The Reclamation of the West 



29 



susceptible of reclamation. In the 

 northern part of the region is one of 

 the largest and best bodies of public 

 lands to which it is practicable to take 

 water. Here on Belle Fourche River 

 are many thousand acres of public land 

 which may be irrigated. 



The theory of reclamation is to cou- 



General George M. Sternberg : I would like 

 to ask whether, in case a channel is .opened 

 and water brought across from Canada, under 

 international law Canada would have any claim 

 against us for taking away her water supply. 



Mr Newell: It would open up the great 

 question of water law, and I would say in 

 response that the principle has been estab- 

 lished that priority of appropriation gives 

 priority of right. The man who first takes 

 water and puts it to beneficial use, provided he 

 complies with certain requirements, is entitled 

 to it. In the East, if you have a stream flow- 

 ing through your farm ; even though you do 

 not use it, you are entitled to have that water 

 go through your farm, but in the western 

 states, if you take the water and put it to 

 beneficial use, you can continue to do so, but 

 if you do not, any one who can put it to good 

 use is allowed to do so The development of 

 the arid country would be absolutely impossi- 

 ble if it were necessary for the waters to flow 

 down undiminished in quantity and quality as 

 in the eastern states. 



Acting; President W J McGee : The chair is 

 confident that the members of the Society 

 would be glad to hear from several persons 

 present who could speak from experience on 

 the great problem. The Director of the Geo- 

 logical Survey, under whose responsibility the 

 work has been conducted, is with us. There 

 are 01 hers with us who have been acquainted 

 with the practical asoect and also the theoret- 

 ical aspect of irrigation for many vears. 



Hon. C narles D. Walcott : I think Mr Newell 

 has given a very clear idea of the irrigation 

 law and its operation. I will say that when 

 the question came up in 1S94, when I took 

 charge of the Survey, of renewing the work, I 

 asked Major Powell who was the best man to do 

 it. He says, " We have a man named Newell, 

 who is now in the West. Send for him, and if 

 started with him, I think it will goon well." 



After the irrigation law passed, the Secretary 

 of the Interior and the President asked who 

 was the man to place it in charge of. I told 

 them that I knew of no one so well qualified 

 by training and experience and other qualifica- 

 tions as Mr Newell. He said tonight I am 

 responsible to the Secretary of the Interior. 

 Mr Newell has charge of that work, and I hold 

 him responsible, and I am simply one who will 



serve the flood waters that otherwise 

 go to waste and hold them until such 

 time as they are needed. There is still 

 a vast extent of arid lands to which the 

 flood waters can be carried and which, 

 when watered, is capable of producing 

 large crops and furnishing homes for 

 prosperous farmers. 



help him as far as I can, but the responsibility 

 of the work and carrying it on rests upon his 

 shoulders. 



Mr Newell : One of the gentlemen who 

 fought for the bill on the floor of the House is 

 here, and I would ask that we may hear from 

 Mr Mondell, of Wyoming. He was in charge 

 of the reclamation bill at the time of its passage 

 in the House of Representaves. 



Hon. F. M. Mondell, Representative from 

 Wyoming and chairman of the Committee on 

 Irrigation of the House of Representatives : I 

 have been very much interested indeed in Mr 

 Newell's lecture and these beautiful and in- 

 structive views he has thrown upon the screen. 

 We of the West are vastly interested in the irri- 

 gation work of the national government. I 

 have worked in Congress and out of Congress 

 for a good many years to accomplish the pas- 

 sage of a law which I am pleased to know the 

 gentlemen of the Reclamation Service are find- 

 ing to be a law comprehensive enough to cover 

 practically all the conditions which exist in 

 the western countries. 



Irrigation in America is not a new thing by 

 any means. The Indians practiced it many 

 hundreds of years ago in the Southwest, the 

 Spaniards later, the Americans again in the 

 forties, and private enterprise has moved along 

 a good manj' ways in the development of the 

 smaller projects of irrigation throughottt the 

 arid regions. But there are many large tracts 

 beyond the possibility of development by pri- 

 vate enterprise, where there are many compli- 

 cations by reason of the rivers flowing through 

 two or more states, as Mr Newell has said this 

 evening, and enterprises costing so much, irri- 

 gating such vast amounts of land that it seemed 

 necessary that these works should be taken up 

 by the federal government. The agitation, 

 taken up many years ago for the undertaking 

 of the work by the national government, re- 

 sulted finallv in the passage of the irrigation 

 bill. 



We are exceedingly fortunate that the ad- 

 ministration of the law has fallen in good 

 hands — exceedingly fortunate. The people of 

 the West have great confidence in the Director 

 of the Geological Survey and in Mr Newell and 

 the most efficient corps of engineers which has 

 been organized under his direction. The work 

 is starting most auspiciously. It i<? true that 



