Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1911-04-15
DECLINES CHAL-
LENGE TO DEBATE
Attorney Watts Gives Reason Fol
Declining Conflab on Much
Mooted Question.
April 18th, 1911.


Mountain Home, Idaho.
Dear sir:
Your article in the New Time
in which you challenge me to an
open discussion of the relative merits
of the Carey Act and the Irrigation
District plan has been read by me-
| decline your offer for the follow
ing reasons:
l. This matter has been discussed
at several public meetings and the
Z people are fully advised as to the
merits of the two systems.
2. The water users do not care for
more argument; can you get the
water for them? That alone inter
ests them.
You and your editor friend seem
to think that a large majority of
the people are with you ON an irri-
CATION district plan, his paper says
ndne-tenths. If this ills SO, why have
you not long ago taken steps to or
ganize a district? Get out your Pc
tlltlon, get the requisite number OF
sagners, get your surveys, prepare
your maps, FURNISH your bond and
present the petition to the Board
OF County Commissioners. Surely, f
ndne-tenths of the people are with
you, you should have no difficulty
ln getting your project started.
If you are i'm earnest do some
thing; don't content yourself with
talking all the time. The people have
reached the stage where they want
something done. Now get i'm and
drim, and convince them you are din
earnest.
You accuse me of building "air
CASTLES Whether air castles or not,
/ have been building. For more than
two years | have exeated my best
effort to the problem of getting water
for the people i'm and about Mount
ain Home. If l succeed, I expect to
make something out of it. Why
shouldn't |?
What have you been doing all this
time? With confession, sir, by
your approval Of the article i'm the
New Time, that large majority of |
the water users are with you you
have sat idly by, with your arms fold |
ed, doing nothing except to knock at |
those who are attempting to do some
thing, and in your knocking you are
not honest you attempt deliberately |
to mislead the people,
Do you deny this?
Then please, for the benefit Of the
people, name the two or three irriga.
tion companies that l organized and
perfected between 1908 and July or
August 1910?
Again, give the public some proof
that the Elmore Irrigation Company
ever offered to take over the prop
erty represented by Mr.. Wolfe, or
ever attempted to enter into any ar
whatever with him con-
cerning said property.
What evidence have you to present
to the public that any of the people
interested in the Elmore Irrigation
Company are agents of Henry Hewitt?
ALI these statements are false
hoods, made by you for the sole pur-
pose of deceiving and prejudicing the
people.
The Elmore Irrigation Company
was organized in February, 1910 by
Mr. Adams and the water right hold
ers, resident i'm Seattle. did not
lit, but since Mr. Adams
,ame here and presented the plan to
-he Mountain Home people. have
aiken an active interest i'm it, and
want to say to you now that the
Gilmore Irrigation Company is going
% succeed, and is going to FURNISH
water for the people i'm this vicinity
In April, 1909, a committee of five,
With Judge Davis at the head, was
appointed at public meeting held at
he Commercial Club rooms, to take 9
he necessary steps for the organiza- I
ion of an Irrigation District.
From that time, until the follow
ng March, when Mr.. Adams came =
ere, nothing was done by myself or a
ny friends TO prevent that commit s
tee from carrying out its instruc- e
ions. 1t had seven months to make
i, move, yet not one step was taken t
wards organization. There was no a
uher company trying to do anything I
here was nothing in the way. o
1t is time to stop talking, and es- h
ecially to stop knocking. and get o
work. If you believe i'm your meth
1, the irrigation district, get to work