THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



235 



do not ask for this land because of its 

 value, but because it is needed to provide 

 conditions which will make agriculture in 

 this state successful; to put an end to the 

 controversies over range rjghts which have 

 prevailed for the past few years, and which 

 are a disgrace to a self-governing people, 

 and to enable the state to carry out the 

 provisions of its water laws, and thus cre- 

 ate 1 an irrigation system in which both the 

 state and nation can take just pride. The 

 grant asked for will enable the state to do 

 this without direct aid from the national 

 government, and will relieve the national 

 treasury from the demands for appropria- 

 tions which will otherwise become im- 

 perative." 



This memorial was very favorably re- 

 ceived by the majority of the members of 

 the Montana Society, and a committee of 

 three was appointed to consider the ques- 

 tion of co-operating with the other states 

 on this line. 



A measure somewhat similar to this, as 

 near as we can make out, is embodied in 

 the "Shafroth Bill," which provides for 

 the absolute and unconditional cession to 

 the state of the whole arid public domain 

 capable of reclamation by irrigation. 



The National Advocate, Orange Judd 

 Farmer, The San Francisco Chronicle and 

 The Country Gentleman protest vigorously 

 against the passage of this bill and have a 

 great deal of convincing argument on the 

 subject. It seems to me that the National 

 Advocate takes a correct view of the mat- 

 ter when it says that the passage of this 

 bill ; ' would create such enormous and in- 

 numerable opportunities for all manner of 

 gigintic schemes for land grabbing and 

 the monopoly in private ownership of all 

 that remains of this valuable patrimony of 

 the whole people, * * * And if 



unconditional state cession should ever 

 prevail, the progress of the West would be 

 retarded for a century, while her vast area 

 of arid but fertile lands were devoted to 

 cattle ranges when they should have been 

 reclaimed and settled in small tracts by 

 actual home builders." 



Under the Carey Act the states each 

 have how the right to select 1,000,000 acres 

 as an absolute free gift if they will reclaim 

 and settle them, and it seems no more 

 than fair that, as the Advocate says: 

 "when any state has reclaimed and settled 

 these mi-lion acres, then and not until 

 then, let it ask for more." 



Upon this subject the Phoenix Irriga- 

 tion Congress laid down the following prin- 

 ciple: 



Resolved, That we favor the ces-ion of 

 the public lane's of the nation to the 

 respective states and territories only upon 

 conditions so strict that they will insure 

 the settlement of such lands by actual set- 

 tlers in small tracts, and absolutely pre- 

 vent their monopoly in large bodies under 

 private ownership." L, W. 



STATE NEWS. 



MILK RIVER, MONTANA, NOTES. 



Our spring was very late and this, to- 

 gether with an unusually heavy snow fall 

 during the latter part of winter, and fre- 

 quent showeis since, is seriously delaying 

 spring farm operations. 



High water did considerable damage to 

 several of our irrigit.ion enterprises, the 

 Paradise Company ha\ing one end of their 

 dam cut around, the Harlem Confpany 

 losing their dam completely, some of the 

 old reliable Belknap Company's ditches 

 being cut in places, but more of an ag- 

 gravating nature than otherwise, tending 

 to merely delay. The other companies 

 will begin the repairing of their dams im- 

 mediately, with the hope that this will be 

 done in time to give them water during 

 the season. 



Our farmers are putting in a large acre- 

 age of malting barley this season, also of 

 oats. The hay and range grass is looking 

 well. 



The stockholders of the various iriiga- 

 tion canals in this vicinity are very anxious 

 to put them in a permanent condition as 

 early as possible. Those Companies that 

 have not already incorporated are taking 



