The Elk Mountain pilot., 1903-02-17


number of petitions from residents of
the eastern part of Adams county, ask
ing that the county be divided. The
petitioners averred that they must
travel 200 miles to Brighton, the
county seat of Arapahoe. According to
the provisions of the bill, Adams coun-
ty will practically be divided in half,
and the eastern part or Arickaree
county will have Idalia for its county
seat. The bill is practically in con-
fiict with one introduced by Senator
Hill providing for an annexation of the
eastern half of Adams county to Yu-
ma county.
A meeting of ditch owners from the
Clear Creek valley was held in Denver
February 18th. Articles were drawn
for $1,000 900 incorporation and thir-
teen out of fifteen directors were chos-
en-. The plan of the incorporators pro
vides remedy for drouths in the val
ley. Beyond the mountains west OF
Clear creek a canal twelve miles long
will be built and connected with the
eastern slope by tunnel three miles
long cut directly through the noun
tain. Experts have testified to the prac-
ticability of the scheme, and that II
will effectively conserve the water sup
ply. Water rights have already been
filed on the land where the twelve-mlle
ditch is expected to run. The Clear
Creek farmers believe they will have
no difficulty in getting their supply
They may buy up the claims Tor
nominal sum. The incorporation is on
a basis of 81, ,000, 900. but it is expected
from 81, 900, 900 to $4,000, 900 will be re
ouired before the work is finished In
view of the far-reaching nature of the
scheme, it is probable the state Will De
asked to contribute. Several bills nave
already been prepared for the Legisla-
ture one for constitutional amend
ment providing for a more economical
distribution of water in the Clear
Creek "aall!!ey;'," and another foT az ;.i'
preparation for the construction OF
reservoirs. From twelve to thirteen
reservoirs are planned for the region.
Among the directors of the new incor-
poration are f. f. Struby, Adolph
Zang and Joseph Stanley. The entire
organization will be made public in a
few days. W. r. Wolff of the Rocky
Mountain Water Company and George
E. Richardson have been prominent in
promoting the plan.
The absence from the Office of the
State Land Board of material records
has been discovered by the special leg
islative investigating committee, and
ii found that no data whatever is
available there to show how much
money was received from sales and
leases on school lands from 1876 TO
1S99-a term of twenty-three years.
The lands came to the state under the
enabling act by which the territory
was admitted into the Union. During
the succeeding years no ledger was
kept with banks where the funds were
n
dications in the office that moneys
were received for lands from time 10
time appear in notes. inscribed with
pencils on some of the ancient books
which read as follows: Received on
this date tamounts named). dollars Tor
b there the tracts are named) from (here
the tracts are named) from there the
purchasers or lessees are named).
There are no cancelled bank checks, or
stubs of receipt books in the Office for
this entire period, neither can be found
any Cancelled checks nor stubs of re-
ceipt books of any of the succeeding
years under any of the administra-
tions. Until j. n. Chipley came into
the office as register in 1899 full sets OF
books such as are usually kept by bus
mess firms to hold financial transac-
tions under knowledge, We're unknown
to the department. In that year he
opened the first regular ledger ac-
counts in the office. In 1901, when Il.
C. Redman became deputy register, he
started the first bank ledger in which
were recorded the transactions with
banking institutions. With these rec
ords as start the committees pro-
posed law will likely command their
continuation in connection with others,
and the outlook'is that henceforth the
.Nt .tntA ..rf1 hz .trr ,,.aI
correctly what the state revenues are
from its land resources.
Supporters of the constitutionality of
the home rule amendment to the state
constitution have replied in the Su-
preme Court to the brief recently sub
mitted to the court by Attorney Platt
Rogers. The reply brief is by Senator
John A. Rush and says in part: He
does not disclose what interest or in
terests he represents, except that under
the nom de plume of 'Amicus Curiae,
unlimited, he directs his entire argu-
ment in covert attack against one side
of the case in most partisan spirit. But
even this would not require attention
did not the brief of Judge Rogers delib-
erately misstate our position in ma
terial matters submitted to the decision
of this court. He, at least, entirely mis-
apprehends our position when he says
that we have asserted that whether
the provisions of our constitution re-
lating to amendments were or were not
observed, the Rush bill amendment
having received majority of those
voting thereon must, therefore, be
deemed a part of the constitution 1t
is upon this false premise that the en-
tire argument of Judge Rogers is
based. We have never asserted, in any
manner. anything of the kind. On the
contrary. we contend that the provi-
sions of the constitution relating to the
amendments were observed in the sub
Dlission and adoption of the Rush bill
amendment. We contend that our con-