The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-02-25
THE MACKAY JOB
INQUIRED INTO.
Suspicious Facts Developed
That Put Settlers i'm Very
Bad Condition.
LIGHT BOND REQUIRED
FOR HEAVY CONTRACT
Not Only Is the Mackay Dam
Involved, but Other Land
Projects.
BY G. E. ARNEY.
Special To The Tribune.

D Il w. <A4e3N'1
Special To The Tribune.
BOISE, Ida. Feb. PA legislative
committee appointed from the two
branches of the eleventh session has prsc-
ticelly closed It's work of invesugatine
former state land boards presided over by
Ex-Governor Gooding and by ex-governor
Brady both OF whom with all their as
socates. except General McDougall. have
retired from Office and are now private
citizens.
Among other things which they have In
vestigated and are still tnquiring about
is the Mackay dam situation.
The Idaho correspondent for The salt
Lake Tribune wrote an original storF CIV
ing the history and the record OF he
project and of the dam, setting forth the
alarm of the citizens OF Mackay, their
Indignation as 20 the original contract for
the dam, their apprehensiops as TO The
funds derived from the sale OF bonds,
backed by the water contracts given by
the settlers the fears they entertained as
TO their lives and property should the dam
report Of Engineer Lippincott of Los
Angeles. whom they brought 10 Idaho
at their own cost, than whom there are
few better scientists OF his class In the
country.
Later l gave an epitome. then the re-
port in full. OF a commission OF engineers
one by the citizens committee OF Mackay
and the third by these two: which report
tactly confirmed the report Of ,Ir. Lip
pincott.
Bad Methods Pursued.
During the process of the fall cam
paien Of 1910 ] made deductions from time
TO time a. TO the methods pursued by the
Brady state land board, these being in
criticism OF the members participating in
a responsible manner, as i saw IL. con-
tributory. at least. to the apparent neg
lgence surrounding the construction of
the dam, Ii not the sale of the lands and
the uses or misuses of the funds derived
from the sale OF lands.
This is past history. II amounts 10
IA,
duties involved, which I regard today as
II the most vital Importance TO the state
II Idaho. her credit and her immediate
and future development AS compared
with other duties OF the eleventh session
of the state legislature. this becomes at
once paramount matter,
In the arid belt of this commonwealth
today there are millions OF acres now
segregated from the government by the
state for reclamation under the provi-
slons Of this appreclable federal egisla-
tion. vet out fourteen years old.
In the testimony at hand (and there
wlli scarce he any shaking OF it on cross
state OF Idaho made a contract with the
Big Lost River Land and Irrigation COM
pany. which, IN reality. is the Trow-
bridge Niver company OF Chicago.
government segregated TO the state this
land. amounting to approximately 90. 900
acres. This was authorized by the state
land board 10 DC sold. and subsequently
approximately so, 900 acres OF IL was sold
at the price OF S40.50 per acre The 80
cents an acre was the state selling price
10 the settler. paid for the land. % cents
ut the time of the sale and 25 cents 10
be paid nt the time OF final proof {. e..
when the water was on all the land of
the individual settler.
Thus before the settler could obtain a
fee simple title TO his land. water must
be on all the land. until which time the
state held and now holds. a first lien
on this land The forty dollars per acre
was the price which the state permitted
the promoter (the Trowbridse- Niver COM
pany). TO charge. per acre, for the water.
The company, directly or indirectly
proceeded to the sale of the $4,000 acres
Of this land on the following terms. as
land board gave them, l. e, 5 per cent
in cash and the remainder to be paid
In ten years at per cent interest.
Big Sums Received.
Thus deduce that the promoting
company received $4,000, o0o from these
lands. $500. 900 in cash and s2Ioo. 600 in
notes, which were a second lien on the
lands OF the settler under the Big Lost
River Carey act project
The testimony In several instances evil |
denccs the fact that several eastern bond
houses. banks ard trust companies hold
ths bonds Of this company. based on the
contracts which the settler gave for wa
Ter. further shows that this Trow-
bridge -Niver company took at least
100000 OF the bonds thus based on these
certificates for water. and sold them Il
~ per cent discount and dumped the
money into Colorado Carey act project
In which they were involved. at the eX-
pence (as w. W Corey stated) of the |
settlement of the Just claims of said |,
company in the Big Lost River project, !
the same which supplied them with this |
money.
The contract which the state of Idaho. |
through It's state land board. made with
the Big Lost River Land and Irriga ton
company Trowbridse- Niver) comprc-
nsnded the approximate cost OF the |
Mackay dam at $780, 600 The bond re
CURED by the board in this contract was
500. 900. ~
Now the result. Theesettler-and he is |
the man most to be protected, for with |
out him and the protection OF his inter- |
csts, the state, the promoting companvJ
me bondholder and the contractor have
IN tact no hope of success-how about |
him? This is the question for settlement J
This is the cruX OF this troublesome sill : !
uatlon; This is the matter to he solved. |
the solution Of which reaches down dcep
into the vitals Of the commonwealth.
The committee Is composed of LAWYERS |
and Of laymen. So is the legislature They
represent the law making power of tho |
commonwealth.
In comparison With the past record of
Brady. OF Miss Chamhcrlain of Lans- !
don and McDouga!l. these questions and
the protection Of these settlers these
pondhoiders and these contractors. are as |
Euee mountains To infintesimal mole hills
There are many suspicious eyes turned |
toward Idaho today. This fact is pat |
en- from the testimony already adducel
before the committee from its witnesses
from al least two of tic middle western
states Their apprehension speaks but