, 1906-09-24
IRRIGATION.

To contend against in business, soci-
ETY. or politics is the utterly false story
which everyone, including the insti-
gator, probably knows is not true but
which is repeated, passed on and kept
alive out of ure ~cussedness.
There is an old saying that falsehood
Will travel a thousand miles while
truth is getting its boots on. In other
words the denial or correction or apol-
ogy does not travel so fast or over all
the ways and byways the lie has trod.
Wyoming has a case in point in the
irrigation Of the coded lands of the
Shoshone reservation by the Wyoming
Central Irrigation company. If ever a
movement or enterprise was clothed in
pure methods, desire + serve the pub
lie good and promote the general wei
fare OF the state and settler 1t is the
unselhsh work done in this matter by
Governor Brooks and State Engineer
Johnston.
They undertook at large personal
financial hazard an enterprise which
under the most favorable outcome they
probably realized would subject them
TO captious criticism by petty political
tricksters. But the enterprise was
fraught with too much benefit to Wyo-
ming for them to hesitate on that ac-
count and the Tribune wants to say
here and now that the day will come
when the very men and newspapers
loudest in condemnation will admit
that the state administration has shown
far-sighted constructive, economic
craftsmanship in this whole matter.
And how a few people in Lander for
political reasons alone can herald to
all the world that a great steal has
been perpetrated, thus keeping people
away from the reservation, retarding
the town of Lander, prejudicing the
counties adjacent to the reservation
and in short giving a black eye to the
whole state is incomprehensible and
should be added to the seven wonders
of the world.
In The archaeological kingdom the
! bird that befouls its own nest does not
take high rank.
This hue and cry of the Lander
Mountaineer charging men of integ-
rity with bad faith has been sent broad
cast over the country. 1t has not in
jured Governor Brooks and Mr.. John,
SION nor will it affect in any prejudic-
ial way the republican ticket this fall,
but 1t has injured Fremont county and
those responsible should be called to
account by the good people of that sec
ton who have so much at stake. The
Tribune, for the benefit of its thou
sands of readers, takes pleasure in lay
ing the proposition fairly before them
and is not afraid of the result,
During the summer of 1906 many
communications came to the state en-
gineer's office relative to the method
which should be pursued to bring about
the reclamation of the irrigable lands
lying in that part of the Shoshone In.
dian reservation to be opened to set
Element in 1906. This question was dis.
cussed with all who could be looked to
for advice. The state engineer finally
made an appointment with the officers
of the reclamation service in order TO
secur their final decision relative to
the extension of government aid to
this particular section. Some CORE
s~pondence had already passed between
state officers n the reclamation SER
vice and but little encouragement had
been given. In September the final
refusal to take up the work was made.
This wa based upon good grounds,
The government had already begun
work on two large projects and the APP
preparation for Wyoming was exhaust
ed. 1t was, therefore, necessary to
look to private enterprise or to delay
until the government were prepared to
proceed.
All who had been consulted agreed
that some comprehensive plan should
be adopted and carried to a conclusion.
The reasons for this are plain when
the question is studied in detail. I'm
der a limited system which would pro-
vide canals to cover the lands most sus.
cepdble of reclamation, only such
lands would be irrigated to advantage.
Before capital could be secured to re-
claim the higher lands the water rights
would probably have gone to irrigators
in Montana. The people settling under
these later canals would have to pay
a higher rate than though all lands
were included at once under a single
project The question of storage
would have to be considered when the
later canals became possible under the
hap-hazard method of development. I'm
der a comprehensive system worked
out in-the beginning the plans for stor-
age are considered at INC A new
country needs capital first Of all. Ev-
IN small canals can not be constructed
without capital. With a large project
many enterprises spring up which sup
plement development and this is one
Of the great advantages which Fremont
county will enjoy.
The state engineer laid this matter