The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1894-09-22
WATER PLANks,

'DOtu In0 DouOcr8ClC anu fOpuuSl
stete platforms contain planks on the
water question. The Democratic plank
does not amount to q hill of beans be.
cause it simply pledges the party to do
something which common law has al
ready done and which the state stat.
utes support. Therefore. it is empty
Of any meaning and deserves no atten.
ti9n. The Populist plank is more to
the purpose and is generally in line
With ideas long ago advanced in this
paper. We have studied this water
question to some considerable extent
and endeav0ring to look at it from a
wholly disinterested stand point can
arrive at but one conclusion that is,
that 1t is much easier to resolve a solu-
ton of the question than actually solye
1t. Political parties, for the purpose of
winning votes, are never penurious
about resolutions. If the Republicans
Of Idaho thought that by so doing they
could carry every county in the state,
they would resolve to build railroad
to the moon and establish letter post
with Mars. There isn't much trouble
about getting up resolutions, but the
rQb comes when you undertake to put
them into practice. In Canyon county,
we are surrounded by peculiar condi-
tons. To make an illustration: Fol
lowing the idea of the Populist plank,
tits proposed to establish a water dis
trict composed of the country irrigable
from the big Payette canal. The first
step is to condemn the property to pub
Lie use and then let the district purchase
it, The canal cost some $3OO,OOO.
Now, is there titled land and property
enough In the proposed district to fur
nish such security as will float $4,000
Of bonds? If not, the scheme falls fiat
at its very inception. 1t is easy
enough in q party platform to re-
solve to buy the Payette canal, but is
that resolution good for $4,000, cold
cash? But let us go a step further.
We will suppose that tue bonds have
been floated at six per cent. that means
$4,000 annual interest besides mainte-
nance expense. Altogether ten per
cent. Of the whole would be conserva-
tive estimate as annual running ex.
pense including interest. That means
$4,000 to be raised annually, at least
$4,000 Of which must be in cash.
Now, the question comes, are there |
people enough in the district to carry
the load? Might they not be pressed |
to death IL it were shouldered upon
themP In ten or twenty years, we
make no doubt, there will be plenty of
people and property under the canal
to carry 1t and obtain water at q much
lower tate than % per inch, but can
they do it this year or nextY Ths& 10
the vital question. what is true OF
the PayettS canal is true Of all the rest
In this section. The Populist plank
pledges the party to legislate these wa
terwayd onto tho peoples shoulders at
The Earliest opportunity" That
means hext winter, provided the legis.
lature lie Populist. Right here we
would Nike to ak what the people of
Canyon county would do with the ca
nails, II they were givUa 70 them bodily ID
'omorrowY Are there people enough IA
dong any one Of them to keep it IL ID
'epair and pay six per cent. on the ~ ID
;ual investments Would there not b 4
and loss and restitution all &
long the line if the companies should
Ibandon their canals utterly and leave {
he country? These are serious ques. t
ions to be considered. They come
lome to every struggling settler and It'll ,
vill not do to be carried away by = Etkh,S I'D
ounding and plausible resolution Ia q t
oliticai platform. /