IMMIGRATION INTO THE ARID REGIONS, 



BY JOHN E. FROST. 



WHOEVER takes up the subject of 

 immigration, into the Arid Regions 

 studies the causes which produce emigra- 

 tion from populous regions or congested 

 social centers and those things which at- 

 tract to the west, where our arid regions 

 are, naturally thinks at once of irrigation as 

 a prime factor in the problem because the 

 word ''arid" precludes the idea of rain 

 farming, and farming in- some shape and 

 to some extent is a necessity in the success- 

 ful settlement of the west, and farming 

 without water is a lonesome, not to say 

 dry business. 



" Water is the mother of the vine." 



" The nurse and fountain of fecundity," 



"The adornerand refresher of the world." 



So we must have water in the arid 

 regions and as the clouds refuse to give it, 

 it must be supplied artificially, hence the 

 important bearing which irrigation has 

 upon the settlement of the arid districts. 



There are in those regions vast mineral 

 deposits, practically all of the precious 

 mineral deposits of the country, coal fields 

 almost beyond measure and lead and cop- 

 per in fabulous quantities and, of course, 

 the development of these resources, the 

 mining, handling and shipping of these 

 minerals will attract and support a large 

 population, but in order to bring this about 

 quickly, development must be accelerated 

 and greatly increased, and farming opera- 

 tions in commensurate proportions must 

 accompany this development. The miners, 

 the engineers, the mechanics, the opera- 

 tives of the smelters and stamp mills and 

 employes in all lines allied to those inter- 

 ests must have farm products at living 

 prices. At the inception of mining camps 

 and for a time in their early history while 

 great excitement exists very high prices for 

 all farm products prevail, but if growth is 

 to continue, if the camp is to become a 

 permanently prosperous, substantial and 

 progressive region, these prices must drop 



*Address on " Immigration into the Arid Regions" 

 delivered by Mr. John E. Frost, Land Commissioner of 

 The Atcliis'on, Topeka & Santa Fe Ry.. at the Fifth 

 National Irrigation Congress, Phoenix, Arizona, Thurs- 

 day, December 17th, 189C. 



to a reasonable basis, and to bring this 

 about the bulky and heavy farm products 

 must be produced within a reasonable dis- 

 tance, and this fact necessitates irrigation 

 ditches all over this vast arid domain and 

 renders possible, with prudent management, 

 their success as financial ventures. The 

 fact that so many irrigation enterprises 

 have been uprofitable proves only that 

 there is something wrong which can be 

 remedied. I think that the failures,, ex- 

 cept in cases of gross blunders or dis- 

 honesty, have in practically every case 

 been due either to inability to control the 

 land under them, or where the land was 

 controlled, to holding the land and water 

 at too high prices. Successful irrigation 

 systems offering land and water at reason- 

 able prices, will undoubtedly attract set- 

 tlers to the arid regions, hence an import- 

 ant step towards the peopling of these dis- 

 tricts is such modification of public land 

 laws as will encourage irrigation enter- 

 prises by enabling them to control a solid 

 body of public land under their canals, and 

 thus inseparably attach the water to the 

 land. The self-interest of the owners of 

 the enterprise will do the rest. They will 

 have to sell land and water at such prices 

 as will tempt farmers to buy or they 

 will be forced into bankruptcy and a re- 

 ceiver will do it for them. The Carey 

 law is found to contain serious defects and 

 should be amended and the desert laud 

 law should be repealed. 



The recommendations and influence of 

 this body will undoubtedly have weight 

 with the U. S. Congress and careful 

 thought should be given to decide upon 

 such recommendation of changes in the 

 public land laws as experience has shown 

 to us in the west to be needed, under the 

 changes in colonization and settlement of 

 the past few years, and proper action upon 

 these lines will undoubtedly have great 

 effect upon immigration to the arid regions. 



In order to secure immigration, we 

 must be able to provide settlers with the 

 means of making a living. The develop- 



