The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1908-01-16
THE BIG DITCH.
M. L. Smith the Original Promo
ter, Gives a Brief History:
Who Will Own ii When
Completed?

Drainage Ditch which We poor rivel
rats" are IA digging, l thought
would have something TO say con
corning is as | am one of the first
that ever advocated trying 80 re
claim this vast tract OF almost
worthless land to It's owners and 80
Bates Co., and am familiar with
every step 1t has taken for she last
eleven years. Then and there at
Butler as the Old Settlers meeting
was meeting held 30 inquire what
could be done to help the "Poor
River Rats" The meeting presided
over by John Atkeson, Henry Speers,
Q. d. Austin, myself and perhaps
some more oil the Rats" But prior
to shat James Pitchiord, Jim Lipe,
MIR. Bsgby and MIR. Sutton called on
me to 90 with shem TO Butler to see
what could be done to help us, as
! the water was washing crops away.
lanes Lipe had Xritten to- on.l!aa.
orsble Congressman, DeArmond,
and he replied he had sent Ii 30 she
River Commissioner. Might as well
stuck Is In his pocket or fire Then
years afterwards when she Honor.
able DeArmond Dame home, | spoke
TO him about 1t and asked him 80
give us talk on IL at Rich Hill,
which he consented to do. | thought
that TO be good place as they had
about . miles square OF this worth.
less land lying right at their door,
and We also invited W. o. Atkison.
We had quite meeting.
Mr.. DeArmond did not give us any
encouragement, as congress would
not help us.because individuals own.
ed the land and Congress would
not appropriate only where they
could get something back and II we
bonded the land we would lose our
land. W. 0. Atkison did better. said
some places they were irrigating
land and there was surely a way TO
keep water off our land as well az
getting water on dry land. The next
step was takon when Linn Co. Kan
sas cleared the drifts and banks OF
the river; claimed by many 1t did a
great deal OF good. SO man that
lived on the river near the line In
Bates Co. got up a bill TO do as
Kansas did, TO tax the land holders
-te-de- Ake-~4ee-9 Oar Honorsbir Rep
resentative, Tom Harper, did his
share, got the bill passed bus oh. she
Knockers and Deadbeats knocked 1t
all out.
And now comes Mr.. Kerns, who
has led us as Moses led the children
OF Israel out OF the Wilderness. So
nowyou knocker WILSON be coming
down into EGYPT" sfserc corn. Some
say, as Mr.. kerns is Il little deaf In
one ear, that that was the cause OF
his success as he always would turn
a deaf ear TO the knockers. To him
be the honor Of being the father OF
the "Big Ditch" l always claimed
shere would be a better market for
these lands but those that wanted
TO sell she same said ! could not see
straight up.
And now we hear the whistle and
the rumble OF the dredge boat night
and day, and as the old saying goes
'the goose hangs high" And we
might justly call this the gold fields
OF Bates Co. the way the men that
are doing the work get big pay and
everybody that has anything to do
with it, The poor river rats have
the bills to pay, but we will ask the. !
question when the steamboats, and
gunboats come up, who owns the
river, Uncle Sam, Missouri, Bates Co. |
or the Poor RiveI Rats.
l asked q friend of mine, who was
me what land was selling for
In Indiana that had been reclaimed.
He replied, THE devils that own il
won't set no price on It," He made
$4,000 on 7 acres In onions and
this year and talked OF
coming out here to see what could
be done.
From a promoter Of the big ditch
or a River Rat as you see fit to call
me. Just any old thing but q Kick
Or or Deadbeat.
Dao0araoe na,dIncl,