The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1910-12-30
COMMUNICATIONS.


the irrigation of lands on Whitestone
Hat and in Horse Spring coulee by a
company of which Marvin Chase is
named as president, and J. w. Ora
ham as secretary. The article does a
manifest injustice to the pioneer COM
pany which was organized last year
for the purpose of irrigating the lands
named in your article. The misrep-
resentation of the article in question
is so plain that feel called upon as a
rancher owning land under the pro-
posed ditch lines, to ask you for space
to make a statement of fact
The Okanogan Irrigation and I'm
provement company, Of which Judge
VIM. f. Richardson, of Spokane, is
president and o. N. Suksdorf secre-
tary, secured the rights to flood waters
of Sinlahekin and Toats coula creeks,
made preliminary surveys to ascertain
what lands were available for irriga-
ton, and secured contracts from land
owners under their project, and the
writer has been shown the list Of con-
tractors who have agreed to do bust
ness with the first company organized,
showing that more than ten thousand
acres Of land have been signed up to
be watered by this company. So far
as the writer knows every rancher who
has acquired title to his homestead
under the proposed irrigation canals
has agreed to do business with the CON-
pany headed by Judge Richardson, of
Spokane. This company now has a
corps of engineers sn the field making
final surveys for reservoirs. canals and
bitches, and there is every reason to
believe that this company will make
good their contracts to put water on
these lands before. the first of Janu-
airy, 1912.
Representatives of the corporation
mentioned in your article have made
many efforts to secure contracts from
ranchers whom know, representing
that the other enterprise had been
abandoned. Such statements are en-
tirely without foundation, and were
evidently made for the purpose OF mis-
leading the public.
Mr.. Dewey, who is now the manag-
ing director of the Okanogan Irriga-
tion company, came into Okanogan
county five years ago as manager Of
the Q. s. mining company, in which
Mr.. Dewey had large financial inter-
est, and which had become financially
involved through bad management.
Mr.. Dewey retired from life position
in the public service at Washington to
take the management of the Q. S.
mine. The writer is a stakeholder in
that property and has knowledge of
the fact that Mr.. Dewey has raised on
the outside and expended in Okanogan
county for labor and supplies approx
mately 100000 during the past five
years. This vast sum OF money has
found its way into the pockets of the
Okanogan county miners. ranchers aud
merchants. and it is not just to insin-
ate that he cannot successfully manage
the irrigation project he has under
taken. He has promoted a railroad to
be built through this county which will
afford transportation for fruit grown
under this project long before any or
chard can reach the bearing stage.
His efforts to build this road are re-
sponsible for the building of the Great
Northern line from Oroville to Wen
atchee, which had been under survey
for more than twenty years without
being built until after Mr.. Dewey made
aggressive movements toward building
his line. The writer has not yet
secured title to his homestead, and
therefore cannot lawfully make any
contract with Mr.. Dewey's company
beyond the privilege of ditch rights
across his land. However, he conf
IDENTIFY expects to plant an orchard
next year and irrigate it from the
bitches OF the Okanogan Irrigation
and improvement company.
Sincerely yours.
J. l.. FREEMAN.
After going carefully over the long
list OF subscribers at Tonasket it is i'm
possible TO discover the name of j. l..
Freeman, SO it is presumed that if he
read the article in the GAZETTE that
has caused him pain, and aroused a
grievance, he must have borrowed a
copy. 1t is especially apparent that he
has not read many issues of the GA
zETrE or he would have discovered
that the paper has never reflected upon
any legitimate enterprise ever stated
in Okanogan county, nor thrown cold
water on any effort put forth by Col.
Dewey, On the contrary it has always
enthusiastically encouraged projects Of
every character that bid fair to bene-
fit the people, either individually or
collectively, and commended Col Dew
ey's optimism and energy times with
out number. 1t is evident that Mr..
Freeman 81 borrowing too much trouble
over the Okanogan Irrigation and De-
velopment company, and the promot-
ers thereof may not thank him for
butting in and trying to stir up con-
troversey. That organization can look
with a good deal of complacency upon
any rival that may enter into the wa
tering business on its preserves, hav-
ing, as it has, all of the land owners
tied up on contracts, and hence has no
reason to find fault with mention of a
competitor in the field.
Mr.. Freeman speaks of the item he
saw in print as your article" In or
der to relieve his mind of an erroneous
impression it can be said the article
was not written in this office, and had
he glanced oyer other county papers
of the same date he would have found
repetition of the screed. BY an in
advertancy in this Office mention was