PUBLIC OPINION AND THE IRRIGATION CONGRESS. 



103 



over to the states, I decidedly favor the 

 extension of the Carey law to all states and 

 territories in the arid regions. I also 

 think it entirely proper that the govern- 

 ment should return a good share of the 

 money collected from the deluded settlers 

 west of the 98th meridian. This money 

 to be used in surveying and building 

 reservoirs and otherwise aiding irrigation. 

 With the exception of small sections here 

 and there, all of this great territory in the 

 arid region is better adapted for stock 

 purposes than anything else. And the 

 most of the irrigation in a vast deal of this 

 region will be done to raise crops to safely 

 carry on the stock business, as an aid to it. 



We have our regions specially adapted 

 to some one thing. Louisiana for sugar, 

 the South generally for cotton, the Miss- 

 issippi and Missouri valleys for corn, the 

 Northwest for wheat, and, as our popula- 

 tion increases, this region will be one vast 

 grazing ground for cattle and sheep. 

 Laws should be made, placing these lands 

 in the hands of the people, having in view 

 the uses it can be best put to. And who can 

 make such laws better than the men living 

 in the states of the arid region. So let 

 the government go out of the land business 

 and by so doing these new states can lease 

 their unsold lands and thus benefit their 

 public schools and mature plans on the 

 ground for the building of canals and 

 reservoirs, and I believe a vast growth of 

 population and increase in wealth would 

 result, in much shorter time than if 

 this region is dominated by land laws, 

 made by eastern men unfamiliar with our 

 conditions. C. D. PERRY. 



Eiiglewood, Kans., Aug., 1896. 



I AM in favor of the repeal of the desert 

 land laws. I am not in favor of open- 

 ing the Indian reservations at present. 

 I think it would be but justice to the ter- 

 ritories to give them the benefit of the 

 Carey law. Government reservations 

 ought to be given, leased or sold to parties 

 who will make the best possible use of 

 them for the public, if the government 

 will not make use of them itself. 



I approve of the government making 

 speedy surveys of available water supply 

 for irrigation and the construction of stor- 

 age reservoirs. The matter of state laws 

 to protect actual settlers and to prevent 

 dishonest bonding was very generally dis- 

 cussed at both the National Irrigation 



Congresses I attended and resulted mainly 

 in developing the fact that there were as 

 many different views upon the subject as 

 there were speakers. It is a vexed ques- 

 tion under our present system of govern- 

 mental management of waters. I know 

 of no system that meets my views equal 

 to that in use in Canada. The more I 

 study the question of irrigation the more 

 I am convinced of two facts. First, that 

 our government is neglecting one of its best 

 opportunities to build a republic that will 

 be as enduring as time. Second, "that we 

 have no statesmen to-day of a broad, far- 

 reaching, comprehensive character and 

 ability to grasp and carry on this work. 

 A. L. KELLOGG. 

 Rocky Ford, Colo., Aug., 1896. 



THE government should exercise the 

 * same care and prudence in the dis- 

 posal of its domain as would a private 

 individual. The government has no moral 

 right to dispose of public property by gift 

 to private individuals, while, unfortu- 

 nately it has the power. 



The importance of proper construction 

 of dams to make reservoirs is so great that 

 it should be undertaken by the govern- 

 ment only, while the users of the water 

 from such reservoirs should be required 

 to pay such charges as might seem proper, 

 so that the investment of public moneys 

 should be made revenue producing. 



No bonding schemes of any sort, no 

 investments of private capital in irrigation 

 works of a general character should be 

 permitted under any circumstances. 



The desperate financial condition of our 

 people is due to a large extent to the 

 enormous interest charges that we are 

 carrying and every man who has the inter- 

 est of his country at heart, should frown 

 on all efforts at extensions of this most 

 pernicious system. GEO. M. MUNGER. 



Eureka, Kans., Aug., 1896. 



I FEEL that we are not at present 

 needing more land opened to settle- 

 ment; that the government after selling 

 land to innocent purchasers and rep- 

 resenting it as a place to make a home 

 and furnishing nothing but the most 

 meagre information concerning it, owes to 

 its subjects a full, careful survey that will 

 disclose accurately all its possibilities and 

 advantages. J. S. BARNES. 



Pratt, Kans., Aug., 1896. 



