Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1913-10-25
REPLIES TO CRITICS
in THE EAST
Governor HaInes Takes to Task Man
Who censures Idaho State
Officials

governor names does not TAX
kindly to the kind of publicity givel
the state by Edward Bohm of Chi
cagO, ILL.,, through the columns of tn,
Irrigation Age, and he has evidentl.
determined to handle that gentleman
without gloves for some of his state
ments made in relation to the Bi,
Lost River Carey act project. In al
open letter addressed to Mr.. Bohm
the governor gives the other side O
the picture and shows the gentle
man up in some what the colors. of {
muckraker. The governors Letter
follows:
"Mr. Edward Bohm, care the Irri
cation Age, Chicago, Ill.-Sir: It IL
evident from your open letter pub
lished in the Irrigation Age for Octo
ber, as well as from the references
you append to your signature, that yo,
attempt to qualify as one having ex
pert knowledge of Carey act matters
but it is just as evident that you
are entirely lacking III fairness in
treatment of the question which con.
fronts the land board and the people
of Idaho today. This question can
not be solved by bootless discussion
Of what might have been, or by rail-
ing at the state of Idaho or its Off
cials, past or present.
'Let it be admitted at the outset
that serious mistakes were made in
the financing and construction of a
small percentage of our irrigation
projects, and that these mistakes
have been responsible for much los
and suffering to individuals and for
the arrested development of our ir-
rigation enterprises. The account you
give of your relations to the Big
Lost river project is probably cor
rect, except your statement that the
land board announced that would hold
first payments on his tract in escrow,
In this you are not borne out by the
gentleman to whom you refer, nor by
the land board records. Your story
does not differ materially from that
OF many others, nor does it help the
present situation, nor bring us any
nearer the solution we are seeking.
Neither will it help at this time
to seek to excuse or palliate adniitted
errors, nor to condemn the short.
sighted, selfish policy Of those who
sought to make political capital out
of an unfortunate business situation.
Equally grave mistakes may be ex-
pected i'm any new enterprise, operated
under untried and perhaps insufficient
laws, administered by inexperienced
officials pioneering new fold.
'The great question now confront
ing us is how to proceed so as to
carry these suspended projects tn
completion, and to be substantially
just to all concerned. AS you well
know, action not only by the state
land board, but by the legislature has
been rendered impossible by the liti-
CATION in which the Big Lost river
project is involved, but out of this
legal maze we hope to emerge in the
near future. We are daily expecting
a decision by the federal circuit court
of appeals which will, we hope, def
nitely settle questions Of title so that
negotiations looking to further con-
struction can be proceeded with.
Acting on the best legal advice OBJ
tainable, we have refrained from instt
tuting suit to recover on the bond
pending the decision of the circuit
court of appeals, but the papers have
long since been prepared in the Of
flee of the attorney general and the
state but awaits the expected deci-
sion before filing suit looking to the
recovery of the $175,000 bond.
"The present land board has gone
deeply into all questions affecting
this and other projects and its mem
bers have made numerous personal
Investigations for the purpose of ac-
quainting themselves with the facts
in preparation for definite action at
the earliest possible moment. We
feel that we have done everything
that could have been done In the
nine months we have been in office
and we expect to work unremittingly
in the future to bring about Just
and satisfactory solution Of ldahos
irrigation problems.
I'VE need honest help, thoughtful
suggestions and constructive advice.
We do not need sarcasm, innuendo
or bitter reflections upon the mis-
takes Of others.
IT you are In position to give us