The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1912-03-14

north canal, and this explanation
believe you can give, if you see fit tt
do so.
"Thanking you for an early reply
am, Yours truly,
Hamilton Lee.'
In answer to that letter Mr.. Newell
wrote in substance that the govern.
ment was unwilling to do the worn
because of the large amount involved
with no assurance that the water
rights would be settled for years to
come. As matter of fact about a
year ago the settlers signed an agree
ment with the department which was
supposed to settle all the water rights
in manner satisfactory to the de-
partment, and it was promised that
work would start at once, but after
seven months Of waiting the settlers
were told that another, and different
contract would have to resigned, and
that contract is now being signed. The
settlers have complied with every re-
quest made by the reclamation offic-
ials. but they have signed SO many
different contracts only to have them
repudiated by the reclamation SER
vice, that it now difficult to get them
to sign anything. They say that Mr..
Newell can't draw a contract that is
satisfactory to himself over night.
Many of the settlers have signed
away valuable water rights purely
out of public spirit and practically
all the owners of patented lands have
put their lands into the project.
just put yourself in the position of
the settler who has pledged his land
to pay the cost Of this irrigation
work. He went out there and braved
the hardships of the frontier in order
to build for himself home. Thru
winter c>ld and summer heat he
toiled on, always toward the same
goal. The little plot of land that he
owns represents a lifetime of hard
ships and toll, and now, thru no
fault of his, he sees mortgage be-
ing piled up against his land that he
can never hope to pay. For nine
years lie has seen horde of 20 vern-
ment employees doing nothing but
drawing fat salaries and literally
eating up his home. If he asks for
any information about expenditures
or anything else concerning the sub
ject. he is told, in effect, that it is
none of his business. Government
employees are not allowed to give
out information.
There are two classes of settlers
that are interested in the projects.
One is the man who has title to his
land, and who now sees mis- home be-
ing contiscated by the government.
The other is the settler who ha 8 i'm
proved a piece of government land to
which he hopes some day to get title,
and it is hard to say which is in the
worst situation. One is in a hopeless
struggle to gain home, and the 9TH
er is powerless to prevent the confis-
cation of the home that he has al
ready earned.
The settlers who own patented land,
as a rule. have some livestock, and
they are not in immediate want, but
the homestead settlers, who have
gone there in recent years upon tn
promise of free homes, are almost
without exception in a desperate sit
uation. They must work for wages
in order to live at all, and often the
settlers must go a long ways from
home in order to find work. If his
family leaves the claim even for
day, it is cause sufficient to bring a
force of government detectives out
from Washington.
My own home is $50 miles west of
this project on the same line of rail.
road. About two months ago l re-
ceived a letter from one of the set
tiers asking for employment for him
self and a neighbor, who he said had
five children. l wrote them to come
over, and in about ten days they
showed up. They had ridden part
way OH freight trains and had walked
when they couldn't ride. l learned
that the man with five children, be-
fore coming over, on the strength of
having a job promised, had secured
credit from a local merchant for fifty
pounds of flour which he had carried
on his back out to his family dis
lance of eighteen miles. There are
Continued next week.
Wor,o. Mox.,o