The Detroit times., 1909-07-26
NEW POLICY JOLTS
10000 SETTLERS
Reclamation Is Blocked BY Upset Of
Roosevelt's Plans by Secretary
Ballinger, "Eeformer.
BY OLSON GARDNER.

timent II reflected in thousands OF
letters which are now pouring into
Washington
The ,rouble grows out OF new
revrsal OF Garheld.RDoosevelt policy.
"A legal objection has been found ~
one 81 the practices Instituted by Sec
Rotary Garfield and Chief r. III. Newell
pr the reclamation service.
Here Is the situation.
People who take up the government
RECLAMATION land undertake to pay
for II In lnstallments. Most OF these
people have very little money. The
settler may have team OF horses
and enough money To get one crop In
the ground, but when he has done this
and made his first payment on the
land ne has little left.
But the settler is willing TO work;
and he generally has plenty OF time
TO work. Ii he could do some work
digging bitches and helping To finish
the reclamation project it would help
him aslot In paying for his land. That
was the situation SO far as the set
Hers were concerned
Work Out Cooperation Plan.
Now. OH the other hand the govern
ment wanted work done. The govern
inent was very anxious 10 make use
of the men and their teams. So Sec
Rotary Garfield and Nj. Newell figured
tut a plan by which the government
and the settler could cooperate. They
bald 20 the settlers, You turn In and
DO this work. we viii keep tab aud
give you credit and viii issue To you
certificates for the amount OF work
dome. Then we will accept those Ger
iifica;es On account OF what you owe
pn the government land"
This scheme pleased the settlers
merry much. They went 10 work anc
lave been paying for their lands n
I.art by digging bitches, hauling dire
and doing other worl which the gov.
trnment wanted done 1t gave EN-
ployment TO those who needed the
employment and nobody was harmed
But SECRETARY Balinger now says
the WhCle thing is Illegal On his
own motion he asked the attorney-gen-
eral fol an opinion interpreting the
law and mas received 20 typewriter
pages from Nj. Wicke rsham declaring
that the law does not warrant the is
rue OF certificates nor the acceptance
pf such certificates in payment for the
land.
Congress Overlooked a Bet.
Probably Mr.. Wickersham Is correct.
No doubt congress did neglect TO pro
vide specifically for such a condition
Of affairs. but Mr.. Ballinger is the
first TO md any reason for Interior"
ng with the workings OF the plan
which resulted in material benefit 70
he government and which was salts.
factory TO everybody-eXcept Mr.. Bal
jnger.
The practical question which con.
fronts the settler is suggested by this
Extract from Attorney General Wick
ersham's opinion:
"Tess certificates having been issued
under an unWarranteG contract. can
rot be received as credits for tie
charges imposed upon the land under
tine stHrutes.
There you are. The poor settler has
gone out with his team in the proll-
Ing sun and has worked day after day
digging and hauling dirt until he sup
poses tint he eas earned a hundred
dollars. He has planned to pay this
money on account OF the next install
ment due the government on his farm.
| He knows that the money has been
learned. lie knows that he has felt
1.-The sweat trickle from his brow and
That his horses have had to be fed
Hand housed and that he has given his
|tme and muscle TO his labor. But
|now comes the benevolent secretary
/ of the interior with volunteer inter.
|vention and a gratuitious legal opn.
| Ion that the certificate given by the
10 at in l.
This is what Secretary Balinger
calls reform. He is rightiug the
|"wrongs" worked by the Garfield New
ell-Roosevelt administration.
10000 Settlers Affected.
How many settlers are affected by
this ruling II is impossible to state.
Roughly estimated there may be as
many as 10000. II affects settlers on
and the principal government reclama-
ton projects and there are about 30
of these located all the way from
Washington state to Arizona and east
as far as Nebraska.
What will the settler do who has
relied on his certificate To pay his
next instailment? Already there are
hints in Washington that scalpers are
on their way to the reclamation pro-
lscts with offers To buy up these Ger.
tlficates for so cents on the dollar,
more or less The scalper will tell
the farmer that the certificate is nc
good and will show him the opinion OF
Mr.. Bal.ngeT and Attorney General
Wickersham to prove it. Then he viii
make the farmer an offer and try to
get the certificate for what he can.
Eventually the certificate will prob
ably be redeemed at face value.
Tho scalper will have the farmers
money. But the law and Mr.. Ballinger
will be indicated. y.
Evidence Of Hostility.
Already the water users have been
getting together and passing resolu-
tons, declaring that they regard the
cancellation of the cooperative plan
SIS an unwarranted interference and as
evidence of hostility to the general
cause Ol reclamation.
While these resolutions have been
pouring into Washington. Secretary
Ballinger has personally authorized the
published statement that IL is his in
tention TO remove from Office Fred
erick ~ Newell, director Of the re-
olamatIol service. r.. A. Reyes is one
OF number OF personal representa-
tives" OF the secretary who are now
In the field looking for 'irregularities"
End illegal practices" like the issuing
VI these cooperative certificates for
q