The record-union., 1893-01-24
Irrigation Points.

EDS. RECORD UNION: Sanders is in
Selma Irrigation District-the one dis
trict where ''the Wright law has not
proved satisfactory"
Two miles east of US is Alta Irrigation
District, away yonder near our western
horizon is Sunset District, like distance
TO the north is MADEIRA, and to the south
is another in Tulare County. Being thus
situated and surrounded, and having
pracuced irrigation between thirty and
forty years in California, we are in pos
session of some facts, few of which we
enumerate:
I. We can show you thousands of acres
OF land that the irrigation district assesses
as high as Sl5 per acre, that the county
assesses at 81 % per acre and that can be
bought for s. or less per acre. l ask you,
members of the Legislature if you wish
10 assist constituencies sharpers to steal
the school fund by loaning it on such
1raudful assessments l would suggest
as a remedy against this fraud that irriga-
ton districts be compelled to use the
county assessments; this will also save
10 them the unnecessary expense of a
separate assessment.
=. In another place owners of five to
ten-acre lots along certain ditch have
votes enough, added to the hummer vote
OF the town, to elect whom they please
for Directors. They get plenty of water,
while nlne-tenths OF the rest of the land
in the district-much of it owned in large
tracts by non-residents-gets no water or
other benefit, though they're compelled
to pay tens of thousands of dollars of ir-
rigatlon-dlstrlct taxes. Remedy: Change
the law so that only taxpayers shall be
allowed to vote, and they to have their
votes count according to the amount of
taxes paid, as is done in the reclamation
districts. As the law now is, the pur-
chasable vote of the most worthless bum
mer counts for as much in voting taxes
or bonds on land as the vote of the
largest, heaviest taxpaying landowner.
3. Supervisors and Irrigation Directors
exercise similar powers. With the Su-
pervisors we elect a District Attorney,
who watches over our interests, and an Au-
ditor, who sees that the money we pay as
taxes is paid out in just and legal man
ner. There is also a special statute for
Supervisors, as follows:
ANY Supervisor who neglectS or re-
fuses to perform any duty imposed on
him without just cause therefor, or who
villfuQy violates any law provided for
his government as such officer, or fraud
ulently or corruptly performs any duty
imposed on him, or willfully, fraudu-
lently or corruptly attempts to perform
an act rs Supervisor unauthorized by
law, in addition to the penalty provided
il the Penal Code, forleits TO the county
S)uu lof every Sucu act, 10 be recovered
on his official bonds. and is further liable
on his official bond TO any person injured
thereby for all damages sustained" :"
There Is neither Auditor, District Attor-
ney, limiting statute. or penalty to inter
1ere with absolute exercise OF power by
an irrigation director. He can refuse to
run water TO me and thereby destroy nv
orchard and vineyard and reduce me to
beggary 1--WE can find similar cases), and |
have only the slow, expensive uncertain
common law redress OF mandamusing to
enforce my rights and enjoining to re-
strain his wrong-al the while being
compelled to hire my individual lawyer
and put up my individual coin to buck
against my company lawyer and COM
pany coin which he controls. Remedy:
Restrict directors by a statute similar to
that for Supervisors, and compel the Dis
trict Attorney to prosecute them on
proper showing of wrongs they have
committed. w. a. SANDERS.
Sanders, Fresno Co., Cal, Jan. 20, 1898.