THE IRRIGATION" AGE. 



79 



THE FEDERAL WATER USERS 



A Department Devoted to the Interests of the Farmers in the 



Government Irrigation Projects 



Edited by Geo. J. Scharschug 



Why I Have Created This Department. 



Four years ago as a newspaper correspondent 

 and an unbiased observer, I accompanied the Irri- 

 gation committee of the United States Senate on a 

 trip of inspection of the Federal Reclamation proj- 

 ects. I had visited most of the projects prior to that 

 time and have been on many of them since, but on 

 that trip I had an opportunity to get in close touch 

 with the real backbone of the projects the settlers. 

 I was permitted to attend the meetings of the Water 

 Users' association ; to hear the actual settlers' side 

 of the government irrigation problem ; to hear from 

 his own lips his story of struggle to make desert 

 sands bloom and produce ; to learn at first hand of 

 his treatment by and his dealings with the agents 

 of Uncle Sam. 



It was then that the idea of this department, 

 devoted to the interests of the water users on the 

 federal projects, for which the editor of THE IRRI- 

 GATION AGE has given me space, was born. It was 

 then that I decided that I wanted to have a part in 

 working out the great human problem, which con- 

 fronts both the government and the settlers in mak- 

 ing a success of the great engineering projects, on 

 which the United States has already spent more 

 than $100,000,000. For unless the 1,000,000 persons, 

 who now live in and are developing these projects, 

 all of them clean, sturdy, honest, hardy men, women 

 and children, born with the blood of pioneers and 

 the desire to create homes from the breast of nature, 

 itself, are not treated fairly, given all that was prom- 

 ised to them by our government and in turn they 

 fulfilled all their obligations to the United States, 

 the great monuments of irrigation engineering will 

 be as naught and more costly, too, this nation will 

 have lost the confidence of a million of its best citi- 

 zens. 



Two years ago I had opportunity to help the 

 water users of a number of projects organize their 

 national body the National Federation of Water 

 Users' association. My part in the work was small, 

 but its success has pleased me greatly. The ben- 

 efits that the national organization have already 

 obtained for the water users are manifold and are 

 but new proof of the old saying: "In union there is 

 strength." 



There is much yet to be done. There has been 

 government repudiation of contracts with the set- 

 tlers, which in all fairness must be righted. There 

 have been mistakes by government engineers, some 

 innocent, some deliberate yes, almost criminal 

 for which the homesteaders are now being asked to 

 pay. This is not fair. There are other interests 

 seeking, I think without any just grounds, to get a 

 finger into the government funds, devoted by con- 

 gressional act to irrigation. This vast fund came 

 from the sale of public lands in the states where it 

 is being used. The outside interests seeking it must 

 be fought. There are other interests, credited by 



some with being very high in administration coun- 

 cils, who threaten to overthrow the entire present 

 organization of government reclamation as it con- 

 cerns the settler. Such moves must be inquired into 

 very carefully and scrutinized minutely before con- 

 gress is permitted to act upon them favorably. 



The most potent remedy is the light of publicity. 

 Publicity will make the government officials re- 

 spect the rights of the homesteader. Publicity will 

 keep the homesteader from evading in any manner 

 his obligations and his duties to the government. 

 Such publicity cannot be hailed with anything but 

 approval by any patriotic citizen. 



To make this department of THE IRRIGATION AGE 

 a success, I must have the co operation of the' water 

 users. I want it. I want the aid of the country 

 editors on the projects. They have been the back- 

 bone of the many fights which the settlers have al- 

 ready made and will be in the future. It is unfortu- 

 nate that. their circulation is not national. If it were, 

 there would be no need for such a department as 

 mine. Members of the executive committee of the 

 Federation of Water Users have assured me of their 

 aid. If the water users will also help, this depart- 

 ment cannot but succeed and it will accomplish 

 much good. 



RECLAMATION REORGANIZATION. 



What It Means to the Project Settlers. 



Secretary of the Interior Lane's reorganization 

 of the administrative organization of the Reclama- 

 tion Service bears every indication of success. 



Although it was late in December when the 

 secretary issued his order formally creating the 

 Reclamation Commission of five members, settlers 

 on the various projects state they are already begin- 

 ning to feel the benefits of the reorganization. They 

 believe it will result in more attention in Washing- 

 ton and by the subordinate officers on the various 

 projects to the human problems of developing the 

 projects ; in more business-like expenditure of the 

 funds for construction and in greater justice to the 

 claims of the homesteaders and water users. 



It is certain that it has pretty thoroughly de- 

 seroyed the bure'acracy of scientific gentlemen and 

 their hangers-on, who long ruled with a hand of 

 iron the Reclamation Service and the 1,000,000 per- 

 sons, living on the government projects. And it has 

 done so without destroying the efficiency or use- 

 fulness of the engineers, to whom great credit is 

 due for the vast irrigation works they have con- 

 structed. These engineers can now continue their 

 constructive work, for which they are fitted. Men 

 better trained in business and human affairs will 

 care for the other features of the reclamation work 

 which the engineers have striven to do in the past, 



