THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



325 



An Oklahoma peanut crop, raised by irrigation. Courtesy of The Southwest Trail. 



"T HE Fed- 

 e r a 1 

 Water 

 Users must 

 go into 

 politics. 



The great 

 n a t i o n al 

 parties must 

 be made to 

 take an in- 

 terest in the 

 welfare of 

 the brave 

 men and 

 women who 

 are battling 

 the desert 

 and the 

 most dras- 

 tic govern- 

 m e n t b u- 

 reaucracy. 



The water 

 users must 



present their problems before the national conven- 

 tions to be held next spring, and insist that the big' 

 parties, if they are to have the support of the Fed- 

 eral project states, must pledge themselves in their 

 platforms to effect such reforms in the treatment 

 of the water users as will make it possible for them 

 to live and prosper as American citizens should. The 

 Federal water users hold the balance of power in 

 several of these states. 



The water users should support no candidate for 

 president who is not willing to have included in his 

 platform a pledge for reforms in their behalf. 



The settlers on the Federal projects want to 

 keep their contracts with the Government. There 

 is no thought of repudiation in their minds. Their 

 families, their homes, their all is at stake. They are 

 laboring under government burdens, which threaten 

 to destroy all their hopes. These burdens must be 

 lifted. These brave men must be made full men 

 again. In order to correct the terrible conditions 

 on the projects the leading political parties should 

 seek to obtain these reforms : 



IThe Government should keep inviolate its con- 

 . tracts with the water users. The settlers ac- 

 cepted certain representations of the Reclamation 



S e r vice, a 

 branch o f 

 government, 

 and in a 

 c o n t r act 

 with the 

 Sec retary 

 of the In- 

 t e r i o r 

 agreed to 

 pay certain 

 amounts 

 per acre for 

 water rights 

 on a com- 

 pleted irri- 

 gation proj- 

 ect. This 

 c o n t r act 

 was drawn 

 in accord- 

 ance with 

 the Recla- 

 mation Act 

 of June 17, 



1902, and based on estimated cost for the completed 

 project. There is no excuse, therefore, for "extras." 

 The Government, not the settlers, should pay for 

 the mistakes and incompetency of its servants. 



The Secretary of the Interior and the Recfama- 

 tion Service should be made to recognize the 

 laws of this nation. The Reclamation Act provides 

 for the formation of Water Users' Associations to 

 take over control of the projects, when the settlers 

 have paid one-half the cost, and to administer the 

 enterprise. The law says : 



Sec. 6. That the Secretary of the Interior is hereby 

 authorized and directed to use the reclamation fund for the 

 operation and maintenance of all reservoirs and irrigation 

 works constructed under the provision of this Act: PRO- 

 VIDED, That when the payments required by this Act are 

 made for the major portion of the lands irrigated from the 

 waters of any of the works herein provided for, then the 

 management and operation of such irrigation works shall pass 

 to the owners of the lands irrigated thereby, to be maintained 

 at their expense under such form of organization and under 

 such rules and regulations as may be acceptable to the Secre- 

 tary of the Interior: PROVIDED, That the title to and the 

 management and operation of the reservoirs and the works 

 necessary for their protection and operation shall remain in 

 the Government until otherwise provided by Congress. 



Despite this, Secretary Lane's personal ap- 

 pointee, Comptroller Ryan of the Reclamation Serv- 

 ice, and in fact the entire Commission, are either 



2. 



