The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-02-14
AN OPEN LETTER.
Written BY Prof. Mills, of Logan, to
Governor Mcconnell.

Idaho:
Dear Sir-President Paul of the agri-
cultural college of Utah received let
ter from you not long ago in which
you state that you have been inform
ed that some officer of the college has
publicly criticised the Carey act, and
that in your opinion such criticisms
would not be made were the workings
of the Carey act better understood
You further ask for a copy of the
speech in which the alleged criticisms
were made. President Paul kindly
submitted the letter TO me, as l had
been writing and speaking on the ir
rigation and land question, and | asked
him to say to you that / had not criti-
cised the Carey act, but that I had
questioned the methods of a corpora
ton forming in southern Idaho under
the Carey act. though in the speech
no reference was made to the act it.
self; further, that possibly your in
formant had read an article written
by a citizen of Wyoming and published
in the Salt Lake Herald last Deem
Der, criticiSing, not the Carey act, but
Its application in Wyoming.
At about the same time L read your
letter, however, came the news that the
Idaho land bill was introduced in the
Utah legislature; that the American
Falls Power and Irrigation company
had just then applied for the segrega-
ton of 10000 acres of land situated in
the Snake River valley of IdahO--land
through which people. mostly from
Utah, had already made a large canal,
l therefore deem it eXpedient to ad-
dress this open letter to you.
send you by mail a copy of the
speech in which the reference is made
to the company forming in southern
Idaho. The reference is as follows:
The cost Of the irrigating plant is
estimated at 100000. The company eX-
poets to sell water rights to the tune
of $1,645,200, being a net gain of 81, AS
200, or a, net gain of over 800 per cent.
After the people had paid over this
money, nearly s2,00O,000, they are for
ever expected to pay interest on it be
sides paying the running expenses of
the canal"
Since the speech was delivered this
company's application for the benefits
of the Carey act have been rejected by
the Idaho state engineer, on the ground
that the proposed plan was not feast
BILE, and that the estimated cost was
too low.
There is certainly nothing in the
Carey act itself that is open to criti-
cism, as it really amounts to gift OF
land to the people of the arid states.
The method of it's application, both in
Wyoming and Idaho. may be question
ed, and as far as / am able to judge,
severely criticised.
The trouble between the American
Falls Power and Irrigation company
and the Peoples Canal and Irrigating
company is now well known to the pub
lie in general After diligent inquiry,
it appears to me that the trouble may
be summed up as follows: A set of
men decided to work together to build
a canal large enough to irrigate a GER
tain tract of land, and began in earn
est to build the canal by the co-opera-
tive plan, and for this purpose incor-
porated under the state laws of Idaho
as the Peoples Canal and Irrigating
and further, that the own
ers of this canal were rapidly settling
the land. At about the same time there
was incorporated the American Falls
Power, and Irrigation company, who
to take out water on this
same tract of land. The owners of
this last proposed canal did not own
the land, nor did not intend to own it.
Things moved on for about two years
and up to a few weeks ago, the people
of the first canal becoming bona fide |
settlers and actual canal builders. The
owners of the second canal had done
but little until the Carey act was util-
lied and your state steps in and gives
the latter corporation monopoly OF
water for the land in ques-
ton. The first company will furnish |
water at a cost of from 81 to "a per |
acre, while the corporation, [ under |
stand, is to charge $40 per acre.
On first hearing of this trouble, L
wrote to Wyoming to inquire into the |
of the law there, calling at |
tention to this Idaho affair. The fol- |
lowing is the gist of the reply:
BY the terms of our (Wyoming) law !
accepting the grant, ditch companies |
who have not completed their works
under the former law have been totally |
wrecked by being jumped and gobbled |
I'D under the provisions of the land !
aw, which gives the state engineer sole |
power in the matter of accepting or !
rejecting applications for water per-
mits, extension of time for completion
If same etc. - OF |
course. I haven't looked into the laws
Of Idaho, accepting the grant, but
have an idea that it is tarred with the |
same brush as ours. and if so the APP
bic up unprotected water rights in |
great shape"
There is flight with the state (Wyo-
ming) to keep the abandoned military
(Bridger) from being taken
under the Carey law" My informant |
goes on to state that an appeal to tine t
and commissioner has been taken by |
Bhe corporation, but that the local lana |
office is again allowing entries by the
people He further states that de- |
,ision is expected soon as I'VE see that
Allen of Utah and our representative
are laboring with the commissioner in |
the interest Of the canal companies.
AS I see the matter now, the carey
act. both in Idaho and in Wyoming,
S being used against the interests or
he real settlers and in favor of irri-
cation corporations. This, in itself, is
BAD enough, but it is not the most dan
gerous phase Of the question. Refer
ny again to the trouble between the
.wo companies in the Snake River val
ey. it is seen from press dispatches
hat the local land office has refused
he application of the state, nominally,
put really the corporation, for lands
Almost instantly the whole of your
state machinery, at home and at
Washington, is set in motion TO work
or the corporation. SO we see the Off
,ial force of the state of Idaho gov
rnor, the attorney general, the engl-
leer. the senators and the representa-
ives at Washington is made, by viz
lie of the application Of the Carey act
n Idaho, to use its power and 1nf1u-
nee in favor of certain irrigation
and against the interests
f a few bona fide settlers. In my mind
his makes of the whole affair a dan
-erous and pernicious system. TAX