THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



85 



just beginning to move west again and create a home. 

 Then came the proposition to place the carrying out of the 

 provisions of the irrigation bill under state control, and now 

 it is being attempted again under a new guise, namely, that 

 a state board of control shall be created in each state. I pre- 

 sume if this should prove successful then the effort would be 

 made to have the carrying out of the provisions of the new 

 irrigation bill under this state board of control. From my 

 experience here in Montana with the manner in which the 

 state school lands question has been manipulated in the 

 past, I am unalterably opposed to schemes of this character. 



It is also being asserted throughout the west that un- 

 less such a state board of control is created we are not in 

 harmony with the government authorities, and in proof of 

 this, quotations are made from the report of the Secretary 

 of Agriculture. Care is taken, however, not to mention the 

 fact that the administration of the irrigation law is not under 

 the department of agriculture, but under the department of the 

 interior, but nevertheless the impression is created among 

 those not fully posted that we are really in opposition to 

 the government by not following the recommendations of 

 the honorable Secretary of Agriculture. When the real 

 facts are made known, what effect will this have on the peo- 

 ple at large? Do you not think they will discern the true 

 inwardness of the matter? 



In my desire to see the west fully settled and developed 

 I yield to no one ; no one would oppose more strenuously 

 any matter in which I would feel that it was opposed to the 

 best and lasting interests of my state. On the other hand, 

 I do not believe there is a man in my state who is willing 

 to labor harder, or to make a more continued effort to secure 

 anything which would benefit her. I believe any scheme 

 gotten up for selfish purposes will not triumph for any length 

 of time. I believe that you are well aware of the attempt 

 which is being made at this very time in this state to 

 foist a proposition upon us farmers and irrigatprs which 

 is obnoxious to us, and which will not prevail if I know 

 anything about the people of this state. This matter also 

 comes from the same source. 



The situation throughout the west today on the national 

 irrigation movement is that we are divided among ourselves. 

 First it is this, then that. The original proposition was that 

 the west could not build the large propositions. In order 

 to secure the passage of the irrigation bill it was pointed 

 out that the Secretary of the Interior had recommended 

 three specific propositions which were entirely too large for 

 private capital. Now it is stated that the money should 

 be divided up into small propositions. Only last summer 

 a prominent government official told me that the officials had 

 reversed themselves, and it was ordered that attention would 

 be paid to small propositions. Then some section in the 

 west, fearing that some ( other section may get a little ad- 

 vantage over them if the work of reclamation is not started 

 in that particular section, gels up a protest remonstrating 

 against the first proposition. My attention has been called to 

 articles which have appeared in the Denver Republican 

 criticising the St. Mary's Lake proposition. Yet this was 

 one of the three propositions recommended by the Secre- 

 tary of the Interior. In the article referred to all sorts of 

 ridiculous statements were made which had no foundation 

 in fact, and we are not one of those communities in the 

 west which is tamely waiting for some one to pull us out 

 of the mire. We are sawing away. Each year shows a 

 good increase in the acreage of irrigated land. We now 

 have fully 80,000 acres under water and are adding at least 

 10,000 yearly. While additional water supply would be of im- 

 mense benefit we do not believe in waiting. But the entire 

 situation in the west presents a peculiar condition of affairs 

 to the easterner and is not inspiring, or calculated to secure 

 their support. It occurs to me that the wisest course would 

 be for the people of the west to unite upon those matters 

 which we all agree upon, and let those other matters await 

 a more favorable time for settlement. We are supposed to 

 be interested principally in irrigation, yet we branch off onto 

 leasing, state control, etc. 



In conclusion, I do not believe we can secure any full 

 recognition in the east as long as we are divided among our- 

 selves. Patriotism would suggest that we all unite, and pre- 

 sent a united front to the east. Again we cannot hope for 

 much without the aid of the east. The best way to reach 

 the east, in my judgment, is through the business interests 

 of the east, just as Maxwell is now doing, and if the railroads 

 can be induced to assist us by contributing financial support 

 we should congratulate ourselves on the fact, and the Na- 

 tional Irrigation Associati6n is just the agency to accom- 



plish this. We should aid the association in every way 

 possible. 



Mhxvyell is charged with wanting the merger at Colo* 

 rado Springs, as a delegate to the Trans-Mississippi Com- 

 mercial Congress at St. Paul last July, and as an executive 

 officer I did all I could to bring that about, believing it 

 the only proper thing, and believe it will prevail in the end. It 

 is a great waste of time and expense to have two or three 

 organizations for practically the same purpose, and we have 

 reason to be thankful to the Trans-Mississippi Commercial 

 Congress for their strong endorsement at Cripple Creek. 

 There is no doubt in my mind that it assisted very materially 

 in securing the passage of the irrigation bill. 



An organization similar to the National Irrigation As- 

 sociation is an absolute necessity to carry and sustain in- 

 terest in irrigation matters. In the irrigation congress no 

 provision is made whereby funds are provided. The Trans- 

 Mississippi Commercial Congress have found it necessary to 

 perfect a similar organization with a permanent member- 

 ship fee. Were we fortunate enough to unite with the Trans- 

 Mississippi Commercial Congress and were able to exert any 

 influence it would be a case of the tail wagging the dog. You 

 know it has been a very difficult matter to develop interest 

 and financial means sufficient to hold a congress each year, 

 and have been only too glad to ask the T. M. C. C. people 

 to give us a day for irrigation discussion. The same people, 

 who are interested in one organization are also interested 

 in the other, and have the same interests at heart. There is 

 no earthly reason why two different congresses should be 

 held. See my position this year ; I could find time to go 

 to one, but not to both, although I had expected to go to 

 the irrigation congress until the last day. 



In THE AGE reference was made to the request from 

 the executive committee for $10 to assist in paying the ex- 

 penses of publishing the report. No request of this character 

 was made after the Chicago Congress, and I believe the peo- 

 ple of Colorado Springs pledged the necessary expense of 

 publishing the report when the congress was offered them 

 at Chicago. 



I offer you these suggestions in the best of spirit, and 

 trust that you will receive them in that way. I trust we may 

 have the pleasure of meeting on one of my trips to Chicago, 

 and that you will do everything possible to bring about a 

 better feeling among the opposing forces in the west. When 

 I see you personally I have some inside history to tell and 

 show you myself, and I wish to say in conclusion that the 

 right will prevail in this as well as in other matters. Propo- 

 sitions for selfish reasons might prevail for a time but not 

 always. It would be much better for the welfare of this- 

 movement if all would sink their personal feelings in the 

 matter, agree on those maters on which we all think alike, 

 and let the others rest. 



With sincere regards to you personally and the hope 

 that we may meet at no distant time, I will close this letter, 

 which has grown longer than I expected when I sat down 

 to reply to you. My friend, in conclusion, and without 

 mentioning names, there are more than one government of- 

 ficial, or set of officials, interested in this matter. Some 

 are very conscientiously doing everything in their power 

 to accomplish a result, even to the extent of not protecting 

 themselves when assailed. They go right on doing their 

 work, in a quiet, unostentatious manner. Another set I cannot 

 say so much for. Strife is being created, and I have letters 

 from senators of the United States complaining of their ac- 

 tion pending the passage of the irrigation bill in which this 

 statement occurs : "The greatest foes of the movement 

 come from supposed friends of the west, and who are from 

 the west. Their opinions are frequently quoted and ac- 

 cepted as facts, and make it difficult of explanation. Mr. 



and Mr. so and so (naming them) are doing 



more harm than the east all put together, and I fear that 

 the bill will not receive a favorable consideration at this, 

 time. Yours truly, 



W. M. WOOLDRIDGE. 



REDFIELD, IOWA, Jan. 2, 1903. 

 IRRIGATION AGE AND DRAINAGE JOURNAL: 



Gentlemen : Enclosed find programme of our twenty- 

 third annual convention to be held at Ames, Iowa. If not too 

 late kindly publish same. If you can give us a little write 

 up it will be greatly appreciated. We had the largest attend- 

 ance of any state meeting last year and as Ames is the home 

 of Iowa College, every member should be present this year.. 



Very truly yours, 

 ROBT. GOODWIN, JR., Secy. 



