Imperial Valley press., 1920-01-24
TO
STAND PAT
OVER ROSE
REQUEST
No Action Will In Effect Be
Refusal to Aid Rose in the
Battle for $4,000 Acres;
Pres. Nickerson States
View; Valley Active.

That the Imperial Irrigation district
will decline to take any action in the
battle being waged by Mark Rose to
secure an amendment to the Kettner
bill giving stockholders of the Imperial
Laguna Water Company preferential
right to $4,000 acres of land, and that
this refusal to take action will author
ize the second delegation in Washing
ton to fight the claims made by Rose
was indicated by President ]. S. Nicker-
son of the board today following a
long telegram from Washington
The final sentence of the telegram
stated that unless otherwise instruct
ed the delegation will oppose Roses
efforts
President Nickerson states that the
argument is between Rose and the
government and that he fails to see
why the district should take a hand.
This will in effect okeh the action of
the committee in opposing the request.
The board was meeting this afternoon
hearing various sides of the question.
Directors of the farm bureau also
met late this afternoon to consider the
telegram The final hearing on the
bill will take place Tuesday and is
very important.
The telegram, self-eXplanatory is as
follows,
Imperial Irrigation District, El Centre,
California.
Mark Rose insists he will make fight
for preferential purchase right to 10000
acres for the Imperial Lagune stock
holders at the frst hearing at the new
Kettner All-American Canal and soldier
settlement bill. We fear the enemies
of tn bill will profit by his action to
further delay action on the bill. Every
thing is set for a favorable report upon
unanimous recommendation unless the
Rose fight is injected.
We have offered to recommend to
your board 10 let Secretary Zane deter
min whether Rose and his associates
have any moral or equitable claim to
reimbursement and if so, what amount
and to recommend payment thereof by
your board as part of expenses of en-
gineering data and rights of way.
Rose refused this offer but said if
the district would pay him $4,000 he
would withdraw all claims.
We secured a copy today of a letter
dated December 81 sent to Secretary
Ian by Rose and Gates, his attorney,
1t says Interests foreign to the I'm.
perial Valley" requested certain amend
ment which prevent the carrying out
of the Laguna contract, as thy claim
could have been done under the old
Kettner bill. The letter makes the fol
lowing representation,
1.-The matter of an adjustment in the
light of the nav element entering into
the situation has been discussed by rep
resentatives of the Imperial Irrigation
district and the other organizations in
Guiding the Representatives of the
State of California and the American
Legion, the two latter being the foreign
interests referred to and also Repre-.
sentative William Kettner, represent
ing the congressional district in which
the lands affected are located and a
conclusion reached that if the adjust
ment hereinafter suggested receives
the sanction of the department it will
meet the situation will be satisfactory
to them and that they will, if requested
so state to the secretary of the inter
ior"
Your committee wishes to say insofar
as reference is made to them in this
Rose letter to Lane that no conclusion
was ever reached nor and such agree
ment made, while on the contrary, your
committee refused to consider any ad-
justment involving grant of land or
preference right to land and fatty re
fused to go to Lane in favor of Rose
in this matter. Kettner likewise refused
to so to Lane as requested by Rose
We do not know to whom he refers as
representative of the State of Califor-
MIA The land settlement board has
not been represented thus far.
Following is statement of ADJUST
ment sought by them in letter;
The Imperial Laguna Water Com
pany to surrender its said contract
with the United States of date of July
6, 1917, excepting as,to the lands here
/ matter described
The Imperial Laguna Water Com
pany to withdraw its application for
certain rights of way filed under the
act of March 3, 1891, Los Angeles SER
| ial number 027026.