THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



VOL. XII. CHICAGO, OCTOBER, 1897. 



NO. 1 



THE PROGRESS OF WESTERN flMERIGS, 



The Hope Irrigation is not merely a 

 Irrigation. matter of turning the water 

 into a ditch for the benefit of a field of 

 cabbages. It is a great national question, 

 still far from being settled or even under- 

 stood. The object of the irrigation move- 

 ment is to build a new empire in the arid 

 regions of the west The foundation of 

 that empire is the water supply and irri- 

 gable land, its topmost arch a nobler civi- 

 lization than the world has yet seen, based 

 upon social equality, democratic liberty, 

 and the greatest average prosperity. A 

 civilization where want and misery will be 

 reduced to a minimum, energy and thrift 

 be justly rewarded, and good fellowship 

 abound. No question of politics is of 

 greater importance than this : it comprises 

 within its scope all that is good of both 

 social and political economy. The ques- 

 tion of slavery was not confined to the 

 South, the question of irrigation is not 

 confined to the West. It is of national 

 importance and it is becoming the ques- 

 tion of the hour. 



.Something The groundwork for this 



Already . , . 



Done. mighty empire has already 



been partially surveyed and platted and 

 the lines are marked by the steel threads 

 of railroads traversing the country in 

 every direction. The work of reclama- 

 tion and settlement was begun, carried 

 forward rapidly sometimes, and again 

 haltingly. It stands to-day upon the 



threshold of a tremendous forward move- 

 ment and the responsibility for the proper 

 control and direction of that movement 

 rests upon the men of Western America, 

 They cannot in justice to themselves 

 shirk their duty. The problem must be 

 faced and it must be solved, and upon its 

 correct solution depends not only the wel- 

 fare, happiness and prosperity of the pres- 

 ent, but of future generations. A broad, 

 comprehensive and liberal policy should 

 be urged toward the development of this 

 vast public domain. Statesmen are needed 

 with the patriotism and self-sacrifice of a 

 Lincoln and the inflexibility of a Bismarck, 

 in the line of duty. 



Self Help B u t dependence should not be 

 Watchword, placed entirely upon the 

 National Government. The immediate 

 hope of irrigation lies not in the 

 direction of an all-wise governmental 

 policy and financial assistance. It is 

 not to be expected that the United 

 States Congress will suddenly turn 

 from its pleasures of tariff play and 

 Cuban war and Hawaiian annexation, and 

 incidentally, vast appropriation bills for 

 rivers and harbors and other things, and 

 give its earnest attention and serious con- 

 sideration to this matter of irrigation. 

 Unity of action by special interests or lack 

 of opposition may result occasionally in 

 the passage of a bill, beneficial or other- 

 wise, but the watchword of the friends of 



