The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-05-07
NO AUTHORITY TO
CANCEL AN ENTRY
Damper Was Put Upon the General
Land Office.
SALOON MEN TRUMP HANT
CAN SELL LIQUOR ALONG IRRI-
CATION CANALS.
SALOON MEN TRIUMPHANT
Especial to The Herald.)

Washington, May 6.-The United
States reclamation service makes the
following statement relative to the
question Of sale of liquor on lands ad-
jacent to work which is going forward
on government irrigation enterprises:
There is going TO be no end Of trOu-
bic among worImen employed on gov
eminent irrigation enterprises unless
the interior department reverses itself
and prohibits the sale of liquor on
lands lying within the limits of such
projects.
Myriad of Saloons.
No sooner had the reclamation serv-
Ice begun the construction of its first
project than liquor dealers appeared
upon the scene Some made entries IN
The heart of the irrigation district; 9TH
ers leased lands which had been en-
tered by others, but all were careful to
locate in the vicinity of the work, and
the midst Of the army of wOrkmen- Sa-
looms sprung up like mushrooms, as
they have done i'm times past in almost
every new mining town of the west;
there was much drunkenness; there
was gambling, rObberies were frequent;
lights were Of common occurrence, and
fatalities have been reported on a num-
Der Of occasions.
The reclamation service was quick
10 realize that liquor was at the bottom
of the trouble. With the saloons came
the gamblers and the tough element in
general The labOTing forces became
largely demOTaIized. Work was re
tarded, disorder reigned where order
was expected, and before long. in addi-
ton to the troubles enumerated it was
noticed that every now and then some
workman would disappear leaving no
trace behind
Action of Land Office.
An appeal was made TO the commits
slOner of the general land Office, who
promptly drew UP circular TO local
land officers, directing them to cancel
every entry under an irrigation project
where II was shown that the entTyman
was selling liquor on his premises, or
had leased his land TO a liquor dealer.
That circular was sent to the secretary
of the interior for approval, was by
him referred to the assistant attorney
general for his department, and by that
official was adversely reported upon In
his opinion, following presidents, here
tOfore esta bHshed, the government has
no authority to cancel an entry. which
Is otherwise regular, just because the
entTymaH is selling liquor on his land
or Is permitting liquor to be sold there
1t IS the opinion of the assistant attOr-
ney general that the sale Of LIQUOR on
homesteaded land has nothing to dOwith
the right of the entryman to perfect
his title, but IS subject entirely to the
laws OF the state in which the land is
located; that if the liquor is sold under
proper state license, the general gov
eminent can InJerpOse no objection.
Hitchcock Disappointed.
This ruling proved a great disappofnt-
ment 10 the reclamation service for il
fT.4l IT
of approval on the sale of LIQUOR on
government irrigation projects; it prac-
ucally says 10 the liquor men. Go in
and sell all the liquor you wish, We
don't care
In asking for q restriction upon the
sale of liquor on irrigated lands. the
reclamation service was aCtuated bv
the very best motives. il ought To nro-
IeCt its own men and the men employed
by gONcTnmeTE contractors against the
bad clements that have given such
nOXiOus nCtoriety to new western
towns, it sought TO protect them
against cheap, bad liquor against gam
blers ard others who will now look
upon them as legitimate prey It was
the contention of the reclamation serv-
Ice that lands under irrigation projects
are government lands until paid for
and a. none of these lands will become
the property of the settler until ten
ears aLIeE the water IS turned on. It
was cOutended that the government
had the right to exclude liquor sellers
If il saw fit, just as il can prohibit the
sale OF liquors in national parks and on
other government reservations. But
this is not the-View of the secretary of
the Interior
Worst Looked For.
The worst is now looked for the bars
are down, the saloons may enter, and
they viii no doubt flourish Many in
stances are known where SaIOonkeepers
have been waiting TO hear from the
secretary before bouncing down up0u
different projects. and one notorious
salOOnman has boosted that he is going
10 open a saloon wherever the govern
ment constructs an irrigation project.
Notice has been given that the United
States VIII not raise a hand to stop the
liquor traffic in these localities. that
fact has been widely advertised. il is
now up to the states, and if they fail
TO act, the field VIII be open to the W
Z. T L and similar Organiza lions. 10
try and force the interior department 10
reverse its decision and undo the evil
which surely viii be wrought shou1d
there be no restrictions placed upon the
sale Of liquor In the vicinity of the
great government enterprises.