THE PROGRESS OF WESTERN AMERICA. 



The dangerous and insidious enemy of the settler, under irri- 

 ga'ion, is the one who predicts an indefinite an unexplained in- 

 crease in the present water supply and thus tempts settlers and 

 investors to disregard or discount present conditions. 



ELWOOD MEAD. 



THE AGE has never been intolerant 

 lte piain X ' of differing opinions. It has never 

 Himself. f ea red to share its space with those 

 wh ) wished to contend for convictions contrary to 

 its own. The writer met Major Powell on the occa- 

 sion of the Wichita convention, late in November, 

 and had an opportunity to discuss the Los Angeles 

 speech at length, and to explain to its author, in the 

 serenity which pervades the smoking compartment of 

 a Pullman sleeper after dinner, the grounds of the 

 radical difference between the men of the Congress 

 and himself. The circumstances of the latter meet- 

 ing were plainly more favorable to calm discussion 

 than was the floor of the convention on that turbulent 

 afternoon, in the Grand Opera House at Los Angeles. 

 The writer pointed out the offensive features of 

 Major Powell's assertions, and received from him the 

 explanation that his speech, when taken as a whole, 

 would not bear the construction placed upon the 

 sentences quoted; and furthermore, that when he had 

 been assailed by stump speeches he replied in 

 kind, rather than with the scientific statements which 

 the convention was then in no mood to receive. The 

 writer then invited the Major to prepare for THE 

 AGE a scientific statement of the water supplies of 

 the arid region, and to review, in connection with his 

 article, papers on the same subject written by high 

 authorities in the various States. This proposition 

 was promptly accepted, and the results will be seen 

 in a future issue. 



Several good results may be expected 

 fiorxi Rexults to flow from this arrangement. In the 



first place if the views of Major Powell on 

 the subject of water supplies and arid public lands are 

 found to be practically in accord with those of the best 

 authorities in the West and he predicts that such 

 will be the case then we shall have an accepted 

 standard from which to measure future possibilities. 

 In the second place, we are sure to get the conserva- 

 tive side of the matter, and that is of importance in 

 winning the confidence of capital. In the third place, 

 if Major Powell, and the thousands represented by 

 their delegates at Los Angeles who have differed with 

 him, can arrive at common conclusions, then this splen- 

 didly equipped public servant will be brought into 

 direct association with the majestic irrigation move- 

 ment now sweeping through the West. The impor- 

 tance of this latter result it would be difficult to over- 

 estimate. For twenty-three years, with all the facili- 

 ties which large public appropriations could command, 

 Major Powell has been accumulating knowledge about 

 the conditions of the arid West. During the first 



seven months of 1894, the people of seventeen States 

 andTerritories,through the agency of the State Commis- 

 sions, will be formulating the irrigation policies of the 

 future. Now, if ever, is the time for them to avail 

 themselves of the information gathered by the head of 

 the Geological Survey. He has already appeared at 

 the conventions in Kansas and Nebraska, and we have 

 reason to believe he will accept an invitation from the 

 National Executive Committee to appear at the series 

 of meetings arranged for various States early in the 

 year. If THE AGE can be instrumental in securing 

 results so desirable as this, without sacrificing any of 

 the principles which it holds to be vital, it will render 

 a service of value to all concerned. 



.If Governor Waite has a place in history 



'wild it will be as the John Brown of the silver 

 Scheme. flght He - g of the game radical mo j d &g 



the hero of Harper's Ferry, but like that character 

 his fame will be made or spoiled by events which fol- 

 low his own rash acts. The exploit of John Brown 

 was not more foolhardy than the course which the 

 Governor of Colorado has followed in calling an extra 

 session of his Legislature and seeking to provide for 

 a mint and a currency independent of the Government 

 at Washington. We do not doubt that Davis H. Waite 

 is just as sincere as was John Brown, and that to his 

 mind what he regards as the inevitable consequences 

 of a single gold standard are just as revolting as was a 

 system of human slavery to the soul of the mad Abo- 

 litionist. Nevertheless, the radical course of the 

 Governor fails to command public respect outside of 

 Colorado, and, apparently, inside of it as well. At the 

 present moment the sober prospect is that the Gover- 

 nor will harm silver much more than he will help it 

 by his pursuit of a course that is sure to bring ridicu- 

 lous consequences, whether the Legislature accepts or 

 refuses the proposition. 



If Governor Waite were determined to 

 Colonists 



vs. have an extra session he might have 



Stiver. b a ged it upon an idea that would promise 

 substantial results. While the people of Colorado are 

 awaiting that improvement in the silver market which 

 is sure to come, they might well be devoting their 

 attention to another and greater industry agriculture 

 and to a systematic and effective scheme of coloni- 

 zation. Success in this direction would confer bene- 

 fits upon their State quite equal to anything they 

 would realize with the free coinage of silver. The 

 more prosperous the mines of Colorado, the more 

 prosperous will be the agricultural industry, but if 

 that State had to choose between building 100 

 Greeleys or 100 Leadvilles during the next few years 

 it would do well to build the Greeleys, because the 

 latter would mean a far greater gain for civilization 

 than the former. In saying this we do not depreciate 

 the importance of the mines. The mining camp is the 



