamation servIce as shown b by Its recommendations Is an anious loan ious to build those projects which it has mapped out and but Its r com are aro being regularly set aside and work has come tp to a cx x on projects which were wert under way during the past summer ummer Hitchcock t O Blame The r responsIbility tom tor this delay rests on the shoulders ot oi the tho of the Interior It Is not altogether proper to hold him personally responsible for this thi condition of affairs yet et the projects whIch have hae been submitted lack only hits his signature to make them operative But the tho trouble which led to the tho holdup did not start with Hitchcock It started wIth mon man who o are his advisors and counselors on of tills this nature These men have assumed a authority which did diel not belong to thern y have htwe made grievous blunders In money mOIl out ot of time the reclamation fund they have dir dill in favor of oe sonic states amid ami amias as others and they have the secretary to sign orders and thom which they thay prepared without due duir knowledge of tile tho facts and conditions In other words Secretary Hitchcock has placed confidence ence iii n men whom he should not trust and these men have led him into doing timings things which will not chose clo e scrutiny Lack ack of Harmony The national on 18 lair created the tho r reclamation service lQ plan and con construct construct Irrigation projects but ut it gave Jave the secretary of the Interior author authorIty Ity to ea what projects shall be built and the further po power ver of the In the reclamation lund fund If time tho money monc secretary and am the reclamation service senica had bud worked together in harmoh without out outside outside side Interference progress under time the le fc act would have been be n satisfactory tor tory to aU all parties But tile UtO manner munner In which this reclamation work is ii controlled savoys savors of rod red tape and bum bu to a marked degre fi tile the secretary instead directly with too tile has lus several go subordinates s in his offIce towards and these men arc nIl hostile jealous ot of the reclamation service and enjoying the of the tar nB as they do they have hate arous aroused d In the mind of the secretary a suspicion lon that the tho rae rec reclamation service Is incompetent If not crool crooked ed The result reaul Is that instead or of workinG In harmony the secretary and i reclamation service are working at t cross crossI purposes what the one l recommends tim the 1 I other disapproves The consequence is iK iKi standstill an ansi J JI that work has come to a i I time the lull tely occurs at a time timo when Oregon and amid Washington Utah and ana anda anaa I a few other states VA como come forward I with feasible projects onlY to have them anti and sl sidetracked postponed friction and solely b because cause of the between the s secretAry cretAn or of the InterIor anti and time the reclamation service Used by Subordinates As s stated above aboe for this la ha laI lis Is not primarily has allowed him himsel him himself m conditiOn lie ho I self sel to be made a tool for or the use ot of nis but le he and not the subordinates subordinates is getting the blame Getting down to specific Instances the tho service after three years ears or of stud study evolved the tho project in eastern Oregon worked out a plan and submitted it for approval being readY to work forthwith If authority should be granted Secretary coterie to block the plans of the reclamation service thought it a plan which would defeat I this thi project t They n i Y found It little detail whIch could be used as amm 1111 excuse for delay they magnified It bo be boto before to fore the secretary and the project went back without approval It wn was I Jar her and could not be approved At the same Urn these seine SAme advisers ors ot of the tho thoI I secretary determined to block the roe roc of the reclamation service asking for the adoption ot of the Tieton and amI I Okanogan In Washington Va ton antI and the tho Strawberry valey project in Utah From ami engineering point of o view nil all three projects were perfect there was nothing In hI them which could be used as n a basis for rejection so the advisors put their he heads together and told the secre tarv there was no money available with which 1 eh to built these theae projects and amid the they were weN sent back to the Kr hives p fiS as the records show because e or of lack of funds unda I More Than Money In the case of the Umatilla project there thera WIlI mOre than enough h money in the unused allotment for the aban abandoned but the 1 not authorize Its hue he was advised to the contrary In time the case ot of the tho and Okanogan projects there was more than n enough money In Inthe the tho allotment for tor the abandoned project but the secretary was further not to transfer money from th those se two Title This stand led to the f exposure that the secretary tur or of the Interior had allotted ap approxImately approximately proxImately for various irrigation tion when n fJ Ii a matter ot of fact he had only oni fJ in III his fund This disclosure a ln and th the corps of advisers got busy to explain awn away so MO embarrassing situation Not this was wan shown by the official records of his own offIce Secretary after consult consultIng lag Ing with lila JUs confidants announced that there was no d deficit but that in fact there was ou O hand p of oer 9 OOOO with which to build new irrigatIon works as alii he be saw fit This surplus could Only be reckoned In one W way b by big Ing th the allotments for fOl all projects which had be been l approved but which were not under tinder Including the tho and the tho But to save themselves tim tho corps or of subordinates had to juggle the tho figures in a wa way to ward oft off criticism In doing so no th they j knocked down th their ir solo sole objection to the con or of the Tieton Okanogan and amud Strawberry valley valle projects but they have hac advised the s secretary to overlook this und and these three along with the must long nobody knows Potty P Spite It is remarkable that t pOtty bo be p permitted to creep lit In end unset t J lt the national ra t QU f J exactly what t liRa cau I lit UmI an J It SOt not b bt t tit advisers Ut r the I either removed or Shorn of U their Ir power which they are wielding maliciously y fearlessly The Keep Keet commission which is pow In the tho Interior department knows who vho Is r to for l time the reels matlon trouble they know exactly men amen are am at the bottom amid hOWL have operated they are ae ware O ci m the ng sC scandal luul cannot be ed cd It if this thili condition of affairs is allowed I to continue and amid tt it is to sup sump suppose pose that the I advise the president In tItle due time when It reports on the Interior department nt What hat Iii Is mort mor President Roosevelt knows know some i thing of the tho cause ot of between Secretary hitchcock and time the Interior Or de department I and amid he Is to the leep commission to make a full tull report I Just what will result no mio one en c n safety safely predict but It is morally certain th t something has got to happen or 01 else time the I administration whit have on its ii a scandal that compare with the I It at Panama before th the last canal MinaI commission w s created The tion fund was created for or It a purpose l h was created to lie be used In building nation works time the law was intended tt ti benefit aU all parts of time the west and it If the I law Is in riot carried out in accordance with its meaning congress will taKe hold and ana amend the law In a WA way to stop the practices practices tices that just now I Il vogue Carter Has a Plan I Senator Carter of Montana is alrea already j out OmIt a that lie he favors an amendment of time tho law wIll stop atoll thu tho present trouble something happens it Is to be presumed presume 1 that time tho delegations front from Oregon Utah and other states which havo o tar far been beau neglected wIll join with Car Carter tar and force action Many senators and retro s from time the east who have no immediate interest In tIme the reclamation I law will Ill stand with these delegations in III demanding a SQuare deal and timex are pretty ant to ret get it Time The only about resorting to legislation is that some seine rash measure ma may be enacted which will work other Injustices not possible under time tho present law TIme The president know I this and that fact alone s hope that he wIll take a hand and straighten out outI the mess s before It becomes a pUblic scan scandal I dal |