The Greeley tribune., 1911-03-16
SATlRlCUS SEES NO GOOD IN
CARPENTERS WATER BILL

SATIRICUS SEES NO GOOD IN
CARPENTERS WATER BILL
To The Tribune:
notice you keep pegging away at
the Commercial club and other
bodies and urging them to take ac-
tion on the Carpenter irrigation, or
reservoir bill. and very naturally
you assume that the Commercial
club, especially, having been so ac-
tive in other matters of much less
consequence should bestr itself in
this. And now as to that allow me,
will you, to put in my oar once
again. to discuss the bill from my
standpoint. The club | apprehend
won't take decided action. This bill
is a boosters" proposition, pure and
simple. 1t is true, to encourage
growth and irrigation expansion re-
gardless of what may or may not be
| for the real and best interests of the
state as whole. and judging from
| the past we might suppose the club
would favor the bill. But on the
other hand when it comes to this
particular measure personal and
rivate interests might and probably
would cause the members to be d.
vfded In opinion, and I do not look
to see them unite in either condemn
ing or favoring the passage of the
bill.
AS the law now stands, and until
adverse decisions are rendered by
the courts, or until this iniquitious
measure becomes law users of
water, according to priority, have
the right over all reservoirs for di
rect irrigation, and water may not
be stored in reservoirs during the
irrigation season. Early last fall
some of the reservoir companies in
Larimer county and western Weld
county assuming that the irrigation
season was closed, and assuming
also that farmers further down the
streams were not needing the water,
We're wasting it, and in fact did not
know their own business, began suit
in the courts as against a ruling of
the state engineer. who had forbid
den them to take water while the
farmers were using it for direct irri-
CATION. That suit is still pending
and the decision of the court after
an extended hearing at Fort Collins
has not, in so far as | have seen,
been rendered.
This bill grew out of that suit, or
at least out of the demand for water
for storage purposes in reservoirs
which eliminated in that suit. There
ought to be no difference of opinion
as to the merits of this bill. 1t is
contrary to the intent Of the con-
stitution OF the state in relation to
the use OF water. as interpreted by
both previously enacted laws and
the decisions of our courts. 1t is ex-
pressly designed and intended to
encourage new and hazardous irrf-
ga enterprises at the expense of
vested and hard earned rights under
existing canals. II passed and not
vetoed by the governor 1t will work
untold hardship in the older irriga-
tion areas. unsettle values and de-
stroy property to the extent of mil
lions of dollars. and in the end even
impair the credit of the newer enter
prises it is designed to foster. 1t is
bill expressly and cunningly calcu-
lated to divide the opinion which
should naturally and justly be
against 1t. and to combine and uti-
lize all the elements among us which
would be benefited by 1t. to work
for It's passage. 1t is thoroughly
bad bill and should be defeated; but
can hardly suppose Senator Car
penter will care anything what |
think about the matter. He is a
republican and I am democrat, and
II any influence Is to be brought to
bear with him rs against this bill /
apprehend it must be brought by not
only republicans, but republicans of
the reactionary wing OF his party
because at least SO far in his legisla-
tive career reactionary influences
have apparently always controlled
his attitude in all his important leg
islative acts.
Very respectfully submitted,