Semi-weekly herald., 1910-02-07
REPLY OF MR.. CHARLES aalrflrH

81, In reference to the Florida Mes,
irrigation district The truth Is wha
hurts and by your signing The articl'
III The Herald OF Feb 2. composed o
lot OF abusive and s,urring question
and not one In fact in answer to wha
ask, my article must havo fit yoI
and The ones who wrote your intend
ed answer pretty well. You may wea
II as long as you wish.
II ! abuse any one they certainl,
must be guilty. for / do not toucl
any one who is not
!. mean exactly what | say abou
the proposed district being n graft
You, yourself. made public statement
al n meeting in the Cottonwood schoo
house that your pro rata share of the
first and least graft was to be 81 200
md that is very small compared with
the next one which will be seen when
II is 100 late. You know what II IL
II yon read my first article. Why does
your first petition read: I'VE ar!
formed with the power and for the puf-
pose OF buying, leasing and obtainir e,
any and all bitches, reservoirs ond
reservoirs rights that may be advan-
tageous to this district" And pien.
tion in particular the Florida Firm.
ers' ditch and the Florida mesa canal
and 3. I am doing this writing
so need not and will not mention
other names. You know who the graft
ers are-meet your supposed friends.
4. ! viii ask the people on the mesa
and elsewhere 10 read my articl rs and
believe them. They will see where
the graft is-that il is from start to
finish.
b. You must think you are going
to raise wonderful crops If ou can
supply the market from here to Den
yer and Kansas City, will you bave
enough to supply the southwest when
we get the southern outlet?
9. l have stated that tho value of
my property would decrease. If you
people kept on. and especially when
you get hold of the water.
Z. Think back and you will think
of what you have been told. If you
call $50 an acre principal plus $27.52
interest cheap. l would hate TO loan
$50 an acre on land with $5I.a2 of a
lien ON it, not mentioning the main.
iehance of the ditch. You don't know
what your water is going 10 cost.
8 and 8. do not pretend to know
al about irrigation districts. How
about Montezuma? You yours elf said,
In above mentioned meeting In Cot.
tonwood school, they were a bunch of
suckers
10. What do you know about my
business. where | own land and VINO
pays my taxes. l am sure you couiu
not pay them often Al d If you had
plenty OF water on your place you
could not raise feed enough 10 feed
my stock one winter / can show you
tax receipt where my taxes have
been paid and are paid.
ii. | do say ! want the pee ople on
he lower mesa to have water: | did
say l would spend every dollar I had
10 prevent an enlargement of Il Flo.
rida Farmers ditch. | had q. good
cause for doing so. | deny any one
who said l turned water over the hin
to waste when did not need it. When
! was not using my water It, was
turned in The natural wasteways.
IL. Where ! got advice and what
{ thought of it is my business.
13. l should great deal rather
have the flood waters than the di,trict
II | had no water
IA. All those owning land in the
proposed district who intend it Tor a
home are opposed, and firmly be.
lieve it Is the majority
10. While the opposition comes
from men in the district, / myself
having land in the district, feel
am working for the interest of the
community as well as my own.
~. HhuS no Suth stdttmtnl Nltu
toned IN your question. l told you Il
you would sign an agreement thai
you would not interfere with prloi
rights from the Florida river, l woult
not say one more word opposing the
district.
Now don't you think your question,
have all been answered but where
have you answered one of mine? How
many questions have you ever answer
ed on this proposition? You speak Is
my two inches of water-do you know
what 1t means? If you can irrisat'
my place with two inches of water
] see no need for another ditch for tn,
two bitches already built will carr!
over 100 feet of water.
Question /. How much will l6
acres of land cost when the water Il
paid for2 Read the following "Il
La Plata county the Florida Mesa II
rigation district has taken over th'
old Enterprise ditch and the presen
water supply will be augmented by tn,
building of a large reservoir up tn,
Florida river about nine miles east o
Durango. The reservoir is to be bull