THE PROGRESS OF WESTERN AMERICA. 



\ 



DOUGLAS VV. ROSS. 

 Member of the National Executive Committee for Idaho. 



" BOISE, Idaho, March 9. 



"Idaho offers one million acres for colonization. 

 Satisfactory bill signed by the Governor. 



(Signed.) " DOUGLAS W. Ross, 



" Member for Idaho. 1 ' 



Ten years hence the people of Idaho will realize, as 

 they cannot do to-day, the debt of gratitude they owe 

 Mr. Ross for his gallant fight. Idaho is, of course, 

 indebted to many others, chief among whom are 

 Governor McConnell and leading members of the 

 Legislature, but Mr. Ross was the official representa- 

 tive of the organized irrigation sentiment, and upon 

 him devolved the responsibility of obtaining legisla- 

 tion at this critical and opportune time. He has 

 splendidly vindicated the faith of his friends. 



Montana Montana is another State where a very 



Joins the hard fight was forced upon the friends 

 Procession. ... 



of irrigation, not merely by the indiffer- 

 ence of the public, but by the active opposition of 

 certain elements. Here, too, noble public service 

 was rendered by the State's member of the National 

 Committee, who in this case was S. B. Robbins, of 

 Great Falls. This gentleman was also obliged to 

 make the fight at his own expense, and he spent 

 money and time unstintingly for this cause. As the 

 end of the session drew near, and one obstacle after 

 another was encountered, it was felt that the splen- 

 did effort would end in failure. But it did not. The 



following telegram to the chairman of the Commit- 

 tee, also received in Boston, told the story of final 

 victory : 



" GREAT FALLS, Mont., March 14. 

 " Montana Legislature passed bill providing for 

 reclamation of land under Carey Law. Great Falls 

 alone needs thousands of farms, each supplying 

 thousands of dollars of produce annually for home 

 market. Hundreds more can market wheat and 

 barley for cash at mills and breweries in operation, 

 or now building. (Signed.) S. B. ROBBINS, 



" Member for Montana." 



The people of Nevada also propose to 



Nevada . f 



Wide Awake to have some share m the prosperity 



at Last. an( j p r0 g ress o f t ne new era of irriga- 

 tion. Nevada was most fortunate in electing a 

 governor who appreciates the full importance of the 

 issue, and who has the laudable ambition to make his 

 administration memorable for its record of achieve- 

 ment in the matter of conquering and occupying the 

 soil. Governor Jones was the Nevada member of 

 the National Committee in 1893-'94. His report to 

 the Denver Congress was reviewed in THE IRRIGA- 

 TION AGE for October. It will be remembered that 

 he claims that an enormous acreage of good land 

 running into the millions of acres can be watered 

 from available streams and storage sites. No State 

 in the Union has ato strong a motive for desiring to 

 realize large benefits from the present movement as 

 Nevada. A State of most extraordinary resources, 

 it has become the football of every critic of the West 

 because of its dwindling population. Daniel Web- 

 ster said of Dartmouth College : "It is indeed a 

 small college, but there are those who love it." So 

 may the public-spirited men of the Battle-Born Com- 

 monwealth say that there are those who believe in 

 its stupendous capabilities for the support of a pros- 

 perous population, and who are determined that its 

 day of splendid development shall begin now. The 

 work has been well begun. Two measures, one pro- 

 viding for the acceptance of the Carey grant, and 

 the other providing a good code of water laws with 

 an administrative system, were early introduced, and 

 it was expected that both would pass. At the last 

 moment both failed, which is very unfortunate for 

 Nevada. If they had carried, the present year, in 

 our judgment, would have seen the State started 

 upon a live policy of development. It is possible 

 that something can be done, even now, with the 

 school lands. Much credit is due Committeeman 

 L. H. Taylor for the vigorous effort he put forth to 

 give Nevada the fullest benefit of her opportunity. 



Washington Washington is the fourth State to ac- 

 He?0roe- ce P t the g fant of 1-000,000 acres. There, 

 tunity. as elsewhere, a strong effort was re- 

 quired. Dr. Blalock, of the National Committee, 

 fought and won the battle. The following telegram 



