Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1913-08-28
DEFINES HIS POSITION.
Governor Haines Clearly States
His Position on Carey
Act Matters.
Would Build up Present Projects
Instead Of Opening
New Ones.
This Can Only be Done by Mod
ihcation Of Present Contracts
and Extension Of Time.

In reply to letter from Senator
Borah asking the Governor to clear
" define his position on the ques-
ton Of developing the arid lands Of
the state, the latter in long com
munication makes no bones Of tel
ling the Senator Just where he
stands. After reciting some Of the
failures Of the irrigation projects Of
the state and the consequent hard
ships that they have entailed upon
the settlers, the governor believes it
is thoroughly the duty Of the state
to investigate these failures and fix
the responsibility where it belongs
In this connection the governor
says:
when we have let in the light
Of day upon the causes Of, and the
responsibility for these failures, it
will then be our duty to put them
upon their feet if possible, securing
for the actual settler the same long
time and favorable terms of pay
ments which you are now seeking to
have applied to the settler on gov
ernment projects. The state, through
its land board, must also use its in
huence to secure from operating
companies such notifications Of
their contracts "a will enable the
settler to provide a living for him
self and family first and to pay
lfter, rather than to pay first, re-
gardless Of the condition in which
he may find himself after payment
has been made.
The Governor believes and rightly
too, that the greatest need in this
state is good settlers on the irrlga-
ton projects we already have With
thousands Of acres of land on these
projects lying idle, he would rather
see the energies of the state and the
people turned toward securing set
tiers for these tracts before other
are opened up.
SO clearly in line is the attitude
OF the Governor with the policy tha
we have always advocated through
the columns of the Times, that W.
took occasion to write Governo
Haines, congratulating him on TIN
stand he had taken, in response t.
which we have been favored witt
the following reply in which tn
governor suggests a remedy for tn
conditions now existing on Care
act projects.
August 20, 1913.
Mr.. l.. T. Alexander, Editor,
Lincoln County Times,
Jerome, Idaho.
My Dear Sir: am in receipt OF yor
letter OF the 18th inst, in which yo
commend the attitude taken by me
my reply to Senator Borah on the sui
lect of existing conditions in tins sta
with reference to the further settlemeI
of our arid lands. | am very glad
your approval in this matter, and beg
assure you at this time that ! am tho
oughly in earnest in all said in the le
ter to which you refer.
am quite firmly of the belief that II
views are shared by the other membe
OF the Land Board, and that it will
possible in the near future to inltla
some action looking to the solution
the difficulties which have heretofore /
terfered with the proper development
oar irrigation projects.
1t is conceded, think, by all that
first contracts which were made provld
Tor payments by the settlers in an u
reasonably short period of time; Il
they, in fact, required the settler
assume burden which experience
shown it was impossible for him to cal
unless he was blessed with large mca
at the time he began the cultivation
his land. As we see now that the sett
should never have been expected to ma
his principal payments within the sh
period of ten years, it would now Sc
to be nothing more than just to atten
to secure a modification OF these contra
in such manner as to give the settler