THE IKRIGATION AGE. 



47 



PRESIDENT TOOK ACTION. 



"The necessity for an experienced engineer of high 

 attainments appears to have been deeply impressed on 

 the President's mind, and about a year ago, being ad- 

 vised by the attorney general that he had full authority 

 under the irrigation law to do so, he appointed Mr. 

 Grunsky, who had been on the Panama canal commis- 

 sion, and who was an engineer of pronounced ability, to 

 the position which I had sought to create in my bill. 

 Very naturally the reclamation service was greatly dis- 

 pleased with the action of the President, and through 

 what may be termed the literary department of the 

 service, this displeasure was extensively paraded in the 

 newspapers, the President being severely criticised for 

 his action. It was charged, to begin with, that when I 

 introduced my bill to create the office of supervising en- 

 gineer my purpose was to take the reclamation work out 

 of the hands of men who were appointed under the civil 

 service law, and to place it in the hands of some man 

 who would build up a political machine. This charge 

 was enlarged upon from time to .time, until numerous 

 senators and representatives were brought into the al- 

 leged conspiracy. 



"Very naturally, the literary bureau of the reclama- 

 tion service was greatly embarrassed when President 

 Eoosevelt, himself, a famous stickler for civil service 

 methods, came to regard the situation as I did, and Mr. 

 Grunsky was frowned upon as an interloper. Nothing 

 has since transpired to confirm the dire apprehension 

 of the reclamation service. I am sure that in the ap- 

 pointment of Mr. Grunsky the President had no thought 

 of building up a political machine. Nor do I believe 

 that Mr. Grunsky himself had any idea of that kind. 

 I am glad to know that the reclamation service has con- 

 cluded to work in harmony with Mr. Grunsky, and feel 

 confident that they will work together without fric- 

 tion." _________ 



DEMAND FOR WESTERN LAND. 



That there is greater demand for western lands, 

 and especially for Colorado lands, is proven by the re- 

 marks of residents of eastern cities who deal in farms 

 and ranches. They say that the people of this State 

 have no conception of the extent of the inquiry. Grad- 

 ually their inquirers are coming west to investigate for 

 themselves, and the number of purchases resulting make 

 up an unusually large percentage. The reasons for this 

 are well set forth in the following, taken from the 

 Denver Republican: 



A great tidal wave of investment is reaching out 

 from the East. Its approach is as yet scarcely recog- 

 nized at home, but the land agents, who are no more 

 optimistic than their good business warrants, realize this. 

 It is stated in some quarters that home people are miss- 

 ing promising investments, which eastern people are 

 quick to seize upon. The arid and semi-arid lands of 

 Colorado have already advanced in price and will un- 

 doubtedly do so again if the demand for them continues. 



C. E. Wantland, general sales agent of the Union 

 Pacific Eailroad, has just returned from a trip of sev- 

 eral months, which took him all over the Pacific coast 

 region and intermediate territories. He also attended 

 the irrigation congress at Portland. His statement of 

 conditions as he found them will be a revelation to many 

 people living in the West itself. It should add much 

 to a better understanding of the situation. 



"The general land conditions in the West," said 

 Mr. Wantland, "are better now than at any time in the 

 last five years. There are many reasons for the present 

 land movement in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyom- 

 ing, and certain districts on the Pacific coast. 



"The national irrigation work being done by the 

 government has given strength to all irrigation enter- 

 prises, and a great deal of eastern capital is now going 

 into irrigation work. Questions affecting colonization 

 work are being discussed now intelligently. Business 

 men of the West are beginning to see that colonization 

 is just as important as canal building, and the quality 

 of settlers is an important item in the work. 



"The government has now let contracts on irriga- 

 tion works for over $25,000,000. The actual work now 

 going on, or which will be undertaken in the near fu- 

 ture, is of great benefit to the merchants of the western 

 states, and is, of course, of interest to every property 

 owner in the country. It is being realized now that 

 when the census of 1910 is taken the western half of the 

 United States will not show such a small percentage of 

 population as at present, and the number of farmers 

 in this country will be greatly increased. .V. 



"Of course, general prosperity is a great factor 

 affecting the land movement now on in the West, but 

 probably the greatest factor is the great gain from scien- 

 tific agriculture. While 10,000,000 acres may be added 

 in the next ten years to the agricultural area in sixteen 

 semi-arid States, owing to national and private irriga- 

 tion, thus doubling the land now reported as under irri- 

 gation by the last census, probably from 20,000,000 to 

 50,000,000 acres now considered arid or semi-arid and 

 good only for grazing purposes, will be reclaimed and 

 made into productive farms, by reason of improved 

 methods. 



"Even the very worst deserts are receiving atten- 

 tion. The Campbell soil culture system and the work 

 of the United States Department of Agriculture and 

 State agricultural colleges, are producing wonderful re- 

 sults. The land agents of the country are just begin- 

 ning to wake up to the advantages, and it is safe to say 

 that the business men of the western States have not 

 yet had their eyes opened to the gain which will come 

 to the trade of these States from the new farms spring- 

 ing into existence now in the semi-arid districts. 



"The combination of circumstances . now giving 

 strength to western lands is something imusual and 

 there seems every reason to believe that the movement 

 now under way will extend quickly to all parts of the 

 Pacific coast where the conditions are at all favorable. 

 Money is easy and men are beginning to realize that land 

 is the safest form of investment. The opening of for- 

 eign trade across the Pacific is giving a new market for 

 products raised in the intermountain and Pacific coast 

 States. The new demand for live stock is such that 

 buyers from Chicago now meet buyers from the Pacific 

 coast as far east as central Wyoming. New packing cen- 

 ters are being developed and shortly the rapid increase 

 in population of the western States will force the estab- 

 lishment of other manufacturing industries which here- 

 tofore have not been considered practicable. The de- 

 velopment of the sugar beet industry alone has been 

 remarkable, and new factories are springing up all over 

 the West. 



"Good prices for farm and ranch products appear 

 to be safe for a number of years. Land values being low 



