What the Government Owes Its People 207 



mon life, including community buildings, the organiza- 

 tion of cooperative systems for the purchase of sup- 

 plies, and the sale of products; and something in the 

 way of social and civic organizations. Some of them 

 provide advances of capital to assist settlers in making 

 their improvements; and under all the bills it would be 

 possible for the Government to supply supervising 

 architects for private as well as public buildings. 



These advanced ideas of social legislation are chiefly 

 to be credited to Dr. Elwood Mead, an American engi- 

 neer who learned his lessons from practical experience 

 in Australia, and from European travel and observa- 

 tion ; and who is now doing great work for the people 

 along these lines in California. He was one of the 

 first of the experts summoned to Washington by Sec- 

 retary Lane. 



With a single exception, all of these measures call 

 for large public appropriations, ranging from $250,- 

 000,000 to $500,000,000 ; but none of them propose to 

 give a dollar of this money as largess or subsidy. Every 

 dollar would come back to the Treasury, under a plan 

 of amortized payments, bearing four per cent interest 

 and running over a long series of years. 



The only constructive measure of this character that 

 calls for no public appropriation whatever is known 

 as the "Rural Homes Bill." It was introduced and 

 championed by Utah's great Senator, Reed Smoot. 

 Briefly, it makes available to land-owners, reclamation 

 districts and homeseekers the expert ability and valu- 

 able experience of the United States Reclamation Serv- 

 ice, on condition that all such projects shall be financed 



