Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-05-24
WATER TROUBLEs AT THE CAP
nTAL.


will no doubt be very large; also the
fruit crop viii be immense. 1t has
been good thing for the old town
Of Boise, as the water privilege which
has heretofore aided in identifying
the so.called "Boise the Beautiful, =
has been denied and cut of by the
celebrated ditch owner, the Hon.
Joseph Perrsult, chief Of the Walling
ditch. His price for the water this
year 10 ~ follows: Ten dollars per
lot in the new addition to the old
town site and four dollars per acre
for the farming land, paid in advance
or no water, aud the people in the old
town need not apply. How does
that strike an old settler who has
through thick and thin endured hard
ships, fought the wild Indians and
helped build up city like the capital
OF Idaho, and who have bought and
paid for water for over twenty-five
yearsP Now Mr.. Perrault says the
city can go to the dickens and burn
out before he will give its well mean
ing people any more water out OF his
old ditch, but would like to sell it to
the city for $4,000. He says nine
out Of ten did not pay for water, and
that Is Just the reason he is acting in
the way he is; but the people Of the
town who did pay want the public to
know, and why not publish to the
world their names, and also the names
OF those who did not pay? BY SO do
ing Mr.. Perrault would be giving the
we'll meaning people OF Boise City a
square deal and fair play. But no,
he goes on and says that nine out Of
ten are thieves aud that they have
robbed him long enough. As to the
people Of Boise City robbing him, it
10 not so. The water he claims the
good people of Boise stole from HIM,
or his ditch, was the waste water
which has been sort of nuisance for
SO many years by flooding the streets
and lying in cess-pools and being a
cause Of sickness. There never was
an outlet for the waste water to work
its way to the river, SO Brown passed
the water to Jones, and Jones to Tom,
Dick and Harry, and so on. Dick
flooded EIizabeth's garden and Bridg-
ct passed the water to Susan, and
Susan sent it on to her next neighbor,
and sometimes they had the City
Marshal after the water tender, and
"hell was popping" So Mr.. Perrault
owes many and many thanks to the
good men and women of Boise City
for taking care Of this waste water
for SO many years. The said water
has caused many people lots of trouble
and it would be "darned good thing
il there was no ditch. 1t keeps PEG,
pie poor to buy water at the rate he
charges and they can not get it hal
the time. When the man at the heae
OF the ditch owns the key to the head
gate, how can others get water
} That is just the way with the Wallinl
ditch. Mr.. Perrrult owns the ditch
and Mr.. Goodwin, the saw mill man
put in the head gate and has the Ike.
to the ditch. Mr.. Goodwin keeps hi
end of the ditch, nearly mile, in re
pair, and uses most of the water t.
run his saw mill and the farmers an,
city people have to fight for what lit
tie they get. How in the name o
common sense can farmer afford t.
pay "a per acre for water. and hal
the time not get it? Here is tn
whole cost per acre: "a for water
- for blowing, 80 cents for harrow
ing, % for seed, rolling, narrowing
and harvesting, 50; total, sll.5t
without taxes and otner expenses
Those who have full block--12 lot
, pay Sl20. Most of the peopl
have only few old cottonwood tree
or poplars. Now don't you see tina
it keeps one poor to pay such an out
rageous water tax. l was speaking
to an old settler to-day about hi
!, water tax. He said he located
block in the city in the fall of 1865
and has paid for water every yea
since 1869, from $50 to s25. Twer
ty-three years at say $40 year woul
be s460 that he mas paid the ditc
company; at the present rate in twer
ty-three years more it would max
the cost in all 1920 for water ia
/, alone. No one can pay such waite
bill and get rich in Boise City; SO
would be better to sell out in the tow
and move across the river where waite
is free with the lots.