The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1907-09-02
Former Secretary of the In
terror Might Clear Up
Ugly Charges
ACCUSE THE KTCKERS
Friends of Lippincott and
Newell Say Holt and
Ludy Are Dishonest
BY Martin Madsen

SACRAMENTO, Sept. 1. =
Former Secretary of the Interior
z. A. Hitchcock owes it to the
governments reclamation service
and to the thousands of settlers
affected by the irrigation projects
to come to Sacramento and take
the witness stand to clear up the
ugly accusations that are being
made by the kicking" farmers
against the federal officials, par
ticularly against ]. B. Lippincott.
The men who are crying for water
for their crops have issued about
two tons of literature" in setting
forth their grievances, the friends
OF Lippincott and Newell are ranting
with indignation and abuse, and out
of the mass Of recriminstion 1t is i'm
possible for the uninitiated to form
any conclusions as to the merits Of
the bstter controversy. Ex-Secretary
Hitchcock. because OF his familiarity
with the situation, might set right
thousands OF delegates who feel them
selves hopeless in any attempt TO nete
out justice.
It would be important TO know IL the
charge made by the Yuma trainers is
true that the former head OF the in
terror department was on the point Of
dismissing Lippincott from the gov
ernment service when the latter. hav-
ing been warned. hastily sent IN his
resignation and accepted lucrative en-
ployment In the Los Angeles water pro-
5eet
The 'el1ickers" assert that W. Scott
Smith. who was Hitchcock's private
secretary. is their authority for the al
legation that the man who misengi-
neereds as they say. the Yuma irrige-
tion enterprise, barely escaped the dis
grace of. dismissal for alleged miscon-
duct Director f. II Newen. who was
Lippineott's superior, is said to have
notified him to get out of Yuma as fast
as he could go. Hitchcock IS thor
oughJy eonversant with the irrigation
rows and he could do much to prevent
tbis battle IN the national irrigation
congress. that now seems inevitable.
PLAN AGAINST KICKERs
An attempt viii be made to prevent
the "kickers". from gaining hearing
before the congress. but the disposition
Is growing among the delegates TO give
the whole matter a very thorough air
ing They have for the most part a
deep regard for Newer and high re-
spect for the engineering abilities of
Lippinoott- and are 10th TO believe all of
Che. stories current They say. how
ever, that smoke is rising in so many
quarters-in Yuma, Imperial Owens
valley. Nevada and Klamath-that 1t
would be better for an concerned to
have d searching investigation.
All that the farmers are asking is an /
Investigation by committee from the
national irrigation congress and many
Of the friends of Lippincott and Newell
are taking the position that this is
consunlnaation 10 be wished as devoutIy
by the proclamation. men as by any one
else The .lxickers" have been paving
aIP dirt for a long time. IT is reasoned.
and if their charges; continue to go un-
refuted t5se omission in action would
begin to convince the public that
Newell and Jippincott really are crooks.
WILL CONTINUE PROTESTS
on the other. hand, there is q. strong
element Of the reclamation mems
friends here that wants to kick the
1zickers. out OF the congress. E. II.
Perkins, one OF the government en-
gineerss is credited with having told
2. Yuma. farmer that the smulish COL
'orado river crowd wouldn't be given |
"a: chance .of the foor.a the reason he
assigned being that the reclamation
service. had foo many friends among
the delegates TO the congress. But |
we are going TO keep on kicking and
.hollering till we DO get a hearing"
declared the bellicose agricuIturists. /
I'VE can't say how, for we are not
down. on the ofacial program. but VIC |
are going to get a hearing somehow"
NewelT and Lippincott are not with
out intensely loyal friends. The pub
lication in The Call OF the charges