Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1918-03-22
AN OPEN LETTER TO
GOVERNOR ALEXANDER

| Chairman State Land Board.
Dear Sir Last Saturday 1 attended
a meeting of the state Land Board held
here in Shoshone where / heard ques
tions discussed which were of such vi
tai Importance to the citizens of Lin
coin and Gooding Counties as to- In my
judgment. justify this communication.
This meeting was called by the land
board that it might meet with the set
tiers on the Idaho Irrigation project
and take up with them the vital ques-
ton of their water right. There was
full attendance of these water /sers
and it was the attitude of these settlers
toward the Land Board. as well as the
attitude of the Land Board toward
the settlers that formed the basis of
the importance of the meeting.
I have personally known most of
these settlers for many many years.
They have been my friends and neigh
bors during these years. know them
to be citizens of sterling worth, en-
dowed with intelligence and refinement
above the general average. and en-
dowed with an abiding belief in the
SQUARE DEAL and Fair Play.
The evident spirit of hostility and
distrust on their part as to the desire
of the land board to give them
]
tempt on the part of the land board
to dispel that spirit, without at the
sade time committing itself ITO any
defnate promise or policy was mark
ed feature of the meeting.
What Was in Their Minds
These settlers realize that it is i'm
possible to handle a question of so
vital interest to so many people as
here involved. except through some
form of organization and acting on this
idea they organized what they call the
Farmers Protective Association, to be
composed Of the water users under this
project They Incorporated this organ
ization under the laws of Idaho. elected
their officers and employed engineers
to advise them on their engineering
problems and attorneys to advise them |
on their legal problems.
You and the Land Board have per-
sistently refused to recognize the right /
of these settlers to thus organize for /
their own protection. You have re- /
peatedly stated that their organization
was composed of a lot of sore heads
and agitators who had absolutely no
standing before the land board. The
settlers, through their organization have
tried in vain on many occasions to (
secure a hearing before the land board
and have been rebuned and toyed with
and blocked in their efforts until they
feel justified in the belief that you and
the land board have no intention of
dealing with them except through the
evident disadvantage Of dealing with
each water user as an individual. To
further their belief in this is the fact
that in calling this meeting for last
Saturday you notified each water user
as an individual and ignored their or
yanization. although at least s5 per
cent of the water users belong to the
So. my dear Governor, every settler
present last Saturday felt that the
and board had purposely taken them
It a disadvantage in any attempt to
express what was on their minds be-
ause without organization they had I
10 spokesman.
The great confusion which often pre-
allied during this meeting was the |
My possible result of each Individual
rying to present his personal ideas on
he subject. The land board came |
repaired to defend itself through the
overnor and other members of the Z
,oard. It came after having fully Il
repaired its testimony in defense of its q
cts 1t then invited unframed and L
nprepared individuals to extemporan- a
ously present their cause of complaint u
,.tns+ th,s arroy of s,,i,,ea snoal,ers c.
galnSL tnlS array OF Skiileu speakers
,aded with official records. 1t was the I'
7ident attempt on your part to thus u
ut each individual at a disadvantage &c
lat was the cause of much of the
feeling and distrust which prevailed. u
I am not authorized to act as spokes- ii'
an for these people but my long and
innate acquaintance with them places &C
e in touch with their ideas on the pc
iestions involved and I shall attempt 10
state them as I understand them and WI
hich I believe to fairly represent what IN
ch settler had in his mind at that OF
eetiSg. SC
The Settlers Believe
they have purchased from Z
e Idaho Irrigation Company a water mi
yht calling for SIS inches water dur an
2 the irrigation season from April an
70 N-ovar,ahar 4V'