146 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



Aside from eliminating attractive features to 

 American enterprise, we hope we may impress upon con- 

 sulting engineers the potency of the psychological en- 

 vironment in which their endeavor lies. An invisible 

 antithesis of their work is excited by antagonizing in- 

 terests of settlers already on v the ground. However 

 convincing may be the logic and reasoning, it is not a 

 satisfactory way of introduction to assert that the citi- 

 zen holds erroneous conceptions and at once close the 

 argument. It awakes a spirit of resentment, which later 

 effort must overcome. 



Recently, near my home, a private irrigation enter- 

 prise of considerable importance undertook certain ac- 

 complishments by means that at once aroused antagon- 

 ism. It undertook by injunction to prevent an appeal 

 to law. When a private enterprise or a federal engineer 

 undertakes to enforce its presumed prerogatives by sheer 

 force, regardless of public opinion, the combative re- 

 sources of the interests or personalities affected are at 

 once in action. Moral support is obliterated and much 



the first settler, the one who breaks the virgin soil, or 

 builds his first rude habitation, profits a little from 

 those subdivisions, which lagging brothers are anxious 

 to acquire. Is the pioneer not entitled to reward for the 

 initiative for risking the experiment, and striking the 

 first blow at taming wild alluvial and untried soils? 



This settler is the one who gives evidence of quick 

 perception of active intelligence and hopes by instant 

 action to avert impending dependency in old age. As a 

 reward he is denied this ambition and his dull-witted, or 

 improvident or unfair brother drops in after all initial 

 trials are over and is awarded substantially the same 

 areas and privileges as the one who was "quick to per- 

 ceive the signs of the times." 



This attribute of federal authorities is curtailing 

 energy by limiting possibilities under federal projects, 

 the truly American enterprise and citizenship is not en- 

 couraged. Thrifty people people of conquest, of use- 

 fulness, expansiveness of originality, all those things 

 which make up an ideal people an essential people if 





J 



A San Luis Valley, Colo., Potato Field, on Denver & Rio Grande Railway. 



time and energy that might be usefully expended, must 

 be diverted and utilized in explanation, or unavailable 

 endeavor. Thus one obtains a diminishing return for his 

 energy. 



Because of the strings put upon the public domain, 

 by recent interpretations, the very class of citizenship 

 needed to make the colonies of the intermountain dis- 

 tricts American, are not obtained, and I would counsel 

 a more liberal construction of the National Irrigation 

 Act, and that inducements to homeseekers be extended 

 to the maximum area limits in all localities should be 

 made sufficiently attractive to enterprising people. 



I have a communication from Professor Huileman, 

 soil expert of the Agricultural Department which in 

 advocating small farm units, says that "settlers are slow 

 to observe the signs of the times, and get in harmony."' 

 But our rejoinder is that the settlers are no slower in 

 accepting the verdict of small units, than are consulting 

 boards of the federal government in realizing the set ten- 

 dencies of human intelligence. No farmer could be more 

 obstinate in his contention for a sufficient area to show 

 his mettle, than are conductors of federal works in their 

 determination that their theories shall prevail. 



If small farm units are an inevitable condition in 

 these new areas, the subdivisions will take place without 

 arbitrary limitations, and will be affected without fric- 

 tion and in abundant season to meet the conditions of 

 development, markets, etc. What matters it to the 

 progress of a community, of Americans, or the world, if 



you please, if success is to be a necessary adjunct, are 

 not given an opportunity to square their shoulders and 

 buckle into harness. Eliminate all speculative features 

 of western development, and you have neither atmos- 

 phere or environment that will yield those sterling 

 qualities, and the great big brainy men that are charac- 

 teristic among the inextinguishable molders of the 

 West., We have not the inducement which will fill the 

 new farm areas, except with colonists. 



It is possible that arrogance of claims, of promoters 

 of private enterprises is responsible for creating in the 

 minds of federal consulting boards an opinion that any- 

 one who criticises their methods or rulings is in some 

 way connected with antagonists of government work. 

 Perhaps some of the criticism of government work has 

 an origin in cunning brains, with sinuous intention to 

 embarass and perhaps obliterate a national reclamation 

 service, but servants of the U. S. who have in hand 

 an expenditure of your money and mine should hesitate 

 and consider well, before they assume to state that cor- 

 porate influence is responsible for emanations which 

 differentiate with opinions of consulting boards. 



This subject of immigration is upon us. I am ad- 

 vised that the Truckee-Carson region is sparsely settled, 

 owing to the fact, that contiguous mines and environ- 

 ment are more alluring, than that which the government 

 has to offer. Press dispatches state that more than 

 75 per cent of areas in recently opened reservations is 

 unclaimed. Registration at the Crow and Shoshone 



