The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1914-12-25
COMMITTEE DRAWS UP
MODEL LETTER FOR
THE SETTLERS

Directors have formulated a letter,
urging that letters be written to SEN
ators and Representatives with refer
ence to the bill providing for an adj
ditional loan to the Reclamation Fund
which letter follows:
Dear Sir:
Kindly write to your wholesalers,
requesting them TO urge their Re
personalities in Congress and in the
Senate OF the United States to vote
in favor Of appropriating money for
the extension of the reclamation work
in the west This money, so appro-
priatcd is not an appropriation i'll a
strict sense, but every dollars of ii is
to be paid back to the United States,
SO YOU see it is not an appropriation
in the sense in which other appropria-
tons are made (Exrlain this)
Senator W. +. Borah has been one
OF the champions in favor of an addi-
tional loan to the Reclamation Fund
and as we understand, is to ask for
$5O,000O00 for the purpose of COM
plcting the works already commenc-
ed and constructing other meritorious
ones.
The Reclamation Service OF the
United States has been doing Won
dcrful work in the west, has made
homes for thousands OF people on
lands that otherwise would be infcst-
ed with the coyote and the jack-rdb-
bit, but there are projects and lands
still unprovidcd for. These lands have
been settled upon, but the Rcclama
| ton Service has not the funds with
which TO go ahead and prosecute the
work OF Const.u ton. Many people
have come to these lands, construct
| ing homes and spent their savings and
are merely holding on in the faint
hope that the government will con
struCt
You will realize that the govern
ment, under the Reclamation Act,
withdrew lands, and the citizens of
| this country settled upon these lands
under the implied understanding that
the government would construct the
works for the irrigation thereof.
We have one of those projects in
| Idaho.
The Payette-Boise Project in Ada
and Canyon counties, Idaho, compris
ed of about 348,000 acres of land. lO5,-
600 acres of this land lay between the
| Payctte and Boise rivers, and about
| 243,000 acres between the Boise and
/ Snake rivers, in Idaho. This land was
withdrawn about 1908, and was rapidly
settled by persons who came here
from the east.
The land between the Boise and
Snake rivers was known as the South
| Side of the Payette- project
while the and bcteew the Payettc and
while the land between Payette and
! Boise rivers was known as the North
Side of this project
1t was decided to build this project
by units, and it was expected that
the work would be commenced on the
North Side, which was to be irrigat-
ed by water ffom the Payette river,
but contrary to general expectation,
work was begun on the South Side,
which has received water from the
Boise river for three years past. This
work was commenced in 1900 and
has been prosecuted ever since, and is
now complete, with the exception of
Arrowrock Dam, which will be COM
pleted in a short time.
Naturally, as soon as the work was
started and it became known that con-
struction work was being pushed by
the Reclamation service, settlers be-
gan to flock into this country, and the
lands withdrawn under said project
on both the North and the South sides
were quickly entered. he lands or
, this whole project are very fertile
and water is all that is necessary tc
make them extremely productive
Many of the people who settled or
the North Side shortly after the with
drawal constructed for themselves
very prescntable houses, but are still
. without any works with which to If
ripate their lands. A great many o
: these people have been on these and!
for more than ten years, and are still
: anxiously waiting for the government
| to construct the works. In 1909 the.
: formed an irrigation district known a
: the Black Canyon Irrigation District
E and kindly remember this, as tn
Black Canyon Irrigation District
e which was formed out of the Nortl
e Side of said project.
This district is in a position to con
tract, under the state and fedora
!. laws. with the government, for tn
:. reclamation service to construct tn
n works, whenever the money is avail
a able.
e For many years before these land
:. were formed into an irrigation dis
2. trict, the settlers would meet with re
representatives. of the Reclamation Sci
vice and urge that something be don
n Tor them. Each time they were me
\. with the statement that there were n
If funds available for the cOnstructio
l. OF the works to irrigate these land
After the organization OF this di:
ID trict and the authorization OF tn
l. board of directors of the Back Canyo
E. Irrigation District to incur an indel
4 tedness, the representatives of II
c district called on the Reclamatio
Service tor a contract by which Il
n Reclamation Service would constru
Sc these works. They were again m
with the excuse that the Reclamatic
Service had not the funds. They
st still urging this matter, and Senate
n Borah is championing their cause
the United States Senate, urging tn
the Congress make loan to the Re
. lamation Fund by which the Reel
25 nation Service can construct the