276 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION. 



July, 



COMMENT ON THE IRRIGATION BILL. 



THE passage of the Irrigation Bill 

 occurred as the June number of 

 Forestry and Irrigation was going 

 to press, and simply the announcement 

 of its passage and the text of the bill 

 were printed. Since then there has been 

 time to consider the causes that brought 

 about the final passage of the bill, and 

 the manner in which the general public 

 views the subject of national irrigation. 



One of the most notable features of 

 the session of Congress just closed was 

 the really remarkable development of 

 the whole irrigation movement. Cer- 

 tainly no more striking change in the 

 status of a legislative matter took place 

 during this session than that which 

 came over the attitude of Congress to- 

 ward the Irrigation Bill. Early in the 

 session it was evident that a national 

 irrigation bill would pass the Senate. 

 It was equally apparent at that time 

 that a large majority in the House was 

 against the passage of such a bill. 



After the Senate had passed its irri- 

 gation bill it was still evident that a 

 majority of the House was against any 

 such measure, and, what was more sig- 

 nificant, the Senate bill contained a num- 

 ber of features which were objectionable 

 to President Roosevelt and to the Na- 

 tional Irrigation Association. The Pres- 

 ident and others, who desired an irriga- 

 tion bill which should be a home-making 

 bill, immediately instituted a vigorous 

 campaign to secure such amendments as 

 would eliminate from the Senate meas- 

 ure its objectionable features. The 

 western members of Congress were prac- 

 tically united to secure this result. 

 Many conferences were held, both at 

 the Capitol and at the White House, 

 and a personal canvass was conducted 

 by the advocates of a proper measure, 

 not only to secure amendments for the 

 Senate bill, but to secure the passage of 

 the measure through the House. 



The House Committee on Irrigation 

 decided to abandon its own measure for 

 the purpose of gaining time, and adopted 

 the Senate bill, making the necessary 

 amendments thereto to secure the sup- 

 port of the administration and of the 



National Irrigation Association. Ear- 

 lier predictions to the effect that no irri- 

 gation legislation could be enacted at 

 this session of Congress were based en- 

 tirely upon lack of knowledge of the 

 importance of the measure among many 

 members of Congress and the lack of 

 support from President Roosevelt and 

 the National Irrigation Association for 

 an 3^ bill such as the Senate measure, 

 which did not conform to the funda- 

 mental idea of home-building on the 

 public lands. 



The House committee reported the 

 amended Senate measure April 7, and 

 this bill as reported received the full 

 approval of the President and the Na- 

 tional Irrigation Association. 



From this time on up to the day on 

 which the final vote in the House was 

 taken the amended bill gained sup- 

 porters. The opposition to the bill was 

 confined mainly to members from the 

 farming communities of the East, and 

 the main argument advanced was that 

 the reclamation of the arid lands would 

 bring about injurious competition to the 

 farmers of the East. As the scope and 

 purpose of the bill were made plain to 

 them, that only the funds from the sale 

 of the public lands in the arid states was 

 to be used ; that the amount of land that 

 could be reclaimed was too small to de- 

 preciate farm values in the East ; but 

 that, on the other hand, the develop- 

 ment of the West would create new 

 markets for eastern manufacturers, and 

 thus inure to the benefit of the eastern 

 farmer, this opposition in a great meas- 

 ure was overcome. 



Too much credit cannot be given 

 President Roosevelt for his part in the 

 passage of the Irrigation Bill. To his 

 firm stand for irrigation legislation at 

 this session the passage of the bill is un- 

 doubtedly due. His objections to cer- 

 tain features in the Senate bill brought 

 about the improvement of the measure, 

 until as finally passed it is such a bill 

 as the champions for a home-building 

 measure have contended for. Presi- 

 dent Roosevelt has a more intimate 

 knowledge of the West and its needs 



