RECLAMATION OF THE ARID REGION. 



V 



THE RIGHT FUTURE POLICY OF THE STATE AND NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS. 



BY 



GEORGE HEBARD MAXWELL, 



EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION ASSOCIATION. 



THE people of this whole countr}^, manufacturers of the United States, 



and especially the western half That membership must be increased to 



of the United States, are thoroughl}' not less than twenty thousand. Every 



aroused to the gigantic possibilities of conmiercial and manufacturing associa- 



national benefit which would flow from tion, local or national, must be affiliated 



the reclamation and settlement of the with The National Irrigation Associa- 



arid region under a national irrigation tion-, as so many of them are now affili- 



policy. But there are comparatively ated. Each and all of them must have 



few who realize that many things must an authorized representative as a meni- 



yet be done to accomplish that result, ber of the National Advisor}^ Council of 



The national irrigation act merely The National Irrigation Association, 



brought us to the threshhold of the The educational propaganda which 



problem. It opened the door just far The National Irrigation Association has 



enough to see the vast benefits that lie been carrying on for the last three years, 



beyond if we can get the door thrown and which has changed the public senti- 



wide open, so that the people of this ment of the east from opposition to a 



generation may enter and enjoy them. generall}^ favorable sentiment, must be 



Mere appropriations from Congress will enlarged tenfold and carried into the 



not solve the question, no matter how west as well as into the east. The peo- 



large they may be. We must not only pie of the west must become familiar 



get larger appropriations, but we must with the correct solution of every phase 



put down a foundation of public senti- of the irrigation problem. Every citizen 



ment on which to build, which will in- interested in irrigation development, 



sure an enduring structure. from the irrigator to the merchant with 



In the first place the commercial and whom he deals, must be united to work 



manufacturing interests of the country, to a common end along right lines, 

 who will benefit just in proportion as 



the whole people benefit, and who have obstacles to be overcome. 

 no local or personal selfish interests to 



subserve, must be permanently organ- We have had to contend against 



ized throughout the whole United States wrong theories emanating from the 



to carry on a great educational propa- west from the beginning of this niove- 



ganda to awaken the people to a con- i^^ent. We have fought our way over 



tinning realization of the vast impor- them, one at a time, inch by inch and 



tance of this problem, and to maintain step by step, until we have finally over- 



an active and right public sentiment come most of them. First, we had to 



with reference to every phase of it. defeat State Cession ; then we had to de- 

 feat the State Leasing Bill ; then we had 



THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION ASSOCiA- to defeat the State Engineer's Bill. All 



TjQN_ of these turned the control of the rec- 

 lamation of Uncle Sam's farm over to 



The National Irrigation Association the state politicians. All of these meas- 



has now a membership of over two ures were either advocated or approved 



thousand of the leading merchants and at onetime or another by Elwood Mead, 



*Address delivered before the Executive Committee of the Omaha Commercial Club, 

 October 14, 1902. 



(444) 



