Show GONGHESS ACTS QUEER Aids Southern Farmers but Against Arid States TALK ABOUT IRRIGATION l jlff b < I J I Publisher of The Tribune Has Been Talking in Washington in Behalf of the Irrigation Bill While Hoping Hop-ing for Direct Aid From Federal Government Doubts Very Much Whether Any Will Be Granted Some Sort of Legislation However Will Come From Efforts Hade TRIBUNE BUREAU 1012 Fifteenth Street Washington D C Feb fi 190 Now that the compromise irrigation bill has reached the standing committees commit-tees of both House and Senate its I opponent op-ponent are squaring themselves for an attack upon some of its provisions and these attacks will nt Ole from Die Eastern Congressmen alone as these dispatches have shown Hon Ferry SHeath S-Heath secretary of this Republican national na-tional committee has endeavored to learn the drift of sentiment concerning the irrigation bill since his arrival here as the subject is one in which he In common with all iltlzons of Utah feels a deep Interest Discussing the status of the bill today Mr Heath said HOPES FOR DIRECT AID While I 1 hope for dlr 3t aid from the Federal Government In the establishment establish-ment of systems of irrigation for the arid lands I very much doubt whether there will be any direct aid granted While undoubtedly It Is the duly of the I Federal Government to make productive pro-ductive all of tho lane owned by the I Government which may be readily made productive there is a vast majority ma-jority in both branches of Congress not 1 directly Interested In the proposition of Irrigating arid landc anti I doubt whether they will support any measure to make a dlroct apptoprlatlon even for experimental work I some plan can he devised whereby certain lands sold may be for the purpose pur-pose of Irrigation or the lands may be turned over to the States and Territories Terri-tories wherein they are located to be disposed of for irrigation purposes the practical aim will be accomplished AGITATED TWENTY YEARS AGO Agitation of the system of catoh basIns or dams of rivers and nricsan wells was gone over In Congress more than twenty years ago nnd I have heard debates In both houses on the proposition In many sessions of Congress Con-gress and every time the advocates of the proposition fell far short of fecal ing a majority vote At the same lime Congress was willing to appropriate millions of dollars to build levies and to make other provisions to prevent anc overflow of the Mississippi river for the I protection of adjacent farms CONGRESS INCONSISTENT I never could understand why Congress Con-gress would appropriate money to save the farms along the Mississippi river and refuse to appropriate money to Irrigate Ir-rigate the arid land to make them uacfuKas farms nnel action on one hand being entirely inconsistent with that on the other It IB one of those most inexplicable conditions which Is nearly always n part 0 Congressional action or Inaction SOME LEGISLATION SUREr SURE-r predict however that there will c some sort of legislation growing Sc but of united effort in behalf of our arid lands but It hi aisp als my prediction predic-tion that It will not come as f direct Government appropriation The earnest ear-nest advocacy of some legislation on the subject by Roosevelt IB greatly in favor of the effort now being made No other President 1 believe hog ever given the proposition active propositon support IMPROVING FORT DOUGLAS Senator K arns a had In I terview with Gen Miles concerning the proposed improvement of Fort Douglas Doug-las and there Is no doubt the garrison garri-son will be raised to a regimental post This of course means that there will be new buildings and Itis believed that 3 Jorge amount of money mon-ey will be expended next year In permanent per-manent improvements CONFIRMATION OF THOMAS Hhe continuation of Postmaster AD Thomas of Salt Lak6 City came up today to-day and will doubtless be sellled tomorrow to-morrow as under the rules final agtion was deferred for a day sU6ni mSOR Special Agent II V A Ferguson recommended re-commended that certain lands in tho ceded portion of Fort Hall Indian reservation re-servation be granted to the State or reserved for public use on account of the valuable hot springs located therein I there-in Senators Dubois and Heltfeld endorsed en-dorsed this recommendation and th yare y-are now Informed that in Jew of the small area of the lands mentioned the Secretary of the Interior is inclined to the opinion that the lands should be granted directly to the State of Idaho which will be clone |