The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-08-24
SETTLERS NOT DISCOURAGED

from the Dawson County Review
The Anaconda standard, i'm it, last
Sunday edition. published "a complete
account Of the senate irrigation COM
mittee hearing at Sidney. including the
full extent of the water users commit
tees statement as read by MIR. Ken
oyer. Then. i'm its Monday issue. the
standard comments edtorially upon
such statement. drawing most Iugu-
hrious deductions therefrom and ask
ing ''someone-da~n-G1e ndive-way' to
set II right If its conclusions are
wrong. asHssa4ss.@. .a@
The Review will briefly attempt that
task, while at the same time drawing
its own conclusions and expressing its
own opinion concerning conditions a.
they exist in the Lower Yellowstone
valley. under the government irrigo-
ton project. at the present time.
The Standard is wrong-emphaticai-
~ wrong in its first deduction
namely. :that these settlers have
nothing to show for their ventures ex-
cept a tale OF Woe Taking condi-
lions at their worst admitting the
truth and reyelancy of every COM
plant that has been made. yet the
man who owns so or 160 acres Of good
land under the Lower Yellowstone
project today is Il fortunate individual
one has but 10 traverse the valley in
order to- become aware of the truth
of this assertion.
1t is true that many of the condi-
lions have been bad in connection with
this project. and. from a rather init
mate acquaintance Herewith. the Re
view is obliged Ia recognize the justice
Of MANY of the complaints that have
been made.
1t IL absolutely certain. and in fact
it was not denied by the reclamation
officials. that the settlers in the val
ley. in 1903 and 1904. were given every
possible assurance that the water
would not cost them to exceed $50 per
acre, and probably not that much.
Those who hesitated to become mem
hers of the Water Users association
were whipped into line by arguments
or the most strenuous character. 1t
was stated in tn. hearing in Sidney
that some who held back We're threat
ened that. ii they did not come in on
the proposition then. they would never
be able to secure water in future
years and that THE valley would be
made too hot to hold them"
1t is useless to invoke legal tech
nicalities in a case of this sort. 1t
makes no difference. from tho moral
and just viewpoint. whether the engi-
neers who then had charge OF TINS
work and who conducted tho recon
Nuisance surveys We're possessed OF Il
legal power 10 bind their principal
the federal government, by their dec
larations.
We have here the case of n sup
posedly heneficent government dealing
with its citizens. The settlers had no
means of going beyond the declaration
of the engineers on the ground. to
discover whether these men were
clothed with full authority. The en-
eineers held themselves out as author
lied representatives of the govern"
ment. They made certain statements
that were vital to the future interests
of any man who might settle under
the project. The men of the lower
valley had every reason and right to
rely on these statements.
And now that the cost of the water
has been increased from $40 to s42.ae
ner acre, ii Is not strange that COM
pIaints have arisen: and they are just
complaints. Coupled Herewith, also
is the declaration-aiso passing With
out denial at the committee nearing
that under the guise OF maintenance
charges" which are placed AT 81 per
acre per year, the engineers are COM
telling the settlers to pay for add
tional cost that should go To construc-
ton account; In other words, thar
the water is really costing the settlers
more than the s4250 per acre specified
i'm the official notice published by the
Secretary of the interior last Decem-
be-.
Everybody at the hearing was in
terested i'm hearing Mr.. Newells eS-
PLANTATION of the increase in cost over
original estimates. He lays 1t tn the
fact that labor and material have
gone UP from 10 to 80 per cent since
1905. We think the gentleman's per-
eentages are rather high, but we will
not dispute his figures. Nevertheless.
there is no use in attempting - gloss
over the fact, asserted with such per-
sistance by the settlers. that incom-
petence and extravaganza on the part
nf employees of the reclamation serv-
ice are very largely responsible for
much of the increased cost. The Re-
view feels that it would not be true
to its constituency If ii attempted to
conceal or overlook these facts. though
we are willing To assume that Mr.
Newell himself was not cognizant of
them.
Then. there il more involved i'm this
matter than the interests of the set
tiers under this or any other govern
ment project. There is at stake the
question of the administration Of one
of the most important departments of
tho federal government. To the recia-
nation service congress has intrusted
a great sum Of money. over $50 nOn.
600 have already been spent. Some
several millions are still in the fund
If this money Is not being properly
handled. the people should know it and
congress should know if.
We have too much confidence in
the integrity of our representatives IT.
Washington to believe that they will