THE IKRIGATION AGE. 



231 



is fully adequate. By and by they are swept into eter- 

 nity and then Providence is made the scapegoat of the 

 gross negligence, or dilatory action on the part of others. 



The only cure for all these monstrous calamitous 

 floods is in providing outlets for sudden accumula- 

 tions. They did things better in ancient Babylon, over 

 four thousand years ago. They cut blind streams, 

 ditches, laterals, reservoirs, and when old father Eu- 

 phrates raged his worst he couldn't drown a fly. 



It would cost a few million dollars to amend pres- 

 ent conditions and at the rate of human destruction 

 already accomplished, the aggregate value of human 

 lives on an insurable basis has reached a much larger 

 sum than their salvation and protection would have cost. 



THE AGE gives elsewhere an excellent 

 Maxwell photograph of the Maxwell Place, one 

 Place, Phoe- and one-half miles northeast of Phoenix, 

 nix, Arizona Arizona, which will be of interest to those 

 in the neighborhood of the government 

 improvements, and in the shadow of the Tonto scheme. 



THE AGE has reason to believe that the great major- 

 ity of the citizens and "actual" residents of the Salt 

 River Valley, are not the hail fellows well met when 

 he calls around and slaps them on the back, as he sup- 

 poses. 



The fact is, the attempt to "muzzle the monkey" 

 has had the effect upon the fellow who tried the experi- 

 ment as it did upon the individual who monkeyed with 

 the buzz saw. The people down Salt River way are per- 

 suaded that there are land grabbing syndicates in their 

 district, as there are all over the arid west, and that 

 these same syndicates are attempting to obtain control 

 of the entire arid public domain. 



It may be a good business proposition to work such 

 a scheme, as business schemes now go, but it is not 

 clearly understood why the government employes should 

 go into it, or join hands with private parties to de- 

 prive actual settlers of the benefit of the irrigation 

 act, and turn it to the profit of the members of the 

 syndicates. 



Mr. George H. Maxwell is making himself alto- 

 gether too conspicuous in this irrigation matter not to 

 have caused wonder why he, a private person, should 

 presume to dictate, or even direct, officers selected by 

 the Government to do the work. It is not believed 

 that Maxwell is the originator, author, and creator of 

 the national irrigation law, and even if he were, it is 

 not clear why he should take upon himself the man- 

 agement of its execution and operation. He is too 

 close to the land grabbing syndicates for the comfort 

 of the plain, ordinary settler, and his efforts to annul 

 the operation of the irrigation law sub rosa for the per- 

 sonal benefit of himself and his associates is a curious 

 desertion by a parent of his offspring. 



The AGE has Mr. Maxwell's gigantic scheme down 

 pat, and understands all its details and ramifications, 



and when we allude to his organization of a so-called 

 "Water Users' Association," to put. the majority of 25,- 

 000 acres of land in the hands of a syndicate, we feel 

 sure that the time has come for an investigation and 

 an exposure of the same methods which have deprived 

 the Government of timber, grazing, and farming lands 

 of the Northwest without compensation and to the great 

 profit of the schemers. 



The article on "Influences in the National 

 The Milk in Irrigation Program," in the last issue of 

 the Cocoanut.THE AGE made the following statement 

 alluding to Mr. George H. Maxwell: 

 "Because the bill (before Congress) did not suit HIM 

 in some respects he instituted an active fight against 

 its passage during the late winter and early spring 

 months of the following year. He was finally called 

 into line in a way that has not, as yet, been explained, 

 and since the passage of the bill he has 'appeared' to 

 indorse it in every particular." 



The italics are intended to emphasize the fact 

 that the writer has since obtained some light on the 

 subject of -Mr. Maxwell's sudden conversion. 



The bill as finally approved by the committee in 

 charge of it was not satisfactory to Mr. Maxwell, nor 

 to several members of the committee who reflected his 

 ideas, and after the bill was reported, it was attacked 

 most viciously by Mr. Maxwell, both in speeches be- 

 fore various commercial bodies in Nebraska, Colorado, 

 and elsewhere through the medium of his "Homede- 

 stroyer" beg pardon "Homemaker." His opposition 

 to the bill was constant, unfair and abusive. During 

 all the time it was being considered by the House com- 

 mittee his vials of wrath were being poured forth vn'th 

 particular vehemence against the bill, and against those 

 whom he assumed to be responsible for its provisions. 

 Finding, however, that he was not making much head- 

 way in the West in creating feeling against the meas- 

 ure, he transferred his field of personal operations to 

 Washington, where, during his absence in the West, 

 his henchmen had been publishing his tirades agaiiist 

 the measure. Arriving in Washington Maxwell put 

 forth every effort to stampede members of Congress in 

 opposition to the bill, which at that time had already 

 passed the Senate, 'and following his usual tactics his 

 opposition was always under the cloak of righteousness 

 and a burning desire to serve the dear people and the 

 "'actual settler." 



Mr. Maxwell's efforts, however, were not particu- 

 larly effective, largely by reason of their abusive char- 

 acter, which was resented by many members of Con- 

 gress, and he concluded as a final desperate resort to 

 endeavor to secure the President's opposition to the 

 bill. With this object in view he worked upon a mem- 

 ber of the House Committee on Irrigation, who, while 

 well meaning, had but little knowledge of irrigation, 

 practical or theoretical, and, through some friends of 



