| Show r 5 5 i GREAT PROJECTS f f Important L I which Monn tho Reclamation of Mil MU Millions lions of Acres ol of Lands anti Now New Homes for Hun tiun 5 1 of Thousands ol of People 5 5 2 1 ww n n n I t Special Correspondence v D t C Feb 2 Y l Out ut ot III of f yV Yr l tho tha he fn r tot t Ot como come rumors of I big things which are nrc j planned by b the engineer of ot tho the govern Boorn government government ment A great rent system Astern of ot works Is le be beIng Ing surveyed to bring brine the waters of Qt offend fend lake In northern Idaho out upon an nn urea area of ot more than n a mil million million lion erell of ot fertile but arid land In Inthe Inthe Inthe the eastern part of ot the ht Wash Washington WashIngton ington Similar film liar surveys are art In progress In tho the almost voiceless valley nilI of thu the Colorado olondo river where II It forms the tho boundary between Arizona unit ana fall Cali California t oll fornia forma There Then the tho matter has progressed pro res ed to th the actual appropriation of ot the en em entire entire tire the IWA nm of ot the tho stream not hitherto claimed And AIl the th now appropriation l Is made malo lm lii the tho nama of ot the ire United States I of or America Amer III rn The engineers nrc also busy bus with plan looking to 10 tho the development of ot the tho great grent possibilities of ot tho the Sacramento river where re millions of It acres of ot land not I utterly arid without moisture may he be made mado to support a dense denso population lation on small farms when this In is I sup SliP Tho on the tho looks Got diver to looks loob liot only only to to the diver l I slot Dion of ot the stream hut but to the of or v very 61 ry bodied banes of ot rich l by ho tho the prevention of overflow tt and pos lOS to It tho the building of canals for navi navigation gallop gation n and The TM Irrigation congress which assem assembled bled hied at Ogden Oklen last September j I to the thi larger hopes of ot I the friends of Irrigation which have taken shape shapo during durIn the year It rt declared In favor tavor of ot systems of oC public works which shall hull rival those on tho the Io 10 In Italy the tho Nile In hi Egypt J and the In India Indio It urged that these be bo built on the Columbia the Sacramento the Colorado Coi tho the 1110 Grande Orande the tho Arkansas the Missouri and their t tributaries These elx six river systems tind j drain practically the tho entire west western ern half of the United States State hail and 1 their theft complete IQ utilization in tho manner pro proposed posed pO fl would at lit I cast double tho the present pr fent population pO lotion of ot tho thu the republic republic On theall all Ill these these T streams something has hall already already I been done by local r The smaller opportunities for tor storage diversion lon of water vater have hn b been en Improved but be beyond beyond yond ond this it Is Impracticable for tor private enterprise ell rile to go Only Uncle Sam Is le IsbIll bIll big enough to assert human control over the force of lit nature represented by these there great drainage systems system and their surrounding watersheds it le Is Indeed n a stupendous undertaking but bUl none too great for tor the American people In fact Sam hn already got o at atoff off oft and gone at It It Is an Interesting and singular fact tact that the three biggest rivers of at the far tar west take tako their rise rlee at nt tho the foot toot of ot Mount Union In ism Wyoming and pursue pur pursue sue ue their respective courses east cast south and nest to the Mississippi the Gulf of ot California and tho the North Pacific ocean These hello lire fire the Missouri the Colorado and mid the tho Columbia Each I of ot them receives rec scores cores of ot tributaries along lib its course coure The other three rivers mentioned In the Ogden platform tho Sacramento tho the Arkansas and the tho Bio lo are Independent streams and controls control the economic destiny of oC a 4 largo large lar c region of oC Us its II own With the tho single el gle exception n of ot t o fIac all these these thell rit ers traverse ret re clous glons which are but sparsely inhabited and which contain enormous normous areas of ot public land of 01 works ork Is Immediately contemplated the secretary of ot the Interior withdraws withdrawn the Uto land band from entry except under the thee homestead home leu law without the Commutation tion clause Any citizen may acquire not inoru moru than IGO acres by hy living upon and cultivating It ft In good falth for tor five years As All a I rule rulf Is I s Impracticable until water has been furnished t hed So Ho that virtually tho land laid laws stand repealed l to the extent pf gf t the lands withdrawn When tho the government works are completed tho the land will Sybil be opened to entry In homesteads of not less that than 40 nor more than ICO 10 acres ac according according according cording to the tho th regulations to IQ be he esti h by the tho ho Interior department Set Het tiers will then have haV 10 years In which to repay the cost cast c t of Irritating Irrigating the tho land lahd without interest Hut But tho the magnitude mn of or Mahe the undertaking und Is III such that It II may mil bo computed lCd after Arter many jours The greater portion of the land and cannot bo be with withdrawn withdrawn withdrawn drawn from entry because funds available as yet et for tor comparatively few tew projects tJ In III the meantime m the exist existence existence ence of oC tho the desert land law enables those thoo who have no thought of ot making homes hom to acquire these lands without living upon them for or ti a 1 day or nn an hour The commutation clause nf ot the home horne homestead homestead stead low lav also permits them to get lIet ti U Utie title title tle tie Ner efter n II nominal residence of oC only H U month Thus the speculator steps In and forestalls the genuine settler who will be required to pay pity handsome profits profit pro III to tho the sooner when the nation notion shall have brought the tho water to the theand arid and lands IlInd I Two millions of ot people throughout the tho country who are dreaming of ot having homes home on tho the Irrigated lands of ot the wet west should stand with those who de do demand mand the tho Immediate repeal rep lIlot of the tte laws which foster and facilitate speculation In the public domain The Tha merchants I and manufacturers who vho are arc to bo be b benu iu filed by having a 1 dense donee and productive tine the population live Iho In the Ule valleys of ot these great western streams should stand on the tho same Imo fide aide And Aud so fIO should hould that thet larger Irger public sentiment which Is entirely disinterested and considers con on only only ly the I of oC the American people The fate fato of ot the public domain depends upon the decision of the Congress now In session at Washington While the tho law In lawmakers makers maker delay the land grabbers ore afe helping themselves to the peoples prop property properly erty erly JI t tA r E SMYTHE |
