THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



VOL. xv. 



CHICAGO, JULY, 1900. 



NO. 10. 



THE PROGRESS OF WESTERN HMERICfl. 



Politics in 

 Irrigation. 



The question of the reclama- 

 ruation of the arid lands by 

 the government has become so vital that 

 many of the state political platforms in 

 the arid rigion have declared in favor of 

 such a policy, while at Philadelphia the 

 national platform of the republicans con- 

 tained the following plank. "We recom- 

 mend adequate national legislation to re- 

 claim the arid lands of the United States, 

 reserving control of the distribution of 

 water for irrigation to the respective 

 states and territories." 



While it may argue well for a cause that 

 it is considered of sufficient national im- 

 portance to declare for it in the platform 

 of a great political party, the question it- 

 self is not one which should be dragged 

 into politics. The national irrigation 

 movement is one which can be and is be- 

 ing combined upon all parties. It is a 

 question as vitally interesting to the west- 

 ern democrat as to his republican or popu- 

 list neighbor, and no matter what differ- 

 ences of opinion may be held upon other 

 issues, all can agree upon the proposition 

 that the reclamation of the arid lands of 

 the west is a subject for consideration and 

 solution by congress. It is to be hoped 

 that the movement looking to the build- 

 ing of storage reservoirs by the govern- 

 ment and the conquest of Arid America 

 "will stand upon a strictly non-partisan 

 basis. 



Power of 

 the Press. 



We run a great risk in ventur- 

 ing to use sush a hoary chest- 

 nut, worn threadbare by country news- 

 paper editorials, as "keeping everlastingly 

 at it brings success," but nothing seems 

 to so completely express our opinion re- 

 garding the irrigation question. There 

 must be vigorous agitation on the part of 

 those interested in irrigation development, 

 and it must be not only vigorous but con- 

 tinuous. Spasmodic efforts will accomp- 

 lish but little. What is needed is con- 

 certed and organized action by western 

 papers and people to bring the necessity 

 of national aid for irrigation to the atten- 

 tion of congress. In this connection Guy 

 E. Mitchell, secretary of the National Irri- 

 gation Association, says: 



''The situation in congress is such that 

 if a united demand is made by the West 

 for irrigation appropriations it cannot be 

 refused. Ihere is no question of this 

 fact. The trouble has been in the past 

 that the West has not been thoroughly 

 united upon this proposition. The West 

 holds the power in congress if it will 

 stand unitedly and exercise it. And if 

 western newspapers the city papers, the 

 country papers, the dailies and the week- 

 lies will print arguments and demands 

 that congress shall consider this great 

 question of irrigation as a national ques- 

 tion, not print one article on the subject, 

 but keep continually driving at the idea 



