The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1911-10-19

Two weeks ago we Ventured TO speaH
our mind about the performances o.
certain professional agitators led by
one, Stafford of Gooding, in the matter
of the organization of a so-calleC
water users league. We also
advised Richfeld farmers that they
could afford to know all the facts
before they pay out money and time.
Incidentally, we offered space in the
columns of The Recorder to any
interested party who cared to discuss
the matter.
The Gooding Herald nearly choked
itself to death about it, in hair
tearing, mouth-frothing two-column
article, consisting mainly of well worn
patitudes, wild defiance and the
atrocious murder of some straw men
which the wild eyed blood thirsty ink
squirter set up to serve as exhibition
victims of his ability as a slaughterer.
We really do not know what set the
Herald off, unless it was onr reference
to "cheap political clap-trap. p" Of
course we have no objection if any of
the parties who tell the Herald what to
froth about, take to themselves any
thing in our columns which fits their
cases.
Returning to our text, we advise our
friends, the Richfeld farmers, that all
we are asking is square deal for
them The Idaho Irrigation Company
has never owned US and is little
farther away from that position now
than it ever was before, because we
have made our annual payments and
we have had all the water we could use
and little extra. We owe them no
allegiance and we consider that the
company has made goodly number of
mistakes for which it will doubtless
pay-in the fulness of time.
We propose to plant our feet firmly
upon the proposition that Southern
Idaho, and Lincoln County in particu-
lar, has suffered enough, has received
setback enough, on account of the
frenzied wailing of certain politicians,
the Misrepresentation of certain
agitators keen for their own profit, and
the yawping of certain independent
newspapers of which the Gooding
Herald is a CONSPICUOUS example.
There is no game easier than the
abuse of corporations through the
newspapers. Frequently they deserve
it, but in the case under discussion, in
order to make plausible case, the
thrifty agitator has not hesitated to
slander the country, reflect upon the
water supply and villify everybody and
everything connected with irrigation.
These conscienceless parties have
found no remedy to suggest, have
offered no relief from the ills of which
they complained but in magnified
imitation of the hungry coyote they
have set back and howled calamity.
For the benefit of our readers we
present the following matters of history
for the consideration of our vitupera-
tive friend of the Herald.
In the Winter of 1910 Stafford
representing the Gooding Farmers
Association appealed to the State
Land Board for an order forbidding the
of amounts claimed to be due
the Idaho Irrigation Company for the
season of 1910 The State Land
Board denied this petition with GER
tain recommendations as to adjust
ments, as a result of this petition.
Q Southern Idaho got several
hundred columns of adverse reading
notices in the papers of the country.
(2) The Settlers got nothing except
a large measure of discomfort.
(3) Budd Stafford (brother of
W. T.) got his payments deferred -one
year.
(4) John Edholm Director of the
farmers Association got his payments