The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1921-01-20
EDIT 0 R / A L

T. completed publication of a series
. three articles which purport to be
!, expose of the work of the state
...,.mation board. The Courier-Re-
..,.er is not m a position to pass up
Ae truth or falsity of the accusa-
- only as they run against the ac-
s;tes of the board in connection
- the Kennewick Irrigation dis
s1ryone at all familiar with the Ken
h .-;ck project will recognize first
I s1 that the Spokesman's attack, in
~ as it concerns this project, is re-
RI. with gross misstatements, eglar-
7 = falsehoods and yellow insinua-
Z =. ~ The writer of the articles is
.aher woefully ignorant or is a ma
s.ons liar. It is evident that neither
:. nnblishers of the Spokesman-Re-
- nor the writer of the articles,
IL does not sign his name, made any
'gort 70 ascertain the facts which
sere easily available alike from the
,nblic records of the Kennewick Irri-
eation district and the U. S. Reclama-
'''T This S last outburst OF the Spokes-
,..n-Review is, but in keeping with
- H. mast performances of that paper
.,d the small bunch or star-chamber
.Isocrats whose sole desire is to wag
~ Inland Empire as tail to their
an individual kite.
Ever since the proposed Columbia
Rsa;n proiect was brought to pubic
notice the Spokane crowd has followed
rule-or-ruin policy. They have
knifed and knocked any and every
thing that might in any manner get in
the way of that project. They brought
forward gigantic project of doubt
fnl merit and clamored forth the bla-
tant announcement tg,"clear the
track" They expect evefy other pro-
iect in the state, no matter how mer-
itorious, to efface itself, get off the
earth. and out Of the way of the Col
umbia Basin scheme. Furthermore
they have attempted, and are now at
tempting to discredit, disrupt, and
ruin every organization that refuses
to get into the Columbia Basin band
wagon.
Tie motive back of the attack on
the state reclamation board and on all
projects to which the board has Civ
en- favorable consideration, is the
same motive that was back of the at
tack on the Carlyon road measure
save the bonding credit Of the state
for the Columbia Basin project. In
their present attack the Spokane
schemers. who speak through the col
umns of the Spokesman-Review, hope
to kill two birds with one stone. They
are striving to destroy public conf
de1ce in the state reclamation board
to the end thai it may be either abol-
ished or made the plant tool of the
Columbia Basin promoters, and at the
same time cast discredit upon num-
Der of lesser projects which might
get in the way of their own white
elephant.
Incidentally the editor of this paper
has had an opportunity to test the
Spokesman-Review's interest in rec
hmation outside the boundaries of
tie Columbia Basin project. The
Spokesman-Review last summer or
rnized a tour of the publishers of the
ally newspapers of the northwest.
The ostensible purpose of this tour
ns to study reclamation in the state
I Washington. The real purpose,
hwever, was to secure front page
| pblicity for the Columbia Basin pro-
Nt. Although not the publisher of
!dally newspaper, the editor of the
Nrier-Reporter, as the then presi-
nt of the Washington State Press
Mociation, was extended an invita-
ION to make the trip. The invitation
rs signed by Mr.. Dodds, managing
ntor of the Spokesman-Review. Re-
lyng to the invitation the local ed
wrote to suggest that if the pur-
Ne of the tour, as stated in the in
aation, was to furnish the publishers
Ht-hand information concerning
samation in the state, the party by
lmeans should visit the Kennewick
mject. The writer pointed out that
ne state reclamation board was then
ssaking preliminary investigation of
0e project; that in all probability it
muld be the first state project to be
INSTRUCTED, and consequently would
neure largely in the reclamation news
OF the state. sE r,
In reply Mr.. Dodds wrote, in effect,
mat the party, although they were to
pass through the town, would not
nave time to visit the Kennewick pro-
Jet. They didn't have time. They
sere too busy travelling over the far
reaches of the Columbia Basin pro-
Jet.
The Spokesman-Review editor didn't
want to know the facts concerning the
Aennewick project last summer. He
eoesn't want to know them now, as
Is evidenced by the gross misinforma-
uon which has appeared in the col
umns of his paper this week.
uwlng to the absence of M. M.
Moulton, secretary of the Kennewick
irrigation district, who is in Olympia,
exact data on the project is not avail
acie for publication this week. The
msstatements of the Spokesman-Re-
views writer will be specifically ans
mered IN next weeks Courier-Report-