, 1912-02-01
SENATOR TAYLOR'S DEFENSE
Explains His Connection with the French Creek Ditch Project an
Refutes Encampment Herald's Charges OF Interference
Gives Proposition made to Land Board

With reference to the attacks that
have been made upon me during the
past year M a half by the Encamp-
men Herald and its allies, beg to say.
that until this time / have been too
busy attending to my own business TO
notice this batch of rot though
couched in terms as bitter as it is I'M
reliable; n at this time, so far as |
am personally concerned, would con-
tinue to ignore he same did not be-
lieve you are entitled to know the true
situation relative to those "dastardly
acts" with which | am credited with
having committed.
Early in August, 1910, l was asked
by Hon. C. E. Winter, which office,
politically, / intended to try for, to
which ! replied hat | would like to
go to the legislature. He said that
might as well go to the Senate as the
House, that he mad just come from
Cheyenne and that 1t had been prom
ised to him, that he did not want ii as
there was no money in 1t, but that he
did want to be Judge. During my at
tendance in the legislature was very
much surprised to learn that neither
the chairman nor any member of the
republican state committee eve made
Mr.. Winter such a pledge.) Later the
same afternoon, / met Editor Drury of
the Herald. lie said, Il understand
you are coming out for the Senate"
to which / replied thai l was thinking
of doing so. He said, The Herald
will be glad to endorse YOU" The
following morning ! left for the Green
river valley. stopping off at Rock
Springs and Evanston at the request
of Mr.. Winter, who wished me to ad-
wise him as to the situation relative to
the ~judgeship in Sweetwater and
Uinta counties, which ! did by letter
Upon my return home one week
before the republican caucus, L
learned that my announcement had
not come out in the Herald, much less
my endorsement. The reason for this,
Editor Drnry informed me, was that
there was a rumor around town that
| was pledged to Judge Craig, and that
unless ! would sign a pledge to fight
Judge Craig first, last and always. the
Herald would fight me. Editor Drury
was promptly told, among other
things, that ! was not pledged to
Judge Craig. to Mr.. Greenfield or Mr..
Winter and that / did not propose to
become pledged.
Ever since that time / have been
the object of bitter and ~unprincipled
attacks from the editor of the Herald.
My failure to sign that pledge incurred
the displeasure of Editor Drury n
evidently his hatred, judging from his
v~tllifcation and abuse of me; how
! would rather be the object OF
his hatred han the subject of his
pleasure secured by any pledge. This
constitutes my first "dastardly act
and is the real basis of all that has
followed.
The fant that I had n.any,tyaI M |
irrigation company a year previous
and vas successfully engaged in man
aging the construction of an irrigation
system in Uinta county, where ] spend
quite a little of M time, has been
literally noted by the Herald and used
as the basis for the lie that | was a
nonresident of Carbon county, like
wise the lie that | had tried for the
nomination in Uinta county. To be
interested then, is "dastardly act"
number two.
For more than two long years the
people OF the Upper Platte valley and
Encampment in particular, have been
waiting for the French Creek Irriga-
ion and Development Company to
build their canal, taking water from
creek to redeem some $4,000
acres OF land lying to the east of En-
No construction work of
Importance has been done since
1910. Extensions of time were
by the former State Land
Board 80 literally that when Joseph
VI. Carey, candidate for governor, APP
Feared upon the platform here last
all N told the people that If he was
governor these Carey act com. !
,anies would have to get busy and
make good or quit; hat such delays
would not be tolerated, the people
Iwung strongly in line for him ex-
at least a change for the bet {
er in State Land Board affairs.