The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1917-03-27
ASSERTS THAT ERRORS APPEAR
ED IN INTERVIEW IN BOISE
NEWSPAPERS SATURDAY
AYERS GOVERNOR ONLY WANTS
INVESTIGATION MADE
Boise Story Was to the Effect That
Governor Ordered Attorney General
to Bring Whatever Action Was Nee
essary in the Case.

81 feel certain that Attorney j. w.
Porter of this city was misquoted by
the Boise Statesman Saturday in re-
gard to what he is alleged to have told
the state land board regarding Han
sen butte irrigation" said S. T. Ham
ilton local attorney for the Twin Falls
Miner Land & Water company, today,
as Mr.. Porter is familiar with the
facts in the case and the statements
attributed to him by the Statesman are
incorrect.
"As l understand it, Governor Alex
ander simply instructed the attorney
general to investigate conditions and
if he found a cause of action to bring
it. We would welcome such step. We
considered the legal phases of the
situation very carefully before we en-
a-rked on our plans and we have
nothing to fear. We contemplated the
bringing of test case on the ques-
ton now under consideration at Boise
before proceeding and had some talk
with the present attorney general
about the matter but concluded that
there was nothing to it, We would like
to have the question determined by the
courts if there is any doubt about it
in the mind of the attorney general.
eve are not at all concerned about
this fight on us. The same fight has
been made on every improvement in
this city by the same bunch that IS
making this one We are sending 4
crew up to begin work this evening
and would have had much work done
already had it not been for the bad
weather. Engineer Sturtevant staked
out sites for the pumping while here.
He left Friday evening for his home
number of leading eastern bankers
and investors came with him in a spe-
cial car They kept quiet while here
as they did not want their mission
made public and did not care to talk
about it, but the result of the trip will
prove of great benefit to the country
i'll the future"
The following is the part of the
Statesman story which Mr. Hamilton
asserts contains error of fact:
The state land board Friday in
structed Attorney General Walters TO
bring whatever proceedings he found
necessary against the Twin Falls NIL
ner Land and Water company for al
legged violations of house bill No. 21S
of the 1909 session laws, in selling
water rlSQLS uuueI TIE hiAhCl NeAA -
for approximately 5000 acres of land
in the Hansen butte country in Twin
Falls county The land board acted
after ]. w. Porter of Twin Falls hao
appeared before it and asked. thai
some protection be given settlers who
had purchased water rights.
Porter told the land board that the
irrigation company had been selling
contracts to settlers for water witt
the understanding that it had been civ
en- "a certificate by the state for The
reclamation of the high lands in thu
butte country.
While appearing before the board
Porter told its members of the organ
ization of the Murtaugh irrigation dis
trict by the farmers owning land, TO
which he alleged the Twin Falls Nil
ner people were selling water con
tracts. He said the settlers expect
ed to reclaim their own land.
According to the story told F'rida.
by Porter, the irrigation company, al
ter being refused the contract, begal
selling water contracts to the settlers
taking notes secured to the settler
the land owned by the farmers L
whom they sold.