Arizona republican., 1907-08-10
FAKE ORGANIZATION
OF BOGUS FARMERS
The Way the Yuma Knockers Are
Sized Up BY the President Of the
Real Water Users Association.

|
Mention has been made several times
recently of the fake water users asso-
citation in the Yuma valley. which sail
ing under false colors has for its real
purpose the undermining Of the recla-
| nation service and the fostering of an
organized movement to that end. Con-
corning this institution. the following
letter to a Yuma paper by the presi-
dent of the real water users associa-
ton with which the government is
dealing. is very timely and educating
and should be read by all persons in
the irrigated portion of the land. who
are disposed to further the interests OF
the reclamation service:
Editor Morning Sun: II appears that
a call for a so-called Irrigation Con-
vention. to be held two days in ad-
vance OF the National Irrigation Con-
gress at Sacramento in September
next has been issued by the Yuma
Valley Counterfeit Water Users Assoc
! citation" being signed by the so-called
officials and fifteen professed dissat-
! isfied settlers. as follows: Thomas
/ Despair. George W. Crane NJ Morris.
: Henry Bandy. r. ID. Breedlove. j. q.
/ Barkly. John Syverson. w c. Despair.
]. 3. Mars, f. l.. Crane, Robert Sex
smith. A. f. Baldwin. W. b. Fain. ]. C.
Jones and T. A. Jordan. Seven out of
the fifteen are not land owners under
the Yuma project so far as the records
! show.
The association. as such, is strictly
bogus. having no charter. no capital ,
/ stock no water rights. no canals. no
I place of business. but is using the
headquarters of the so-called 'Ludy
| Company."-J. f. Ludy is its secretary
and conducts its business relations
with the credulous public. For occult
reasons. however. his name does not
appear on the "call."-nor does his
company complain of any i'll treatment
at the hands of the reclamation serv-
ice. This is strange in view of the
known activity of his people at former
irrigation congresses and for that mat
ter. in and out of season. to recoup
financial loss at the hands of the gov
eminent first and the dear people next.
The association was organized os-
rensibly TO furnish water to the valley.
pending the completion of the Yuma
project. but in reality to crystalline
dissatisfaction and discomfort among
the settlers in order to discredit the
reclamation service. and for the pur-
pose of keeping a semblance of life in
the Improbable Ludy canal.
The cali is full of false and ri
diculous statements of fact. and COM
plains generally of the personnel of the !
service. while no hostility is professed !
towards the reclamation law. These |
people would seek in the next ir- I
rigation congress to so change the per-
sonnet that all things would be to their |
liking forever after and all positively I
for the good of the service.
Yuma has heretofore been misrepre-
scented abroad Indeed II would seem |
to be a difficult matter to create the !
proper public sentiment towards Yuma |
and her irrigation project at home or
abroad. Two years ago a delegation
of ten went to Portland, oregon, to
represent our town and county at the
irrigation congress held there. and l
have it on reliable authority that sew
en- out of the ten worked and voted
with the knocking element represent
ing private interests. And yet at this
time the Yuma project was barely COM
menced. afted a period of anxiety upon
the part of settlers and tOwnspeople'
lasting two years, during which time
the personnel of the service. now so
loudly complained of. stood firmly
against the enemies of our locality. II
who were jealous of our good fortune
in having inauGurated government
works ON the Colorado river for our
use. From that time to the present.
Yuma has fostered traitors To her best
hA hun hac
tended to enemies from without, who
have come to find fault with our pro-
ject, and much false and absurd in
formation has been heralded abroad. to
be used to hostile private interests.
The most cowardly of all this under
handed warfare is the hiding of the
real culprits behind the poor. mis-
guided settler, who knows that he has
played in hard luck and has had all
kinds of heavy burdens to bear, but is
unable to find the true cause of his
troubles. He feels that somebody is to
blame and while he is making up his
mind someone suggests what appears
to be the guilty parties, and so We
have this "call'' for an Irrigation
Convention from what appears TO be
the water users under the Yuma pro-
ject. but which. in reality. is a conspir-
acy concocted by ]. +. Ludy repre-
senting private interests at Yuma. and
L. NJ. Holt, formerly of Imperial. and
now OF Los Angeles. California, repre-
senting the old regime of the Califor-
mia Development company.
Should any one question this last
statement, / will gladly prove it to
him with documentary evidence. show
ing that these two persons planned
this knockers convention" more than
two months ago. would gladly pub
lish this evidence, but lack of space
forbids.