The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1914-10-02
James B. Haggin

1t is only a week since he died,
but James B. Haggin was one of the
old masters. The dispatch gives his
age as 81, we believe he was 92.
1t is sixty-five years since 1S49. Mr..
Haggin was more than twenty-five
years of age when he went to Sac
ramento. He was a finished scolar
and accomplished lawyer and could
not have been less than twenty-six
years of age. He was contemporary
with Hall McAlister, John B. FELTON,,
Calhoun Benham, Colonel E. D.
Baker, Justice Stephen ]. Field, and
the others of the early California
bar. His father was an American,
it has always been understood that
his mother was high-caste Turkish
lady and that he was born in Con-
stantinople. He was a successful
lawyer, but from early life he had
a longing for the soil. With his first
little fortune in California he bought
a large tract of land In Sacramento
county. Later he bought on i'm
mensetract of land in Kearn county,
and commenced it's cultivation on a
princely scale. He was the first one
to apply irrigation on large scale
to cultivation in California. A dis
patch tells us that it was he who
fought the old riparion law to a
finish. That fight had been won long
before in California so far as mining
was concerned.
That law compelled men using
water from a stream to return II
untainted and undiminished in
volume.
The supreme court of California
early set that aside as necessary tc
the promotion of the paramount in
dustry of the state, which at the time
was placer mining. We think Mr.
Higgins great suit over the Kear1
county tract was to make valid hi
title to the grant.
We believe that behind his farming
enterprise in California was desir'
to give the people of that state al
object lesson to show them that tn,
salvation Of farming was to b.
through irrigation that, while pre-
serving the fertility Of the soil double
crops could be realized. The Ameri
can river farm in Sacramento county
and the immense Kearn county plan
tation are still monuments to hi
sagacity. Is" >~'Hs.:$''S'''
He did not take much to minin
until the Comstock was made a sue
cess by the giants in charge, of whom
William Sharon was for ten year
the chief. However, he made grea
stake from those mines at last. L
the meantime he became associate
with the late Senator George Hearst
and through him became largely in
terested in the Eureka, Nevada
mines; purchased the Ontario i
Utah and the Homestake in tn
Black Hills. In the meantime h
had become acquainted with the lat
Marcus Daily. 1t was DAILY who rec
commended the Ontario to the lat
r. C. Chambers and Chambers sen
to Hearst for help to purchase an
develop it.
So when Daily secured the bond
on the Anaconda, he made repoI
upon it and appealed to Haggin TO
help. 1t was at once granted. Neve
were expectations more fully realize
than on those three mines. Their
was an element of luck, too, abou
them. The Ontario was purchase
for 100000 and the owners tried TO
three years to sell it for 100000
but could not. 1t gave up first an
last about $50,000,000. In the cas-
of the Homestake a good many fin
experts turned it down, but Hears
had an intention that it was a bi
mine, and finally sent to billie
Parish to come and see it.
Parish looked over the ground 70
a week and then said to Hearst
Have you the nerve to spend $500
600 on this property before receiain
any eturns?"
The reply was: eyes, If I ca
have any reasonable assurance {
ever getting back the money"
"Well," said Fraish, you had be-
ter buy it." Then placing the til
of his tigers together and holding h
wrists wide apart, he continued
1.-THE mine is this way. 1t is a wede
and only the sharp edge Of it hi
been pushed up to the surface"
1t has been paying strong div
dends since about 1875.
But all those mines had their dar
days. The Anaconda, especially, ha
a long period Of trial. The ore b.