Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-10-14
RIGGS 4 IDAHO DEAL
FoRMER REPUBLICAN STATE OF.
F,c,AL ExoNERxrEs MEREDITH
FROM HOMESTEAD ATTACK,
PUT HIS OWN MONEY IN;
HAS BEEN ALL OVER LAND
Hs says State Engineer Estimated
Water Available to 'rrisats Mers
land Than Was Possible - Says
Meredith Put His Own Money in and
Lost in Venerable Speculation.
special to rimes-Republican.

Special to Times-Republican.
Dies Moines. Oct. 14.-John F. RIGGS
was three times nominated and elected
state superintendent Of public instruc-
ton by tho republican party of Iowa.
He Is an able man and infinitely more
dependable and reliable than Jim
Pierce, who owns and edits the Iowa
homestead. Furthermore Riggs has
no political animus while Pierce is out
to say his business rival and compel
tor. riggs put his own money INTO
Inc Idaho land speculation along Win
Merealtn and lost it u he were IN
clinea to be unfair his losses might
tempt him to accuse Meredith. ihe
lact that he u republican relieves
MIN OF any party obligations to Mere
nth.
This is his Mr.. Rigs reply to
Pierce's fierce and damnable attack
upon Meredith:
frank Gotch did splendid thing the
other day when he entered his protest
against the personal attacks upon the
business integrity and moral character
of the republican and democratic nom
inees for governor.
The revelations Of the past few days
have shown that Harding has nothing
over Meredith a. to temperance habits.
Those of us who know Meredith init
tmately, know him to be q man OF
clean life and high personal character
and one whom the temperance repuD-
iicAns OF the state can support with
propriety, even IL there Is nothing In
the campaign but the duty to select as
between Harding and Meredith, the
man with the best personal habits.
But the choice between these candi-
dates should be determined on alto
gether different grounds.
There Is . great issue at stake. The
cry Is heard daily from republican Of
flee holders active and prospective. that
the temperance issue in Iowa Is finally
and completely settled and that 1t is
not an issue. But 1t Is an issue just
the same, and a mighty big issue, and
on this issue Harding and Meredith
are as far apart as the poles.
To covsr Up Real Issue.
It il simply to divert attention from
the real issue OF the campaign that re-
ASction u cast on the business and
perscnal integrity Of Meredith in his
relation to ~ idaho Irrigation project.
81 happen y know all a about that
project. because Of my confidence In
the business integrity and good 5udg-
rnent OF such men al former State
Treasurer Gilbertson, T.. T. Meredith
and, others who constituted this com
pany, + became q contract holder just
the Same = others who. It II said, are
now threat6nine suit against tho COM
panys paid into tho project $4,000 in
actual cash. Few OF the other $50 men
fnterssted pAidfso much. -3',s
Deal Was Clean.
Ish8xa bSsn III over the project. A
vast tract Of land lies perfect for irri-
ration and the soil u marvelously rich
and productive and the land Of high
value when brought under water. A
few miles distant from this tract, at
the foot Of the mountains and at the
mouth Of the canyon, y . natural bas-
IN that, by damsninE tho mouth Of the
canyon can be converted into q great
Reservoir for the collection Of the wa
tiers from three small streams that
come down from the mountains. To
reclaim this lahd requires the simple
process Of closing the mouth Of the
canyon with dam, and then the car
rying OF the imprisoned waters out
over the land.
The ono problem to determine was
the amount Of water that could be coll
ieeted annually In this reservoir. The
state engineer Of Idaho measured the
now Of water in the streams, he de-
termhed the Approximate area drain
ed, and he had before him the anuanl
precipitation in this district. from all
this data he made an official report to
the STATE land board Of Idaho to the
affect that there was water available
to irrigate 5000 acres. The. state land
board, to be perfectly safe, aggregated
but $1,000 acres and the company in
which Meredith was Q stocl<holder UNI
1ertook the reclamation of,this amount
OF land
Meredith Advanced Money.
All the money paid by. the contract
holders. and very large sum advanc-
ed by Meredith himself. was put into
improvements on this tract, including
surveys and the marking Of every
piece Of land on the tract, the con-
struction Of large irrigation ditch,
the building Of q cement core for the
proposed dam and the cutting Of a
tunnel six by nine feet thru the solid
rock, leading from the storage basin.
The project was unQuestionably un-
dertaken in good faith and every cent
of money paid in accounted for. But
after all this expense had been incur
red 1t was found that the state engi-
sne4r had been in error Is to his figures
andEthat there was water available to
irrigAte but 10000 acres instead of
$1,000 acres a. officially reported to
the state land board.
DtscipLEs AND PROHIBITION.
AdvanseWsnt Msds in. Crusade Fer
TempssAses BY Churches sf Christ.
Des Noinss, Oct. 14.-.In1the struggle
Tor national prohibition, no year has
been more important than the present
one" sid the report Of L. E. Sellers,
national secretary Of the American
Temperance board, read before the ma
tionai convention Of the Churches Of
Christ here today.
This year for the first time head
quarters have been opened and stan
of workers has been giving all or part