TOPICS OF THE TIME 



Defra\iding The one most important 

 the matter to be considered in 



Settler. purchasing Western lands 

 is the water supply for irrigation. On the 

 correct answer to this depend the welfare 

 and prosperity of the settler. Climate, 

 fertility of soil, transportation facilities 

 and nearness to markets are of no avail if 

 the water supply is inadequate. The 

 practice, so common among a number of 

 land and irrigation companies, of selling 

 water rights when they cannot deliver the 

 water, is outrageous and it is working in- 

 jury to every Western interest. The pros- 

 pective settler looks with distrust upon 

 every proposition because he has heard of 

 some one who has been deluded and swin- 

 dled by purchasing land and water upon 

 promises made but to be broken and by hav- 

 ing conditions falsely represented. The 

 water supply in the streams has in many 

 cases been over- appropriated and the set- 

 tlers who have purchased and paid for the 

 water in good faith suffer for the sins of 

 others and are a prey to the extortion and 

 greed of the reckless money grasping com- 

 pany. This condition of affairs is a positive 

 detriment to the entire West and especially 

 to those individuals and companies who are 

 doing a legitimate business and dealing 

 fairly with their patrons. THE IRRIGATION 

 AGE proposes to take a stand on this ques- 

 tion hereafter and it will work for the 

 best interests of the honest land company 

 and the prospective purchaser. 



The There is a general desire 

 West is that a national commission be 

 Waiting, created to regulate the distri- 

 bution of irrigation waters in the West, 

 and in the country generally, for it is 

 evident now that the sure mode of farm- 

 ing is to obtain on an extensive scale, in 

 all sections of the country. Something 

 looked for a long time ago was a decision 

 by the United States Supreme Court of 

 the question before it as to the constitu- 

 tionality of the Wright District law in 

 California, but it is not yet forthcoming. 

 The district laws in other States being 



104 



about the same, this decision will have 

 equal application. While this legislation 

 and court business is pending there is of 

 course uncertainty, and the rapid progress 

 of development in Western America is 

 much retarded. The people of the coun- 

 try are growing very tired of the political 

 pulling and hauling at the national capi- 

 tal and would like to see Congress get 

 down to business. 



The How innocent of those 



Coining commissioners authorized by 

 Discovery. Congress to choose a deep 

 waterway connecting the lakes with the 

 Atlantic ocean! Interviewed at Detroit, 

 they "have not the least idea, as yet, 

 what route may be chosen." Well, here's 

 a guess: Chicago is spending about $30,- 

 000,000 building a "Drainage Canal." 

 When this is completed there will be only 

 a short strip between the end and the 

 Mississippi river. In other words, here 

 is a deep waterway already about built. 

 What more natural than that the commis- 

 sioners may "discover" this canal and 

 recommend that the government complete 

 the waterway to the Mississippi, thus 

 connecting the lakes and the Atlantic 

 ocean? Why, gentlemen, whether you 

 know it now or not, that was the sole pur- 

 pose of the creation of your commission. 

 Come to it, you must. The South and 

 West will push this through Congress in 

 spite of all Eastern opposition. 



America Free wool has brought 

 for the Pacific coast sheep rais- 



Americans. ers to the verge of ruin, 

 and the practically free importations of 

 Mexican cattle would eventually put the 

 cattle industry in the same ship. But all 

 that will be regulated by and by. 



It is asserted and reiterated for the far- 

 mers (not by the farmers) that a protec- 

 tive tariff does not benefit them in the 

 least is rather against their interest. It 

 was promised that the Wilson free trade 

 law would enlarge the markets of Ameri- 

 can producers, thus benefiting them, but 



