Arizona republican., 1910-03-17
HHTs Vicious Attack on the RecIama
 ton Service.

Great NOltnern TdllWdN anu SOH ol Mir James J. HilLgave an interview to the Examiner in Los Angeles. Sun day. in which. if correctly quoted. he most unjustly assailed the United States reclamation service.
 The government" he said. "is en- gagged in So-called reclamation work which is costing a tremendous amount of money. And the results are in Versely small
 The government reclamation plants are, with few exceptions, useless and in many instances they are junk piles. When the government finishes d rec lamation project it charges more for the land than do private concerns and twice as much for the water.
 This is because the reclamation of ficials are either crooks or incompe- tent"
 The Hills. father and son, are rather noted for featuring the people of the United States. and with all the as- sentative dogmatism of infaIlibility set tling offhand the questions which the masses of the people find it necessary to discuss and ponder. Pretty soon, We suppose. they will conclude that it is their duty to take over the affairs of the country and run them. Having reclamation service is incompetent and corrupt. Louis W. Hill will no doubt become still more peevish when he finds that the people of the country are disposed to insist that the leading officers of the reclamation service Director Frederick H. Newell. Chief Engineer Arthur P. Davis. and Super vising Engineer Louis C. Hill-shall continue in charge of the reclamation work.
 For considerable time there have been hints that there is on foot con spiracy to drive out of the service the great engineers we have just men, toned We have not been inclined to attribute much importance to the ru- mors of this mysterious and hidden opposition. but when a man of the conspicuous position and influence of President Hill comes out in the open and with brazen effrontery flatly charges that the officers of the recla- nation service are either incompetent or corrupt. it seems that the time has come for us to acknowledge that pow erful influences are at work against the service.
 There is scarcely an atom of truth in the Hill charges; but the trouble is that the people of the country gen. orally are not familiar with the facts. and it is unfortunately true that it is sufficient for men like Louis W, Hill to merely make such charges as these and wide belief in them will follow. But it is fortunate, on the other hand. that the work of reclamation has reached a point where it speaks for itself. and fortunate that the west, at least. is so fully apprised of the situ- ation that the people of the west will stand by the reclamation service.
 We assume that there may be an atom of truth in the Hill charges: that is. it is possible that in hastily assembling crews for numerous prof. ects there was included here and there a subordinate who was incompe- tent. We don't know that even this much is true; but it would be con- trary to all experience in the construc- ton of railways and in all other great industrial undertakings if it were not true. But beyond this possibility there is not in evidence d shred of truth to support MT Hilrs attack.
 It will be noted that MT. Hill was careful to confine himself to generali- ties. Will he dare to say that either Frederick H Newell. Arthur P. Davis, or Louis C. Hill is incompetent or cor rupt? He may. indeed, dare say as much: but will lie point to a single fact in support of the charge? Which one of the great reclamation projects now under way is a failure? Which among them are junk piles? It would be Illuminating to have MT. Hill answer MT Hill is one of the heavy investors in the great copper mines at Bisbee. this territory. and in his trips into Arizona should have become familiar with the reclamation projects here Has he ever personally visited either the Roosevelt project or the Yuma project? Does he know single thing about either of these projects which would even indicate that they have been constructed under corrupt or crooked management? Of course he knows nothing personally of either project. and of course he cant point to a single thing in support of his charges so far as the reclamation work in this territory is concerned.
 And in view of the remarkable sue cess which has attended the reclama- ton work in Arizona, it most certainly