THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



201 



Government itself of the irri- 

 gation works for the reclama- 

 tion of the irrigable public 

 lands, the land reclaimed to 

 be sold to actual settlers only 

 in small tracts with a pro- 

 portional interest in the water 

 supply and irrigation system, 

 the ownership of which shall 

 be united to the land. 



4. The preservation of the 4. The preservation of the 

 forests as the sources of forests and reforestation of 

 water supply, the conserva- denuded forest areas as 

 tion of existing supplies by sources of water supply, the 

 improved methods of irriga- conservation of existing sup- 

 tion and distribution, and the plies by approved methods of 

 development of the water re- irrigation and distribution, 

 sources of the arid region and the increase of the water 

 by the investigation of under- resources of the arid region 

 ground sources. by the investigation and de- 

 velopment of underground 

 supplies. 



5. The adoption of a har- 5. The adoption of a har- 

 monious system of irrigation monious system of irrigation 

 laws in all the arid and semi- laws in all the arid and semi- 

 arid states and territories, arid states and territories un- 

 under which the right to the der which the right to the 

 use of water for irrigation use of water for irrigation 

 shall vest in the user and be- shall vest in the user and be- 

 come appurtenant to the land come appurtenant to the land 

 irrigated, and beneficial use irrigated, and beneficial use 

 be the measure of the right. be the basis and the measure 



and limit of the right. ' 



6. To hold an annual Con- 6. The holding of an an- 

 gress, and to diffuse by pub- nual Irrigation Congress, and 

 lie meetings and through the the dissemination by public 

 press, information regarding meetings and through the 

 irrigation and the reclama- press of information regard- 

 tion and settlement of the ing irrigation, and the rec- 

 arid public domain, and the lamation and settlement of 

 possibilities of better agricul- the arid public domain, and 

 ture through intensive farm- the possibilities of better ag- 

 ing, riculture through irrigation 



and intensive farming, and 

 the need for agricultural ed- 

 ucation and training, and the 

 creation of rural homes as 

 national safeguards, and the 

 encouragement of rural set- 

 tlement as a remedy for the 

 social and political evils 

 threatened by the congestion 

 of population in large cities. 



PUBLICATIONS AND WORK OF THE ASSOCIATION. 



Three or more periodicals have been published 

 wholly or in part by the association during the past two 

 or three years. The "National Advocate" has under- 

 gone numerous changes and it is now known by the 

 catching title of "The Homemaker," published in 

 Washington, D. C. ''Maxwell's Talisman," another 

 monthly, is published in Chicago and mailed from 1707 

 Fisher building. The third is a co-operative affair 

 known as "Forestry and Irrigation," also published in 

 Washington. It might be supposed that with all this 

 printed matter distributed to men of influence, the 

 program of the association would have but little op- 

 position. The trouble with the publications has been 

 that Mr. Maxwell has taken advantage of the liberty 

 given him to air his personal grievances and criticise 

 those who differed with him, rather than maintain such 

 a position as would appeal to the judgment of the 

 reader. He has also had some difficulty in explaining 

 satisfactorily his reasons for changing his attitude upon 

 several public questions and in accounting for the 

 means whereby his propaganda is able to carry on 

 such an expensive campaign. These questions would 

 not have arisen if his work had been carried on in the 



open, as could have been done if Mr. Jiaxwell believed 

 that those who furnished the funds for his campaign 

 would indorse fully the policies of the association. 



In addition to the publications, the association has 

 carried on work in various fields. Converting eastern 

 congressmen to the theories of the association has been 

 one of the duties to which Mr. Maxwell has assidu- 

 ously devoted himself. His methods for carrying on this 

 campaign have been interesting to the looker-on and 

 anything but pleasant from the standpoint of a dil- 

 atory congressman. Should a representative of the 

 people fail to at once fall in with the plans of Mr. Max- 

 well, the Washington end of the fight is not considered 

 and all efforts are directed towards securing an indorse- 

 ment from constituents. Commercial and labor organ- 

 izations of the various towns of the district receive 

 notice that the chairman of the executive committee of 

 the National Irrigation Association desires to speak 

 before the bodies and arrangements are generally made 

 for this purpose. Resolutions, always ready, are intro- 

 duced, and, as a rule, indorsed. These are not slow 

 in reaching the congressman, much to his dissatisfac- 

 tion. 



Labor organizations, which have been 

 freely called upon for this service, have often 

 adopted resolutions at Mr. Maxwell's solicita- 

 tion when they are arrayed against the cor- 

 porations which furnish the fnnds for his 

 campaign. 



Many letters have also been sent out from Wash- 

 ington and Chicago, having for their object the direc- 

 tion of sentiment in favor of the policies of the associa- 

 tion. Newspapers have been looked after, and early 

 in the campaign much of the material provided by 

 the press bureau was published. Of recent years, how- 

 ever, as the purpose of the organization has become more 

 widely known, this matter has been deposited in the 

 waste-basket. The articles thus gratuitously furnished 

 have varied greatly in character, but all have some 

 "moral" of value to the association or those benefiting 

 indirectly from its work. The papers of the east, where 

 irrigation is not generally understood, and where the 

 importance of the articles published has not been ap- 

 preciated, have fallen comparatively easy victims to this 

 press agency. None of the articles, as would "be !: sup- 

 posed, deal with the responsibility which Congress has 

 imposed on the states by the acts already referred to. 

 Cn the contrary, the states and territories have been 

 cautioned not to enact comprehensive irrigation laws 

 lest government construction might be interfered with. 

 No stress has been laid on the duty the states owe the 

 individual irrigator who is already on the ground. 



MEMBERSHIP AND FUNDS. 



THE AGE has already referred to the membership 

 of the association. Mr. Maxwell refuses to furnish a 

 list of the members, and as they are scattered over 

 the country, it is difficult to obtain it in any other way. 

 We have learned to our satisfaction that the membership 

 approximated 2,000 in the balmy days of the association 

 and each member" contributed $5.00 per year to the 

 treasury, over which Mr. Maxwell has been the watch- 

 dog. The president of the association has been a figure- 

 head, all business having been transacted by the chair- 

 man of the executive committee, Mr. Maxwell. The 

 funds have gone for various purposes, but chiefly to the 

 publication of the organs through which the association 

 has attempted to "educate the west" as to the proper 

 national irrigation policy. It has cost something to 



