THE PROGRESS OF WESTERN AMERICA. 



161 



WM. II. MILLS, 



Land Commissioner, Southern Pacific K. 11,, San Fran- 

 cisco, Cal. 



Litigation That the right to the 

 Multiplying, water should become ap 

 purtenant to, and inseparable from the 

 land, has long been recognized, but the 

 problem is how to bring this condition to 

 pass. Feeble attempts have been made by 

 the legislatures of some of the States, but 

 the entire series of laws now existant can 

 be said to be nothing more than efforts 

 toward a solution, some of them worthy 

 and many unworthy, and the litigation 

 which is growing out of this chaotic state 

 of affairs has become alarming in its mag- 

 nitude and disastrous in its effects. And 

 the end is not yet in view even with a long 

 range telescope. 



Elwood 



Mead's 



Address. 



The cession by the Federal 

 government of the arid pub- 

 lic domain to the States in 

 severalty has again become an issue after 

 lying quiescent for nearly two years. In 

 an able and scholarly address before the 

 American Society of Irrigation Engineers 

 at Denver, December 12, Elwood Mead, 

 State Engineer of Wyoming, carefully re- 

 views the problem of the arid lands and 



the water supply. That no extensive and 

 continued or permanent development of 

 our Western States is possible until the 

 control of both land and water is vested in 

 the local government, is the conclusion 

 drawn by Mr. Mead. Even the Carey 

 Law, of which so much was expected, ac- 

 cording to Mr. Mead will fail to fulfill ex- 

 pectations and is far from being adequate 

 to the needs. Mr. Mead makes some first- 

 class suggestions as to remedies, and one 

 cannot read his address without feeling 

 that he has thoroughly studied the ques- 

 tion of the arid public domain and its ulti- 

 mate reclamation. Without entering into 

 a detailed discussion of this address (a 

 printed copy of which can be had for the 

 asking) THE AGE wishes to register its en- 

 dorsement of the cession of the lands 

 to the states and of Mr. Mead's sugges- 

 tion that a certain acreage of grazing land 

 should be allotted and rented to the man 

 who irrigates. This will do much to lessen 

 the friction between the cattle man and the 

 farmer, and will be unjust to neither. 



WASHINGTON HESING. 



Chicago's Popular Postmaster, Who Has Taken an Ac- 

 tive Interest in the Work of The Homeseekers 

 Association. 



