Show WATER CONSERVATION Reservoirs by tho Construction of ervoi1s Government Is Advocated The forests arc natural reservoirs Hood and By restraining the streams in replenishing them in drought they make I 11 possible the use oil waters otherwise ent the soil from wasted They prevent 01 washing and so protect the storage reservoirs from filling up with sit Forest For-est conservation is therefore an essential essen-tial condition of water conservation STORAGE WORKS NECESSARY cannot alone however The forests ho regulate and conserve the waters fully Cul regl Great storage works of the arid region torgc of equalize the flow necessary to fow arc cqualze Their streams and to save flood waters Theil construction has been conclusively contruction undertaking too vast shown to be an Nor can It be best effort for private tan effort State the Individual accomplished by I acting alone Farreaching interstate actng are involved and tho resources I problems of single States would often be sources Inadequate It Is properly a national Inndequatc function least in some of its features fea-tures GOVERNMENT SHOULD AID Govern t for the national J Is as right nalonal ment to make the streams and rivers of the arid region useful by engineering works for water storage as to make of the and harbors useful the rivers hnrlors works ol humid region by engineering worts another reclon The storing of floods ir the headwaters of our reservoirs at ot of out rivers Is but an enlargement ou of river control under present policy control which levees are built on the lower reaches of the same streams The Government u should construct t and maintain these reservoirs as it does other public works Where their pur pubJc the flow oC streams Is to regulate fow pose the water should be turned freely Into the channels In the dry season to take the same course under the same laws as the natural flow ANOTHER WATER PROBLEM of the unsettled arid reclamation unsetted The lands presents a different prob public publc to regulate lem Here it is not enough The object of the the flow of streams fow land to of the Government Is to dispose it I build homes upon settlers who will w1 buid To accomplish this object water must brought within their reach be on the arid pub The pioneersettlers setters along lie domain chose their homes streams from which they could them their selves divert the water to reclaim holdings Such opportunities tire prac There remain however tically tcaly gone be land which can vast areas of public vat made publc homestead settlement settle-ment but only by reservoirs and mainline main-line canals Impracticable for private enterprise IRRIGATION TORKS These Irrigation works should be built national Government The lands by the natonal Government reserved reclaimed by them should be by the Government for actual settlers and the cost of construction should so far as possible be repaid by the land reclaimed The distribution of the water division of the streams among ter the division tle irrigators should be left to time fsettlers themselves in conformity with State without Interference with laws and Intelference The those laws or with vested rights policy of the national Government should be to aid Irrigation in the several sev-eral States and Territories In such manner erl man-ner as will enable the people In the local communities to help themselves and as will stimulate needed reforms In the w1 State laws and regulations governing Irrigation COUNTRY WILL ENRICH THE The reclamation and settlement of the arid lands will enrich every portion of our country Just as the settlement of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys brought prosperity to the Atlantic States The Increased demand for manufactured man-ufactured articles will stimulate industrial Indus-trial production while wider home markets mar-kets and the trade of Asia will consume the larger food supplies and effectually with prevent Western competition Eastern agriculture Indeed the products pro-ducts of irrigation will be consumed Irrigaton chiefly In upbuilding local centers of mining and other industries whlcn mlnlnS otherwise not come Into existence exist-ence at all Our people as a whole will profit for successful homemaking is but another name for the upbuild ing of the Natfon FOUNDATION IS LAID The necessary foundation has already been laid for the inauguration of the described It would he unwise policy Just I wise to begin by doing too much for a great deal will doubtless be learned both as to what can and what cannot M be safely attempted by the car efforts which must of necessity be partly experimental ex-perimental In character At the very beginning the Government should make clear beyond shadow of doubt Its intention in-tention to pursue this policy on lines tenton broadest public InteresL No reservoir or canal should ever be built to satisfy selfish personal or local Interests In-terests but selsh In accordance with tho advice of trained experts after long I Investigation In-vestigation has shown the locality vestgCHlon the conditions combine to make the work most needed and fraught with the greatest usefulness to fraught the community as a whole There should be no extravagance and the believers be-lievers In the need of Irrigation will most benefit their cause by seeing to It that It Is free from the least taint of excessive or reckless expenditure of the public moneys u NOT AT STARTING POINT Whatever the Nation does for the cx tension of Irrigation should harmonize with ot tend to Improve the condition condi-tion of those now living on Irrigated land We are not at the starting point of this development Over two hundred hun-dred millions of private capital has already milons ot ready been expended in the construction construc-tion of irrigation works and many million mil-lion acres of arid land reclaimed A high degree of enterprise u and L ability has been shown In the work Itself but IfS I ns much cannot he said in reference to fS the laws relating thereto The security and value of the homes created depend I largely on the stability of titles to water I wa-ter but the majority of these rest on I tho uncertain foundation of court decisions de-cisions rendered In ordinary suits at law LAX STATE LAWS I With a few creditable exceptions the arid States have failed to provide for the certain and Just division of streams lin times of scarcity Lax ond uncertain laws have made It possible to establish I of actual uses rights to water In excess 4 or necessities and many streams have I already passed Into private ownership or a control equivalent to ownership RECOGNITION OF PUBLIC RIGHTS 1 Whoever controls a stream practically controls the land it renders productive I and the doctrine of private ownership of water apart from land cannot prevail pre-vail without causing enduring wrong I The recognition of such ownership Which has been permitted to grow up in the arid regions should give way to a more enlightened and larger recognition recogni-tion of the rights of the public In the control and disposal of the public f tel BUpplloH Laws founded upon conditions con-ditions obtaining In humid regions Where water Is too abundant to Justify j hoarding It have no proper application I la dry country t In the arltl States the only right to r |