OCR Text |
Show IRRIGATION AND EXPANSION. EX-PANSION. A GREAT FUTURE BEFORE THE ARID WEST WI1 H REPUBLI-' REPUBLI-' CAN SUCCESS. What Expansion Means to Us The Rocky Mountain States Will Be Among- the First to Profit by the Great Trade of the Pacific, and the Republican Party Will Help Them to Do "" National aid to irrigation and the development de-velopment of American trade in the Pacific are the sure foundations upon which will be built the rapid growth and the 'permanent prosperity of the western United States. Both th3 national party platforms de clare in favor of irrigation, but while the Democracy contents itself with an indefinite and empty statement in favor fav-or of "an intelligent system of improving improv-ing the 'trill lands of the West, storing stor-ing the v. aters for purposes of irrigation, irriga-tion, and the holding of such lands for actual settlers," with no direct plodg-3 of national aid, the Republican platform plat-form commits the party to a "further pursuance of the constant policy of the Rcpublicsn party to provide free homes on the public domain" by "adequate national legislation to reclaim the arid lands of the United States, reserving control of the distribution of water for irrigation to the respective staW ti:nl territories" .As between the simple declaration in favor of irrigation and American ascendency over the greatest ocean of the globe, an ocean to which the United States alone of the great nations of the world possesses direct access from its own coast line; maintain main-tain this ascendancy iu the spirit of justice and liberty with due regard to the rights of others and the steadfast purpose to protect our own; and having hav-ing entered upon this policy let the nation extend to the states of the West chat as-sistance-in-internal development which they have a right to expect as due to their welfare and the general interests of the nation. Do this and the marvelous story of the growth of the East will be outstripped out-stripped 'by the development of the West, and no state will surpass Colorado Colo-rado in the triumphal march. The Republican party alone has recognized rec-ognized the greatness of the opportunity opportun-ity that destiny has given to our hands. That party is committed to the policy pol-icy of national aid for irrigation of the arid lands. Upon this Democracy is evasive and insufficient. The Republican party is the author and the champion of western expansion consistent with republican institutions. To this Democracy stands opposed. No election ever presented to the people peo-ple of the West an issue of such importance im-portance as the present one. The success of the Republican party means the continuance of a policy which will hasten a most marvelous growth and development of the Rocky Mountain and Pacific states. The success of the Democratic party would according to its deliberately announced an-nounced purpose, mean the closing of the door of opportunity, the abandonment abandon-ment of t lie great advantage we have gained iu the Philippines, the paralysis of our enterprise, the postponement of our growth. It would close the gate of the West and throw us back upon ourselves to work out the problem of a surplus of natural resources and energy en-ergy in a land already abundantly supplied sup-plied with the various products of agriculture ag-riculture and manufacturing; it would, according to the Democratic policy of free trade still cherished in theory by that party, open the gate of the East and share our home market with the cheaper labor of Europe. Beyond all question this is the paramount para-mount issue of the campaign so far as the West is concerned. What has been gained for us during the past two years at no cost to us would be well "worth a dozen years of concerted effort ef-fort and earnest agitation. To keep it, is remiired only an indorsement of the party that has gained this and intends fo pt-oceed alang the same line. To throw it away is a piece of such monumental monu-mental folly that it is only possible through a gross ignorance of what is involved, or a wilful disregard of the welfare of the interests of the people of the West. the-pledge of national legislation there is no ground for .hesitancy in making a choice. The attitude of the Republican party is incomparably better for western west-ern interests. The Democratic party promises' nothing; the Republican promises all that can be reasonably asked. - . But irrigation isYiot all that the West demands or needs.; It is not sufficient to establish fields sand gardens in the (V'r"'t: ': .is liwcss'ary iu order to assure as-sure the prosperity of a dmise population popula-tion of' varied industry to secure a market for its products. The natural market for western America lies to the west. The narrow Atlantic is already bridged by numerous lines of swift sailing steamers, ard whatever may be the futuie readjustments of its commerce com-merce as between Europe and America, it is evident that to the east and not to the west will the American share of it belong. Many of our products cannot can-not eoinj.vte with those of the east for many years to come, and others will make their way but slowly in competition competi-tion with the established lines of trade. But to the west lies a field broad and undeveloped. The possibilities of its commerce are commensurate with the possibilities of our productivity, and nowhere'else can we find what is imperatively im-peratively required for the proper realization' re-alization' of our opportunities. The greatness of the West is now as incalculable as were the possibilities of North America to the first settlers along the Atlantic coast. We only know that west of tiie hundredth meridian, me-ridian, the line popularly accepted as the division of the arid region from the rainfall' area, lies the richest in natural resource, the most agreeable in climate, li'f.d the most productive part of the Uhited States, and the one which in the etlmrse of time is bound to support sup-port the largest and densest population. Coloradii. New Mexico, Wyoming. Montana, Mon-tana, Iiiliho, Utah, Arizona. California, Nevada.' Oregon and Washington make up a national treasure house and heritage her-itage of immeasurable proportions. Within those eleven states might easily eas-ily be supported a population larger than the present total of the United States, and upon them might be founded found-ed a power sufficient to dominate the Pacific in the interest of civilization, freedom and honest trade. Add to these a single cotton state, Texas, and within their limits everything might be produced or manufactured that is essential es-sential to the commerce of the Pacific. And this might all be accomplished without, any deviation from republican prjiicip'es, without any sacrifice of our libertie.: or deterioration of our cherished cher-ished jlitical or civil institutions, and in the legitimate pursuit of that plan of development which has been pursued pur-sued since the foundation of our nation. na-tion. That this will be the ultimate destiny of western America no one who is familiar fa-miliar .with its resources and the character char-acter of its people can doubt, but to accomplish it within a space of time consistent with American ideas re-auires re-auires an intelligent and earnest policy of western expansion of trade and influence. in-fluence. To pour men and money into the West without providing an outlet for its surplus products is a repetition of the Mormon policy, which would result in establishing a community producing little except what was required re-quired for its own needs, buying nothing noth-ing from the outside except the most absolute necessities, attractive neither to capital nor immigration, and growing grow-ing only slowly and with a partial and limited development. Open the Pacific to American trade; establish and maintain American influence in-fluence in eastern Asia: hold Hawaii, Guam and the Philippines as priceless keys of future greatness; establish |