Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-06-07

Wfole Il iuooh tdiicd
xxi "The Trail of the Serpent" and
while have not read the story,
nj my nearly five years residence
in the state of Idaho leads me
to believe that 1t must be the history of
some Carey act project in this state;
SO / may be infringing upon copy
right, If attempt to trail another SER
pent through the dust: but with apollo
gies to the author l will proceed.
Two characteristics of a serpents
trail are; they are invariably crooked
and they are always found in the dust.
Likewise Carey act project; they are
creatures of crookedness and exist in
dust They originate in dust sell dust,
turn hope to dust" throw dust In your
eyes and consign every promise they
ever made to the dust of oblivion"
We all know what the serpent was
"from the beginning" what he did in
the Garden of Eden. How he dis
possessed its occupants, causing them
to lose their beautiful home, driving
them to a life of toll and hardship and
destroying the peace and happiness of
the human race ever afterwards. Did
not the scripture expressly declare, tn t
1t was the serpent or devil which
that it was the work of Carey act
promoter.
When the history of all the Carey
act projects in Idaho is written and
revised; and ali OF 1t is printed that is
printable, we can then exclaim, as did
the Queen of Sheba, after she had sur
veyed the wonders and magnificence of
Solomon's temple: THE half has not
been told
If we were to estimate the loss in
these projects, by dollars alone, we
could compute a few millions of dollars
and tell you just how much has been
lost in Carey act projects; but, admit
ting that 1t is an appalling sum. 1t Is
scarcely to be compared to the losses
that can never be computed The toll,
hardships and disappointments; the
anxious waiting and ruined prospects:
the hope deferred that maketh the
heart sick" the labor that brought no
reward; the strife and bitterness en-
gendered between friend and neighbour
the mistrust of humanity in general
and the seeds of anarchy that have
been sown, which are springlng up In
hatred towards the state and all or
ganized government.
Carey act project only begin when
they fitch you of the first payment
We have heard of King Hill, Med
bury, Big Lost and half dozen 9TH
ers, but until recently we have heard
nothing of the Little Lost, or Blaine
county irrigation project. Then 1t oc-
CURED to someone, that with all the
peace and prosperity, happiness and
contentment going to waste here, we
ought TO make noise about it. Ac-
cordfngly they had published in the
Statesman, some time ago, quite a
lengthy article. endeavoring to show
that at least one Carey act project had
repudiated every precedent, and its
= victims were inflated with such q
pressure of prosperity and happiness
that they were in danger of busting
unless some vent was given. The an
nouncement was made a little too late
though, as quite a number of then
Were already busted"
Such articles may have weight with
the uninitiated, for whom they are in
tended, but TO US of the inner circle
they are as sounding brass and tink.
ling cymbal."
] have been interested in the Blain.
county irrigation project, for more thar
six years and ought to know some.
thing of the conditions here, as hav,
lived here most of that time, and d.
not hesitate to say that have not beer
fortunate enough TO participate in thu
prosperity that is said to exist here.
believe at least 90 others will say thu
same In regard to themselves, SO wha
/ say concerning this project, will no
be my own experience only, but tina
which viii apply equally to one or |
dozen others. Falsehoods and misrep
reservations have been published, do
ing an injustice to the settlers, If no
a positive injury, and to submit 4
these statements without even denia
Is to admit they are true. While
positively assert that any statement
to the effect that the settlers upon tn
Blaine county project are satisfied
prosperous and happy, or, that the con
ditions are, or ever have been such a
to warrant such statements, are abso
lutely false. 1 propose to outline tn
project for the past six years to en-
able others to draw their own conclu
sions as TO the prosperity of "Littl
Lost" settlers
Originally, the Blaine County Irriga
ton company was not Carey act prof
ect. How, when, or by what means
came into existence, l have not take
the time or trouble to ascertain. as m
interest in it dates back to the fall c
1908, when, with some hundred other
I purchased a number of shares {
water stock, with the hot air assuranc
that there would be an abundance (
water available the following spring.
At that time C. NJ Wickham was til
ruling factor in the company. The
were building a reservoir up at tn
foot of the mountains and scraping oil
a little intake and outlet ditch, whic
to those inexperienced in irrigation. q
most of us were at that time, locke
quite formidable. 1t was sufficient {
any rate to sell water stock.