THE IKEIGATION AGE. 



109 



men and their work in return for substantial support 

 of another kind. Mr. Maxwell has, through one of 

 these men, been able to confer with the President upon 

 more than one occasion. Through the favors extended 

 by another, he has met Congressmen who have been par- 

 ticularly active in the movement for national aid, and 

 has thus been brought into contact with the Secretary 

 of the Interior. He has had their support in meetings 

 of the Irrigation Congress or wherever their services 

 has been needed. He has been introduced into clubs' 

 at Washington, and has appeared before engineering 

 and scientific societies. Only a short time since, both 

 Mr. Maxwell and one of his government assistants ap- 

 peared before an economic society in Washington to 

 promote their mutual policies. Through the publica- 

 tions controlled by Mr. Maxwell he has been able to 

 repay his debt to these gentlemen. Besides, he has 

 flooded the country with material sent to the daily 

 newspapers, advertising those who have been of ser- 

 vice to him. He has realized that should the govern- 

 ment embark on a plane whereby the west is to be 

 reclaimed, it would be to his advantage to have his 

 friends maintained in places where they would be val- 

 uable in carrying out the policies of the National Ir- 

 rigation Association. We have a bale of newspaper 

 clippings sent out by this bureau relating to the thor- 

 ough training and wise experience of the men with 

 whom Mr. Maxwell has found it advisable to work." 



The chief of the Bureau of Forestry and the chief 

 of the Division of Hydrography of the United States 

 Geological Survey, being ambitious and understand- 

 ing fully the advantage of co-operation with any agency 

 which might advertise them, had already made ar- 

 rangements with this attorney with this end in view. 

 He was charged with the duty of starting and main- 

 taining a campaign against the United States land 

 laws, his aim being to curtail the operation of these 

 laws and to create an artificial demand for land scrip. 

 His work was successful. Within three years land 

 scrip advanced from $3.50 to $10.00 and $12.00 

 per acre. In this campaign he had the co-operation 

 of the bureau chiefs above referred to and the holders 

 of the scrip in a single instance, must have profited 

 by $20,000,000.00 or $30,000,000.00 by an expenditure 

 of from $200,000.00 to $300,000.00 per year. This 

 campaign required great press bureaus. These were 

 provided and while the attack on the land laws was 

 the principle theme, yet the bureau chiefs were not 

 forgotten. Their policies and their records were ad- 

 vertised from coast to coast. The campaign against the 

 land laws ended in so far as the attorney was con- 

 cerned when land scrip advanced to a figure which 

 seemed to be the maximum. In the meantime, the 

 bureau chiefs had so closely followed the campaign, 

 seemingly blind as to its purpose, that .they absorbed 

 all of the arguments presented and have since the close 

 of this remarkable and spectacular fight, led the oppo- 

 sition to statutes which have been proven by time 

 and experience to have been wise and necessary in the 

 development of a new country. This co-operation with 

 a great news agency not controlled by the government 

 was very advantageous to these bureau chiefs. The 

 Bureau of Forestry has grown beyond the wildest 

 dreams of the most enthusiastic lover of trees ; and 

 the former chief of the Bureau of Hydrography of the 



United States Geological Survey has become so strong 

 that he first caused the removal of the chief of the 

 survey, occupied that position for himself for a while 

 and then had a new bureau established for his per- 

 sonal benefit, and he is now the chief of the United 

 States Eeclamation Service. Both of these chiefs have 

 learned the value of advertising. They still maintain 

 their own press agencies at the expense of the govern- 

 ment, and they issue many bulletins and papers which 

 advertise them and their theories instead of publish- 

 ing facts and data for the use of the public at large. 



This leads us to a better understanding of the 

 existing conditions. By close association with the at- 

 torney for the holders of land scrip these bureau chiefs 

 learned the art of self-promotion and obtained a false 

 impression of the operation of the land laws. They 

 found that by further curtailing the operation of these 

 laws it would be possible for them to take away from 

 the land office large tracts which they could manage. 

 They advertised through their mediums and through 

 the papers and periodicals they could reach that their 

 work was designed for the benefit of the home-builder 

 and posterity. Without any authority -from Congress* 

 and without any law covering the subject an empire 

 has already passed from the people into the hands of 

 the Bureau of Forestry. 



The most serious condition arises from the fact 

 that the chief executive, he who has won a place in 

 the hearts of the people, because of his honesty and 

 fearlessness, depends wholly upon these men for advice 

 when questions relating to the management of the 

 public domain arise. The ideas and arguments used 

 by an attorney who conducted a campaign to enrich 

 a few by millions at the expense of the many, are now 

 accepted without question by the President and his 

 messages to Congress contain statements which might 

 have been clipped from the papers during the time 

 when the great opposition campaign was in progress. 

 What a condition the settler on the remaining public 

 lands must confront! A campaign which was begun 

 through selfish motives and which received the support 

 of government agents through selfish motives has ob- 

 tained such momentum that the needs of the newer 

 states and the necessities of the pioneer are forgotten 

 in the struggle for bureaucratic power. Without con- 

 sulting those directly interested, those whose liveli- 

 hood and welfare are dependent upon wise laws relat- 

 ing to the disposal of public lands, and a just admin- 

 istration of those laws, these bureau chiefs now recom- 

 mend a measure which will place the vacant public 

 domain in such condition that the newer states, which 

 are burdened with the responsibility of maintaining 

 law and order, will not be able to develop, except as 

 rules and regulations made in Washington may per- 

 mit. 



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