Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-11-04
KING HILL WATER USERS TELL
WHY They ARE GIVING
Martin SUPPORT

| the King Hill ditch had been enlarged
to carry water for the 5000 additional
acres or total capacity of 325 second
| feet for both projects. On the strength
of the purported contract with the in
tegrity Of the state of Idaho behind it.
| the company floated bond issue Of
$3.50, 900 on the extension or Medbury
project.
A short time after this bond issue
had been floated. through the inability
handful then on the project, the settlers
became aroused and secured a COM
petent engineer who. on investigation,
found that with 1875 second feet Of
water the fumes were stopping over
and the ditch running its full capacity
with many places in the earth banks
sliding down the hill.
In other words. the company in which
Mr.. Peterson was q prime mover, not
only swindled the settlers who bought
Medbury water rights but also defraud-
ed the bond buyer in the east. Is it
surprising that that irrigation securi-
ties are a drug on the market when
such things are done with the official
sanction Of the state of Idaho? Do
the people Of Idaho blame the Carey
act settlers for being opposed to Jo-
seph Peterson for attorney general?
When the water users association
made the condition Of the project pub
lie, the bondholders in the effort to
save something from the wreck took
over both the original and the extern
sion projects and they are still in their
hands.
Immediately after they took hold of
the project they went over 1t and fixed
a few of the worst places and endeav-
ored to supply water to the few who
were on the project. In this incomplet-
ed, inadequate and unsubstantial con-
dition it is at the present time.
Promises From HawIey.
Two years ago Mr.. Hawley was
elected governor through his promises
Of reform in Carey act matters and
cleaning out Of the corrupt admins.
tration Of Carey act matters. There.
fore, after two years, we are going t.
Judge him squarely on his record ant
not on promises he is now making
Eleventh hour repentances before elev.
ton do not appeal to the man who
has vainly been waiting for help frou
the state land board for the past TIVE
years.
with our ditch in the condition al
!, mentioned, with wretched deliver.
of water, we have for those two year
, demonstrated, petitioned, begged an,
/. demanded of Governor Hawley and tn
state land board for some action eth
err compelling the company to max
their ditch substantial and adequate o.
! else follow the plain terms Of the con
tract and forfeit 1t.
Mr.. Hawley. in a statement published
in the Bliss Times. says that what
ever delay has been had during til,
past year with reference to the Kir,
Hill project has been occasioned b,
the efforts of the company and the set
tiers to get together.
That statement does not contain on
> word of truth but is absolutely al
Y unqualified falsehood. Last winter W
had a half dozen meetings with tn
board and at every one we demande,
the same thing: do your plain dut,
, and enforce the contract" We neve
, deviated one iota from that and MI
j Hawley or any one else who says w
!, did falsifies.
i Rather, Mr.. Hawley, together will
the balance of the board instead of do
e ing their duty, used every bit of pres
I sure they could get to bear on US t
force us into the irrigation distric
4 proposed by the promoters and tn
+ bondholders, the bond issue Of whicl
g was to be for $1,000.000 for the or
iginal project with only 5000 acre
$ to carry 1t, the balance Of the 1900
/ acres being either too rough or to-
i rocky to be fit for agricultural pur
: poses.
: In other words. through a schem
: Of promising long period Of time, the
: planned to make the settler pay $12
: an acre instead Of $65 as our .contrac
8 now reads.
|. 1t was an insult to the intelligenc
Z Of the settlers and rightfully the
e turned 1t down once and for all time
Again, we went before the land boar
and We demanded. as we had before
a that the members do their duty an
v either force the company to finish tn
. project or forfeit their contract.
We further stated that, II the boar
. would not do its duty, we would petit
ton the courts for a receiver. Gov
ernor Hawley, together with the res
VI tuS Do1Iu, tHcH oTucTcu tHc CUIIl
!, pany to commence within 20 days t
prepare their ditch to supply the set
tiers who were on the project for tn
season 1912. The board did not d
:, as the plain letter OF the contract pro
vides-compel the completion or else
: forfeiture.
9 Mr. Robinson. the state engineer. a
appointee Of Mr.. Hawley, had previou
to this time made a report that
would require an expenditure Of $13s
- 900 to complete the project.
e On the twentieth day after the ordt
u a company official landed on the pro.
: ect and took look and went back
n Boise. Sometime later under the su
n pervision Of Mr.. Robinson who wori,
II under the chief executive. the compan
IS spent about $4,000 in patch worl
% making a farcical compliance with II
t order Of the state land board.
r Either through criminal negligence.
willful desire to assist the company
h its then determined plan of freezing o,
IN a. a q