Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1920-02-13
necl,nE TO COMPROMISE THEIR
WATER RIGHT
Five Hundred Water Users Instruct
Officers Of Big Wood River Com
pany TO Line up With the
Farmers Protective League
and Fight Sthe Water
Suit through the
Courts.

water users and the Idaho Irrigation
Company. At the Call of tho Presi-
dent of the Big Wood Reservoir and
Canal company some 500 or 600 water
users, representing every section Of
the country under the Magic Dam
system met at the Baugh Opera house
to consider a compromise proposition
supposed to have been made by the
Idaho Irrigation Company.
Geo. Wedgwood, President Of the
Big Wood River Canal company called
the house to order and after a few
preliminary remarks introduced At
torney Frank James who proceeded
to read and explain the terms Of
the proposed compromise.
The water users had met with the
understanding that the compromise
came from the Idaho Irrigation COM
pany but Mr. James introduced the
subject by explaining that the con-
,ditions he presented constituted mere
ly a skeleton tentative proposition
which had been prepared by the at
torneys and had not yet been sub
united TO the official body of either
the Idaho Irrigation company or the
Big Wood River Canal company. The
president and the attorney of the
Canal company desiring 10 first sub
nit it to the water users for instruc
tions before submitting it to the Ir-
rigation company.
AS Attorney James read the diff
ferent sections of the proposed COM
promise and explained them one at
a time it was evident that the
parties who conceived it were not ig-
norant OF the disires of the Irrigation
company, for the proposition con-
tanned practically every point claimed
by the Irrigation company in it's con-
tenticn with the water users. The
compromise asked that the settlers
agree to an $4,000 acreage under the
system, that the company, in eonsid-
GRAFTON of this concession, would agree
to lie still and spit on its hands for
three years, after which time it
would want seven more years in
which to make up its mind whether
to quit for good or nenew its con-
tention for a smaller duty of water
A number of other propositions We're
included in the terms of the COM
promise, each carrying a snu little
joker for possible use by the Irriga-
tion company in case of necessity
under future developments.
Article one. of the proposed compro-
mise terms which provided for the
water users to agree to permit $4,000
acres to claim rights under the sys-
TEN, was the only one of the several
terms Of special value. The others
We're mostly propositions tending to
provoke controversy while obscuring
the one and only great point at is
sue, the duty OF water on this pro-
ject
In spite of the repeated statement
by Attorney James that he as attorney
for the Big Wood River Canal COM
pany was not in sympathy with the
claims Of the Irrigation COMPANY, that
he as water user was presenting |
these compromise terms and he be-
lieved they were the best obtainable !
and that it was wisdom on the pant |
of the water users to accept them, [
he failed to convince the 500 water
users present of the wisdom of his (
advice. Time after time he presented /
article one to the 500 farmers and
called for a vote. Each time he found
himself supported by some fifteen or
twenty and all the rest of the 500
solidly against him. With all the
skill of a trained orator he would
back off from the proposition and
endeavor to sugar coat it with such
IN avalanch of words and talky talk
Is to force q favorable vote upon it
but every time the farmers stood
about4S5 10 10 against the PROPOSE
lion.
Attorney Bissell, of the Farmers
league was called upon to discuss the
erms of the proposed compromise.
Is was also Attorney Stofford Each
presented those present with such
IN array of facts regarding the stu
.tion that without doubt the various
'oints in controversy between the r.
igaton company and the Water users
we're more clearly understood by the
water users than ever before.
During the past years the discus
ion of the water question has been
+ such a nature as to tend TO OBJ
cure and confuse the real points at {
ssue. The discussion Monday un-
oubtedly cleared away much Of the