The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1916-09-15

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States, to liens for irrigation district
purposes, requiring thereby that all
lands, whether entered or unentered
public lands, bear their share of the
burdens of the construction, opera
ton and maintenance charges of the
project included within the district.
extending the taxing power of the
district not only to the entered lands
for which no title has been procured.
but to the unentered lands as well.
The lien created by the organization
of district for construction and op-
Grafton purposes will follow the
lands, and when entry is made, or
when patent is secured for the en-
tered lands, the entryman will thus
be required to share the burdens with
all others in the project included
within the district.
Furthermore, all private land hold
ings within the district whether sub
scribed to the payment of water right
charges or not, will, with all other
lands, entered or unentered become
subject ia taxation for the payment
of their share of construction and
other expenses.
Reduces Cost.
1t will thus be seen that the irri-
cation district system will necessarily
reduce the pro rata cost of construc-
ton and operation and maintenance
charges to all who have subscribed
to water rights under the project in
cluded in the district.
1t requires but casual observa-
ton of the situation to realize that,
on practically all government projects,
there are various, and in many in
stances large areas of private. lands
which do not share any of the bur-
dens of the project and which re-
main out of the project with a view
not only of escaping such financial
burdens, but eventually of receiving
larger price for their lands without
contributing anything toward such
rise, enhancing thereby the values and
profits of their lands at the expense
of the pioneer water users who may
have subscribed for water rights.
Has Advantages.
In brief, an irrigation district has
the same advantages over individual
organizations as has an ordinary cor
poration, as a city or town, when or
ganized into a municipal corporation,
over an unorganized school district.
The advantages of municipal cor
poration, under which cities and towns
are organized, over the system exist
ing prior to such organization, are so
manifest that further discussion on
that point is unnecessary.
In many respects the irrigation dis
trict system is similar in its purpose
and effect to school districts, county
organizations and city municipalities,
differing only in details, the character
of the details depending on the pur-
pose for which organized. Irrigation
districts have their officers the same
as county and school districts, pos
sessed with the same taxing power,
manner of collecting the taxes, etc,
with which taxes thus assessed the
construction, operation and mainte-
nance charges of government projects
are paid.
Under the irrigation district plan
the contracts are made by the United
States with the irrigation district as
quasi municipality. Some courts
have held such district public cor
poration and not strictly a munlci-
pality.
The effect of this holding, however
so far as it may bear upon the gen
eral purposes and practical workings
of the plan, is what may be termed
distinction without a difference" for
it has practically the same purposes
in view A public corporation as thus
defined carries with it practically the
same powers as a municipality. Al
the same time it escapes burdens
which might otherwise go with mu
nicipality as such.
Under the individual contract sys