Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-12-30
STATE MUST PROTECT SETTLERS.

There prevailing belief that the state has not done
its full duty toward its Carey settlers The story told
ia the columns of this paper Saturday by the last Of
so settlers leave the Powell tract is fortunately not
general story in the state but unfortunately that
does not stand entirely alone
The state made mistake it appears in not properly
protecting itself and these settlers i'll the original contracts
and in the Of the original bond required from the
company but from the claims made by the settlers upon
the Powell project it would that the state yet has
duty to perform
In settling the Carey act projects of the state it APP
pears have been the of the contractors to subet
contract to promotion and advertising company to-
advertise the project and induce settlement and actually
to make the sales OF water rights The state had
tract with these people and control them. They
made such representations they tit and they be-
lieved would accomplish the result desired-namey, the
sale of the water rights. The settlers upon the Powell
project declare that this colonization company represented
to them that the state Of Idaho stood back Of all contracts
made and that relying upon this supposed fact they came
good faith invested their money and started TO build
homes for Themselves The result IN this special instance
that they only lost all the money they hadhe
suit Of years Of saving and dcprFaons they have
lost four five years of the very best portion Of their lives
In substantaton of the charge made by these settlers
that they made to believe that the state stood back
these projects guaranty Of protection purchasers of
water rights under Carey act projects they call attention
to explanation made III booklet put out by the
pany of how Carey act lands reclaimed and sold pu
chasers in which there is this sentences
When the state enters into contract with the corpor
alton to construct the irrigation works. the corporation
has to give bond to the state for the construction Of the
works"
Now everyone familiar with the law and with the
practices of the land board knows that statement
both true and false 1t is true that small bond is
CURED but is in the that all settlers would
regard it true that it guarantees the completion of the
project.
Now these settlers misled into making purchases
and into investing their money under false pretenses
it should be clearly the duty Of the state to take the na
tive III bringing to account those who thus obtained such
money who thus responsible for the loss these
people Of their property II conditions and
If some OF these settlers by false misleading representa-
tons should have obtained money from these wealthy pro-
moter any doubt but the state would have been
busy long applying legal remedy2 The state cannot
afford to take the attitude that will enforce the laws
only against the poor while the rich escape
Moreover these particular colonizers being residents
of Boise known to be personally responsible for any
reasonable amount of financial loss caused by msrepre
sentaton either upon their part upon the part of
their agents, and It these settlers subsantiae their
claims It the duty OF the state to give them every aid pos
sibe in doing The state has suffered already
from failures III regard to these projects and the least that
1t can do to regain its rghu standing with the people Of
the country Is to assist unfortunate settlers the fullest
extent allowed by law to recover small proportional
OF their losses if there is any legal method whereby re-
covery may be had