Semi-weekly herald., 1910-02-03


NOT nav and never have paid, taxes on
an acre of land or any other property
in La Plata county?
IL. You say you want the farmers
Cd the mesa to have water. Is II not
fact that when they attempted 10
acquire a right of way through the
Florida Farmers ditch. in your own
| two inches of water only. did you not
actively oppose and defeat the grant
ing of such right by the ditch com
pany. and did you not state to mem
bers OF the Enterprise Ditch company
that you would spend every dollar You
had before you would let them ac
quire a right of way by enlargement
of such ditch? Why did you do this
| if you want them to have water? Is
| It rot also fact that you have turn
cd waste water from your land down
tne hill into the river 10 prevent farm
uis on the mesa from using the same?
Why did you 90 that II you are anx-
ious they should have water?
10. Have your attorneys, Ritter &
Buchanan. not advised you that the
district cannot interfere with your
prior right to water in the Florida
river? Do you not believe their ad-
vice to be sound?
49, Would you be satisfied with
flood water irrigation for .he lands
you are farming on the mesa?
rf In dc IN,
| the proposed district, not having wa
ter, are opposing the district, and Will
you give .iieir names?
Is. Is 1t not fact that the oppo.
| lirely from men like yourself, with
no land in the proposed district but
having prior water rights in the river
o all the water needed for their own
land, for selfish reasons alone. or
| through spite, are opposing all efforts
of others TO acquire rights or to take
additional bitches and water from the
river?
| 16. Have You not upon more than
one occasion stated to several people
on the streets of Durango that you
would oppose district on the mesa
NO matter what advice your attorneys
gave you, and no matter what agree
ments the promoters of the district
might make not TO interfere or attempt
to interfere with prior rights to the
water in the Florida river?
| II. Do you believe you are pos
sessed of more brains or more knowl
edge than the farmers who are at
tempting to organize the district, and
thus obtain water for their lands?
They at least are willing to take the
advice of those who know, while you
are not.
Now, Mr.. Griffith, it is easy TO knock
and it is hard to build up country
| Any man can sit back and deGry an
enterprise, accuse his fellowmen of
being thieves and grafters, but the
people want facts. not general aecusa-
lions or abuse. Talk is cheap. but
it takes more than abuse to convince
thinking men and women. Come out
| WIN SOul ldClS anu nldhe lHtll Spe-
cific and they will be answered.
Come now, be fair and repeat over
your signature what You htye bclore
stated publioiy-that you are oppqs
ing the district for the following req
sons:
ta) Because you think the raising OF
more crops on the mesa will result In
lower prices for what you yourself
raise.
OBJ Because you think the construc
ton of another ditch with reservoir
water from the Florida river will de-
crease the value of your water rights
in the farmers ditch two inches?
| (c) Because you have made up your
mind to oppose the organization of the
district no matter what it will cost to
put water on the land of those in the
district, and no matter what agree
ments might be made with reference
TO attempted interference with prior
water rights-although you have been
advised by your attorneys, and know,
there can be no such interference.
e. r. SCHAILES,