THE IRKIGATION AGE. 



135 



The people of the States of North and 

 Wake South Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska 



Up. will wake up some day to learn that 



a lot of good money received from the 

 sale of public lands within their borders has been used 

 for building large irrigation dams in remote States, 

 and it is barely possible that they will also learn that 

 .some of the money has been used to furnish water for 

 large tracts of land held in private ownership 

 whereby the owners and not the public will reap large 

 returns. 



We are pleased to inform our many read- 

 Primer ers that after long delay the Primer of 

 of Irrigation, which has been running in 

 Irrigation. serial form in the columns of THE IRRI- 

 GATION AGE, is soon to be ready for pub- 

 lication in book form. The delay in issuing it in book 

 form was unexpected, but nevertheless unavoidable, 

 and the proofs are now in the hands of an expert, who 

 will make such suggestions or corrections as will 

 strengthen the work, after which the plates will be 

 placed in the hands of our printers and we hope to be 

 able to have the book ready for mailing by the first of 

 April. From all sources good words have come to us 

 concerning this work. We have received orders from all 

 parts of the world and have on file bulk orders for 

 the work to be used in school work at some of the 

 State universities throughout the United States. The 

 reception of the work in its serial form has been very 

 gratifying indeed, and we trust that the matter in 

 book form will meet with a large sale. It has been 

 decided to make the price of the work, bound in cloth, 

 $2.00. Where the Primer and THE IRRIGATION AGE 

 are ordered jointly, $2.50 will be quoted. The book 

 complete will fill about 300 pages and will be finely 

 illustrated. We trust that those who have ordered the 

 Primer may be patient for a little longer time. 



It will be gratifying to the readers of 

 Railways rp HE I KRIG ATION AGE to learn that the 

 Withdraw different railway companies through- 

 Appropria- out tlie West have decided to withdraw 

 tions. iheh SU pp 0r t from the organization 



known as the National Irrigation Association. This 

 association, as has been stated many times in these col- 

 umns, is purely a one-man affair, and the individual 

 in control has used his position as executive chairmnu 

 a purely self-appointed position, by the way to in- 

 fluence the railways to contribute large sums of money, 

 the idea conveyed to them being that by supporting 

 this association large benefits could be obtained by 

 them in the way of irrigation development under Gov- 

 ernment aid along their various lines. Events subse- 

 quent to the passage of the reclamation law have 

 proved that while in some instances some of the rail- 

 ways have been benefited, a large number of them are 



being overlooked, and this is probably the reason why 

 their support is being withdrawn. Other very good 

 reasons could be given for this action on the part of 

 the railways, among them the fact that the executive 

 chairman of the National Irrigation Association at- 

 tempted to control matters with a high hand and as- 

 sumed, in a sense, the position of dictator, not only 

 to irrigation sections of the West, but the railways 

 themselves. 



In view of the fact that the railways have been 

 contributing something like $40,000 per year to this 

 association for five or six years past, they had a good 

 right to expect favors from the association, provided 

 the organization was in a position to "deliver the goods." 

 Many of our readers will, no doubt, remember a series 

 of articles published in the columns of THE IRRIGA- 

 TION AGE, entitled "Influences in the National Irriga- 

 tion Program." In those articles an attempt was made 

 to give information concerning the following subjects : 

 "Character of Water Eights and State Supervision," 

 "Early Agitation to Enlist National Aid," "The Irri- 

 gation Congress," "Objects of the National Irrigation 

 Association as Set Forth in the Constitution," "Publi- 

 cations and Work of the Association," "Cooperation 

 with Government Officials," "Campaign Against Be- 

 form, in State Irrigation Laws." 



Among the different subjects discussed, that of 

 cooperation with Government officials was, perhaps, as 

 important as any, and we quote herewith several para- 

 graphs which will give a better insight into the condi- 

 tion of affairs as they existed at the time of the pub- 

 lication of the articles: 



"Before the plan submitted to the railroads by Mr. 

 Maxwell was accepted he had the campaign fairly 

 well outlined in his mind. He saw that it would be 

 necessary for him to become intimate with Govern- 

 ment officials who could bring him into contact with 

 congressmen, members of the cabinet and even the 

 President. He had already become acquainted with 

 those who had ambitions to direct the irrigation policy 

 of the country, and through them he met heads of bu- 

 reaus in Washington who hoped, through his coopera- 

 tion, to broaden the sphere of their influence and work. 

 We do not wish to bring these men into disrepute and 

 do not say that their ambitions are either to be com- 

 mended or condemned. We do say that their methods 

 are open to criticism. That they have been working 

 with Mr. Maxwell for the past two or three years is 

 an established fact. The readers of Forestry and Irri- 

 gation can easily inform themselves as to the bureaus 

 which are working with Mr. Maxwell to maintain that 

 publication. Those who were at the Irrigation Congress 

 held in Chicago in 1900 have no doubt as to who the 

 gentlemen are, and they fully appreciate the support 

 which the National Irrigation Association has since re- 

 ceived. The arrangement made with Mr. Maxwell by 

 these officers is not known, but since 1900 the National 

 Irrigation Association has advertised these men and 

 their work in return for substantial support of another 

 kind. Mr. Maxwell has, through one of these men, 

 been able to confer with the President upon more than 



