THE IRRIGATION AGE 



199 



tation clause of the Homestead Act. This price, $1.25, 

 under the commutation clause, applies to land which 

 is outside of the railroad land-grant zone. When this 

 land is entered inside the railroad grant limits, the 

 price paid the Government is $2.50 per acre, and this 

 seems a reasonable and fair arrangement and is directly 

 beneficial to the people. We therefore contend that 

 these laws should stand as they are. 



In all lands entered during the past year some 

 23,000,000 acres, there were only in the neighborhood 

 of 2,000,000 acres entered under the Timber and Stone 

 Act and the commutation clause of the Homestead 

 Act, for which the Government received $2.50 per acre 

 for all entered under the Timber and Stone Act, and 

 from $1.25 to $2.50 for every acre entered under the 

 commutation clause of the Homestead Act, $1^5 be- 

 ing paid for that which was located outside of the 

 railroad land grant limits and $2.50 per acre for that 

 entered within their limits on alternate sections to that 

 which is owned by corporations. The remainder, about 

 20,000,000 acres was entered by the class of Forest 

 Reserve Scrip mentioned above with some other scrip 

 entries of a different character. It is a notable fact 

 that the Government has not received a dollar in return 

 for all this 20,000,000 acre entry; in fact has not even 

 received enough to pay for the extra help needed in 

 the diiferent land offices to make out the necessary pa- 

 pers of transfer. 



Let the people and Congress and the Senate look 

 carefully into the above subject and decide which will 

 result in the greatest good for the country. It is a 

 simple proposition and worthy the consideration of 

 every citizen of the United States. 



In our issue of June will appear a paper 

 Canal and on "Canal and Stream Measurements," 

 Stream Meas- written by A. P. Stover, assistant in irri- 

 urements. gation investigations, United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture, which will prove 

 interesting to all bur readers. 



Irrigation In view of the recent expose of the Max- 

 Age well clique before the House Committee 

 Vindicated, on Arid Lands, we feel justified in call- 

 ing attention to our statement in an issue 

 early last year under the title, "Influences in the Na- 

 tional Irrigation Program," concerning the co-operation 

 of George H. Maxwell with certain Government officials. 

 In that article we said : "Before the plan submitted 

 to the railroads by Mr. Maxwell was accepted he had 

 the campaign fairly well outlined in his mind. He 

 saw that it would be necessary for him to become inti- 

 mate with Government officials who could bring him 

 into' contact with congressmen, members of the cabinet, 

 and even the President." This was all brought about 

 subsequently and had Maxwell shown any generalship, 



or ordinary business judgment, he could have been in 

 a position to call on these people for support. He has, 

 however, shown a woeful lack of generalship and is 

 now at outs with F. H. Newell, of the reclamation serv- 

 ice, and criticises that gentleman in his recent publica- 

 tions. He also intimates that President Roosevelt 

 should not have taken the stand he has on certain 

 pet measures advocated by himself and his employers. 



It is only a matter of time when this man will 

 step down and out withput friends or sympathy. It 

 is stated in some quarters that Maxwell is also out with 

 Gifford Pinchot, chief forester of the United States. If 

 so, this is a very fortunate turn of affairs for Mr. Pin- 

 chot, as both himself and Mr. Newell have been badly 

 scorched in their contact with Maxwell. As to the 

 effect the contact has had on Mr. Walcott, of the Geo- 

 logical Survey, it is difficult to state, although it is 

 a well known fact that smoke and fire make very little 

 impression on certain substances. At any rate THE 

 AGE has been vindicated in all its charges and can but 

 feel that it has had a very wholesome influence within 

 the past two. years. It has received congratulatory- 

 letters from its friends throughout the country, all of 

 which are very gratifying and for which the editor wishes 

 through this sources to express his thanks. 



Senator Hansbrough's forest reserve bill, reported 

 from his Committee on Public Lands, inaugurates a 

 new policy relative to a question of very great impor- 

 tance. The bill is intended to put an end to forest 

 reserve selection rights, frequently referred to as forest 

 reserve scrip, through speculation in and the use of 

 which many frauds have been perpetrated against the 

 Government. Indeed, if the $50,000 syndicate which 

 has been devoting itself to the repeal of all of our 

 general land laws had centered itself upon the reform 

 contained in this bill it would have performed a public 

 service. It is a strange coincidence, however, that 

 most of the contributors toward the Maxwell $50,000 

 fund for "educational work" in behalf of wholesale land 

 law repeal are the ones who have been the beneficiaries 

 under the Government's forest reserve scrip policy. 



The bill provides that entrymen within forest re- 

 serves hereafter created may accept a cash settlemenffor 

 all their right and interest. There will be no more 

 scrip for the speculators, and we predict that, in con- 

 sequence of this change, there will be fewer entrymen in 

 forest reserves. 



The bill further provides that as to relinquishments 

 hereafter made in existing reserves, the exchange lands 

 taken shall be of like character and quality both as to 

 soil, timber, etc., and that no timber land shall be 

 given in exchange for land denuded of its timber. 

 This is just and wise. 



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 AOE and a copy of the PRIflER OF IRRIGATION. 



