THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



135 



Indian Service have never called in question the re- 

 quirements of their water appropriation law, but have 

 made their appropriation through the State Engineer's 

 office as the statute requires.- The Lewiston Tribune, 

 Lewiston, Idaho, goes into this matter very thoroughly 

 and states: 



"It will be observed that the Tribune has not misrepre- 

 sented the forest service, but has reported the case exactly 

 as it stands upon the record. Of course, the mental reserva- 

 tions of the functionaries as to the proper or improper uses 

 for which they may desire the appropriation of the state's 

 water courses have nothing to do with the requirements of 

 the law. The homemaker who needs water for his little 

 garden or his patch also serves a desirable purpose, but he 

 must acquire his rights under the law just the same. If the 

 law can, or should, be waived at all it would seem that the 

 permanent home-builder should have greater consideration 

 than the transient ranger or like mercenaries. 



"The Forest Service calls attention to the fact that the 

 department has changed its regulations since the 'Use Book' 

 was issued, and hence the directions and guaranties vouch- 

 safed to citizens then are not applicable now. The Tribune 

 long ago called attention to the fact that this was exactly 

 what would occur; that citizens had no legal standing or 

 rights whatever in the vast territory comprised in forest re- 

 serves, if the bureau system should prevail ; that the .settlers 

 would be at the mercy of the whims and caprices of petty 

 satraps, and while they might be in good standing today they 

 were just as apt to be in bad standing tomorrow. It has 

 always been that way and always will be that way. The brief 

 record of the Forestry Bureau, as already made, together with 

 the painfully laborious efforts to get a benevolent and inof- 

 fensive service until the system shall have become more firmly 

 established and more powerful, detracts nothing, from the 

 everlasting fact that free men and arbitrary government do 

 not exist on the same soil, and that one or the other must go, 

 as surely as that God reigns. As to which must go is one of 

 the things the people are even now, unconsciously to them- 

 selves, perhaps, getting into the frame of mind that will de- 

 termine." 



It will be seen from the foregoing that Mr. Pinchot 

 and his associates will not have easy sailing in the state 

 of Idaho. On the other hand, we are informed that 

 Mr. Pinchot states that he has no inclination to 

 control all of the water privileges where the said water 

 rises or flows through or out from a Forest reserve. 

 So far as we know, however, he has never made that 

 statement in public form and it may be necessary for 

 him to explain his position more clearly in the future. 

 Perhaps the best thing that could happen Mr. Pinchot 

 would be a residence of a few years in one of the 

 Western states where he could become better acquainted 

 with the needs of the people. A man who holds a re- 

 sponsible position as that which he now fills, should 

 obtain information on the ground rather than from 

 the reports of badly paid, and in many instances in- 

 competent forest rangers and supervisors. The editor 

 of this journal has traveled many hundreds of miles 

 through various reserves; has looked over the different 

 headquarters of the rangers, and could, perhaps, sug- 

 gest to Mr. Pinchot means whereby the time of these 

 rangers could be put to a better advantage than that 

 of hanging around the settlements rather than by re- 

 maining on their reserves, and studying plans which 

 would be of benefit to the government and the settlers 

 alike. 



A recent visit by the editor of THE IHEI- 

 Opportunities GATION AGE to Colorado and New Mexico 

 in the points, has brought more clearly to our 



West. attention the fact of the wonderful de- 



velopment which has taken place in the 

 state of Colorado. This is particularly true also of the 

 territory of New Mexico. Never in the history of this 

 territory has such development taken place within so 

 short a time and it is safe to say that there are more 

 home-seekers and land buyers going into New Mexico 

 today than into any other section of the United States. 

 This is caused first by the desire to obtain land hold- 

 ings while there is yet a chance, in localities reasonably 

 near to the present lines of railway. Another feature 

 which attracts a great many people to New Mexico is 

 the fact of its uniform healthfulness. That it is a 

 country where the winter climate is not unduly severe 

 and where people with pulmonary troubles usually find 

 relief. It is an unfortunate fact that there are very 

 few families in the country in which some member is 

 not more or less afflicted with this dread disease, and 

 where there is an inclination to change and establish a 

 home in a new section of the west, people naturally 

 look to a point where life may be made less burden- 

 some through favorable climatic conditions. New 

 Mexico has long been known as a resort for consump- 

 tive people and there are at present within her boun- 

 daries many colonies, in some cases isolated, of people 

 who have gone there to seek health and relief. Where 

 an opportunity for home building is offered in con- 

 junction with conditions of, this character it is only 

 reasonable to expect that pec-pie would be attracted in 

 that direction, and the immense passenger traffic of the 

 few railway lines leading into that territory indicate 

 what is .going on in the way of development. The 

 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railway is the main 

 artery through the territory of New Mexico, and was 

 built through that section under varying conditions 

 and titles, many years ago. The men who pioneered 

 this project were men of unusual foresight and the 

 system has prospered during a long period when there 

 was, apparently, no desire for lands in that section, 

 and no particular attempt made toward opening up 

 new areas. 



The hardy pioneers who first settled in that sec- 

 tion are now reaping their reward, and land which 

 was being offered a few years ago at 50c and $1.00 

 per acre now readily commands from $10 to $15 per 

 acre. As an illustration of the reward which may come 

 to those who have pioneered in a seemingly desolate sec- 

 tion we wish to call attention to a valley lying some 

 twenty-five miles inland (near the mountains), from 

 Las Vegas. 



This valley opens some fifteen miles westward from 

 the town of Watrous and extends on up to the head- 



