, 1906-08-15
MORE POST SCURRILITY.

The people OF Wyoming n the west
generally have come TO look upon the
Denver Post with a feeling of con
tempt They fully realize that 1t will
lend itself to any sort of scurrilous at
tack upon the character of any person,
no matter how high in place and no
matter what the reputation Of such
persons may be. During the past few
years 1t has maligned almost every
man having political power in this
state. The last to receive attention at
its hands is State Engineer Clarence T..
Johnston, who is charged with con
spiracy in the matter of letting a con-
tract for the reclamation OF lands upon
the Shoshone Indian reservation, just
thrown oren to entry.
In the charge of the Post, through
its Lander correspondent, 1t is alleged
that the price of $50 per acre for wat
er is prohibitive and that there is a
huge conspiracy on between the state
officials and cattlemen to gobble up the
lands and finally the water rights, in
order that the reserve may be turned
over to such cattlemen as a great range
country.
1t is a waste of time to argue with
such people, yet there are some who
may accept the brazen, unsupported
statements as the truth. The editor
of the Post knows better, If he has
given the matter the slightest thought
or investigation. 1t is well known that
$40 per acre for water through complet-
ed canals is a low rate. 1t is lower
than any of the government projects
under the reclamation act and is lower
than any of the companies operating
under the Carey act are selling water.
The chances are that this rate Is low
err than any rate ever made in the
state of Colorado.
State Engineer Johnston secured
this favorable contract after careful,
painstaking effort and no little person
al risk. He at an early late realized
the necessity of providing some sort
of an irrigation system for the reser.
walton, in order that the rights of those
contemplating settlement thereon
might be protected to the fullest pos
sible extent. In order to expedite the
work of surveying a comprehensive
plan of irrigation, the state engineer
took a trip to Washington and secur-
ed the permission of the secretary of
the interior to go Upon the reserved
lands prior to the opening for the pur-
pose of making surveys. To do the
work required money and the state en-.
gineer became personally responsible
for the necessary amount-almost So.
600. The work was performed with
che greatest possible expedition and
contractors were asked to bid upon
the furnishing of water to settlers. The
result of this competition was the con-
tract with the Chicago company upon
the favorable terms mentioned. The
company will be compelled to construct
large reservoirs N canals and unless
the lands are settled they cannot car
ry their project to a successful issue.
Their success is bound up in the sue
cess of the reservation as an agricul-
tural proposition. In no event can a
grazing country carry the heavy load
contemplated. Such talk is the rank
est kind of nonsense-pure political
rot published for no other purpose
than to injure the present state admin.
istration and the state engineer. It
was doubtless ~instigated by a certain
nameless animal at one time unfortu.
nately connected with the administra
ton of the water laws of the state.
State Engineer Johnston has stated
to The Republican that he does not
care to make any reply to the attack.
Like the man who refused to respond
when kicked by a mule, l simply con
slider the source from which this stun
amapatac