The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1893-11-25
A PROPER FAILURE.
Tho EYeninS News Of Salt Lake City on
Irrigation.
The Trfbune's Theory Going into Prac.
tice-The People will own the Water
death Of big Water Corporation.

Vo C0hc INC lOAOWlu8 xTOm the Even
ing News audit furnishes abundant
food for reflection. "The big land sale
IN MERGED county, California, recorded
in the News Of 10th inst, is the culmi-
mating point in the overthrow OF 4
scheme which practically sought to
make land the chattel Of irrigating
water, instead of having the water
right belong to the land. 1t is mat
ter of commentator in the west that
every scheme OF this kind no matter
how strongly it may De backed by
capital, has been reduced to failure by
Independence OF the mass OF the people.
Culllvators and small land holders have
III the main refused 10 enter into per-
petual Servitude to great water monUpO-
lies.
The land sale referred to was of $500
acres OF land and the interest OF 9. II.
Huffman in the Croker Huffman Land
and Water company OF California.
This company owned 10000 acres
OF land and an immense canal, the
total cost Of which was over $3,UOO,OOO.
With the retirement of MIR. Huffman,
who received $2,OOUOOO for his share,
the policy OF the company will undergo
u radical change. When the company
was organized, the idea was to create u
permanent water-ho holding Tor irrigation
purposes, to which the land would be
always tribute. An immense canal ex-
tending for twenty four miles, was con
Structed and enough water was diverted
from the MERGED river to irrigate AGO.
OK acres Of land. An immense reser-
vOir was constructed, from which many
D'iles of distributing canals radiated
through the surrounding country.
Inv, <NGA
to sell the water outright, but to make
the landowner sign contract to take
the water perpetually ut fixed rental
was perpetual incumbrance upon the
land and could not, be abrOgated.
Whether the tiller Of the soil wanted
the water or not he was compelled to
pay for it. But bad as the people
needed the irrigation water, they would
not take it on such terms, and cOmpar-
atively few sales were made.
The company had also acquired the
tract of 10000 acres, and made great
efforts to sell it with the water rental
attached. Local buyers would not take
it. so q great boom was got up, and peO-
pie came all the way from New Eng
land to take in what. aside from the
rental, would have been good bargains.
They liked the lands, admired the pros
pect, and praised the abundance of the
water supply; but they refused to buy
on the terms offered. The sale was
failure, and the land remained on the
market without buyers.
In this situation the water flowed
peacefully through the great canal with
out profit to the company or benefit to
the land. The magnificent irrigation
system was there, but II was almost in
state of disuse. II was hindrance
to the prosperity of that section Of the
country-a sort of oppressive night
mare. The present owners announce,
however, that they will proceed upon
eutirelv different lines. The land will
be divided into small holdings and sold
with inalienable water rights attached.
Holders Of the other land will be able
to purchase water rights In tee simple,
SO that the land owners will become
owners of the canal.
The latter 10 the only scheme that can
be operated in an irrigating country for
the success of the farmer The natural
and equitable method is that the land
owner may acquire title to the water.
If ownership by monopoly is an en-
| forced condition, so that users must pay
rental, it follows of necessity that
water takers are subjected to meas
ure of slavery. In this part of the
country, though schemes have not been
quite so elaborate as the Croker HUFF
man enterprise, where they have been
of the same nature they either have
failed or are doomed to do so. 1t is a
matter of satisfaction and justice that
those who engage in great enterprises
should receive due reward for their
energy. But there is limit to their
prerOgatives, and that is reached when
the perpetual water rental is insisted
upon. At this point the Croker Huff
man plan failed, and so should others
The people in this section of the c0un-
try, whether in cities, towns or irriga-
ton districts, should own, or should at
least have the privilege Of owning, the
water right for their lands, and not bs
enforced renters of that without which
their lands would be valueless.
STOCKMEN'S NOTICE.
The Boise Valley Land Il Live stool
Go. have 1900 tons of tine lucerne ha,
for sale or will feed and care for A No.
! beef steers on good terms. Apply t
George Ward on the ranch miles cas-
of Parma pOat Off1cA 0ddroSa Parms