212 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



a free period within which the farmers 

 may more fully use their farms. They 

 can put their lands to a more profit- 

 able use, both to themselves and to the 

 country, by being allowed to cumulate 

 their earnings in the early years and be 

 thus enabled to make investments in stock 

 and machinery which will make for larger 

 profits later. 



I feel the keenest sympathy with those 

 upon these projects who are entering into 

 this work of putting the desert into public 

 service. They are genuine pioneers in a 

 new field of work, on the success of 

 which depends greatly the rescuing of a 

 vast territory. The enemy of the gov- 

 ernment and of the farmer is the land 

 speculator. He is of two kinds. Some- 

 times he is a farmer who does not expect 

 to farm but to sell out at a higher price 

 and go elsewhere. Generally, however, 

 he is the holder of a large tract of private 

 land within the project, who creates false 

 values and burdens those who buy and 

 attempt to farm with a load of debt 

 which handicaps them in their efforts. 

 Both of these are hostile to the welfare 

 of the enterprise and tend to destroy the 

 value of the service which the govern- 

 ment is attempting. But such matters 

 may, I trust, be overcome by new methods 

 of administration. 



It is my hope that the government will 

 find its way to enter with zest upon more 

 works of a similar character. Not to do 

 this will leave undeveloped much of the 

 most fertile land of the West. What is 

 to be the future of Arizona and of New 

 Mexico, of Nevada and Utah, of south- 

 ern Idaho, central Oregon, eastern Wash- 

 ington, much of Montana and Colorado, 

 and more of Wyoming and Nebraska, if 

 the government does not aid in their de- 

 velopment ? 



Private capital will not, for many years 

 at least, risk undertakings of such mag- 

 nitude as these States require. Experi- 

 ence has made the irrigation-bond buyer 

 extremely wary. Within a few weeks 

 the most promising of the great private 

 enterprises in Idaho has met with the 

 misfortune which had befallen so many 

 others in neighboring States. The most 

 successful irrigation plants are founded 

 on the wrecks of their pioneer exploiters. 

 The government has rescued others. 



It has been with these projects much 

 as it has been with our western railroads. 

 They had to descend into the hands of 

 the receiver before they could be resur- 

 rected into a new and glorified life. 



there: is much more irrigation work 



FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO DO 



But where are the funds to come from 

 to carry on such work? My answer is, 

 From the public lands in these States. We 

 sell these lands now and the proceeds go 

 into the reclamation fund. This is the 

 policy of Congress — that we shall for a 

 time use the moneys which the govern- 

 ment derives from the sale of its lands to 

 create new values within the States. 

 Two years ago the government went 

 further and set aside $20,000,000, to be 

 used in the completion of the irrigation 

 schemes now under way. This is an 

 advance by the government for which it 

 takes what might be termed a mortgage 

 on the moneys which the projects will 

 yield from the sale of water rights. Why 

 not extend this policy? 



The West can use profitably and wisely 

 $100,000,000 in the next 10 years to the 

 advantage of the whole country. Indeed, 

 without this expenditure the asset which 

 the government has in its desert lands 

 will lie unused and be of no national 

 value. The government will recover all 

 of the money it advances, not to speak of 

 the homes and the values created by its 

 enterprise. 



If the government will place upon a 

 leasing basis these western resources with 

 which we have been dealing, it can have 

 an increased fund for the continuance of 

 this work and an increased assurance of 

 the return of its advances. Just as I 

 would aim to make Alaska pay in the end 

 out of her own resources for a liberal 

 advance made to her for the opening and 

 improvement of her territory, so should 

 we aim to make these lands of the West 

 bring into being the latent values of the 

 West. With a little foresight we can 

 transform coal and oil, phosphate and 

 timber, into green fields and electric 

 power. 



Railroads and power plants, street 

 railways and waterworks, are built with 

 50-year bonds, which rest upon the 

 foundation of their probable earnings. 



