The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1907-09-28
MINID0KA PROJECT
Reclamation Service Would
Force Settlers to Make
Payment Before
II Is Due

The following from the shoshone
Journal shows the manner in which the
reclamation service would deal with thu
settlers on the Minid0ka government
reclamation ,.rnlrct regardless OF the
r lings under which they fled. We
have mixed with those settlers oi the
Minidnka tract aud known from person.
u observation that the demands of the
settler are just and proper, and only one
pf the many just causes they have for
grievence. They are superior class
of honest humcSteaders. They lave
liv,-l there nlr,n th,t dessert waste i"r
two au'i ihr,, years, spending their -ul'-
stance. accumulated in former years iui
an existaur,., and underwent the hard
ships and privaJinus of u barren wasi'
,levoh III all Vegetation and water, thai
they n,i.ht secure for themselves the
prsyil,-lg,. ni buying anl PIying ior q
mcasiey 10 or ~ acre tract oi land. IL
is the duty of the interior department
to see that these settlers rights are not
cncoachc.l upon l'y lot al hirelinss 81
the reclamation <,rvice. Their lot l.
harl enough at beri.
The spirit Of the Il s.lnnation act ~
passed by congress was to- make homes
fnr those with little means, but IA. I
part of rh,. act seems To have been lost
sight Of or construed by the reclamation
service to mean, "a fat easy job for ",
the settler he damned"
The .'grrat car in charge "f the
reclamation service in Idaho, ia the fare
OF the circular referred To below, has the
supreme nerve to tell the settlers that
the bringing about Of this payment be-
fore due is business proposition with
him and not matter Of sentiment. All
right. ii they are forced into it the set.
tiers should look at it in that light and
take the secretary's instructions to en-
trvman. under which they fIed. as 1
Dasis for that business proposition, ant
lets the courts dici,le it. Any court il
the land will give them favorable de
cision.
1t is true that there is 4 few specula
tors still holding land ON the project
originally there we're great many, .bu
most OF these have relinquisted OF bee
contested. The vast majority OF tn
settlers there are in dead earnest, AMI
= is question OF success ar ruin wit
them. Ii they let 90 il will be-. not a
matter Of speculation. but because the
are. or fear they will he forced out l
. the iron hand Of the government. Wi
it come to- that. Murder the thonght.
"Iast Saturday mass meeting ";
held at Rupert hv the settlers on Il
sIinidoka project to discuss the subje
of making the first payment on the
lands this coming Dceember.
In November. 1904, the secretary
e interior advertised in the shoshol
= Journal and Albion Times that the
u lands were thrown open to settleme
/. and stated in the advertisement the cO
ditiuns imposed by the governmer
ii one of TIN. conditions was that the fii
"a payment fOr water rights on these Ian
a. wouli ln~rume ,lut. in December folio
n ing the April on which the water "
delivered. No definite ,lste WAS set
IL delivering the water. and A. matter
a. fact no absolute promise was made Ill
4 there ever would lie water for the lam
~ But the fair presumption was that VI
.,r er would he supplied ~ soon as posril
~ Lust March the secretary oi interior ]
all tifie,l the settlers on these lands Il
in water uould Ike ready for these Lar
Iiy Tor the irrigation season of 100
he Either Il peculiar wording ora foxy tr
Is To protect the reclamation service
mi cas-. it failed to make its works oPcr:
eu Well ii a single settler received walel
April tie. IoutnaI has failed to n
HIM. \ few rccriv'd water in NJ
still mor,. ia June some not until D
a few in August, while some have
yet n~-eivs-l il.
At the meeting last saturday
) Spokesman inr the reclamation ~e,
did not claim that tie ,avment was
this Dcrcui,er un.l,-r the laws OF tn,
= partmr,.,. Int Threatened The set
with various sorts "i c.'lamitics in
7 they lid not pay. A. a matter oi
the reclamation, ar amy other d,.
- ment nj the government, has any
! right to lim fam the people Tia
private i.sliviiual. The settlers "a
Min5ioka trac, are still citizens o
q Unite'l states, oi the state of I,lali'
- OF lincoln county. having lost no
- their rights as such hy reason OF
-. :. L.. .....-......l NIL ...-.. l. IL.