Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1910-03-31

a disposition to criticise our attitude. I
We expected to find here a disposition
to antagonize us in the plan of state
development of our natural resources, +
but, much to our qualification, we
shall go back and tell our people in
the mountains and on the plains that
the governors Of the east believe we
are right in the position we take,
for you have stated your position be-
fore us candidly and frankly
Again, we have in the west some
principles that must necessarily pre-
vail in order to protect each and every
citizen. Water is worth just ex-
actly what a man has to pay for it,
AS an illustration: l built a canal
above this gentleman's state (refer-
ring to Governor spry's state) in the
valley called the Snake river valley.
I had 10000 inches of water in the
canal. That 10000 inches irrigated
10000 acres of land and furnished
the water TO produce ample crops on
10000 acres of land. l sold that 40.-
600 inches of water at a dollar an
inch, or a total sum of $4,000 per
annum, for the water for this 10000
acres of land. Right down in Poca-
tello there is a company that approp-
rated all the water there, which is
45O inches, and our people pay an
nually, or did pay annually to the
company $4,000 a year for the use
of that $50 inches of water. You will
understand, then, water is worth
Just exactly what you must pay for
it, for you must have it in order to
exist. Such being the case. it is
very essential that each and every
individual be protected in his rights,
and, in order to secure such protec-
ton, our laws are so enacted that
each and every individual is pro-
tected When a man wants to take
water out of a stream he files an APP
plication with the State Engineer say
ing how many inches of water he
wants to use. To illustrate to you
who may not understand it fully, !
will say it requires from Y to inch
of water to the acre to properly ir-
rigate. The applicant files his appli-
cation with the State Engineer. the
State Engineer examines the records
to see whether there is any filing in
conflict, and. if not, the application
is allowed, and if there is a man who
has a filing in conflict, he comes in
and makes his proof and the engineer
decides which one has the prior right
Af+er this is done the canal is built
and the water taken down through
the canal, and then through these
different arms or arteries, which are
built out over each and every farm
and to these farms is distributed thi.
water to grow every crop that is
grown in that country
} We have every advantage you have
here, with the additional advantage
that we do not have any failure Of
crops. 1t is practically impossible tC
have any failure of crops where you
irrigate, because you get your waite
when and how you want it. Whel
you want water, the Commissions
comes and raises your gate, the waite
is turned into the lateral and whei
you have enough, you notify the Com
missioner and the gate is shut dow
and the water goes on to the mex
r farm. And so on all the way alon
II the canal. until every farm in tn
e valley is watered.
It makes, you might say, a CON
D munity Of interests. 1t makes every
l. body near neighbors. We enjoy
y great many advantages in the ives
II that your people of the east probabl
'e do not understand. Everybody in tn
IS arid west is everybody's friend, an
it it is necessary that it should be 81
l for we have only our land in the va
1t leys to cultivate, and the great mouI
IN tain ranges are used for stock gral
as ing. So it is necessary that eac
man pIOleCl lhe OlhSio III oAuCt
es build up his community.
H. We have our school houses c
nc every hill and every dale; we hay
at our churches scattered throughout II
- country, and we have our telephoI
connections. too. I can sit at n
1e home at Pocatello and talk to Denve
r. to Cheyenne, to San Francisco,
ne Salt Lake, to Portland, to Seatt
TO and to Spokane, and / can talk to a
Ell my neighbors. And when ] say neig
ar bors. I mean everybody living with
VS. radious of about 200 miels, f
mt everybody within 200 miles out the
OF is considered a neighbor. Those a
ne conveniences that you probably wou
er- not think we would enjoy.