The Fallon standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1920-1958, 1921-06-08
Project Wins
TwoLaw Suits
Case of the United States Against
Owners OF Lake Tahoe Rights
May Be Settled

encouragement is held out to wa
ter users in this project that the
Lake Tahoe adjudication matter
may be settled in the near future
in manner entirely satisfactory to
Newlands project interests. This
encouragement issues from the fact
that w. d. Ritter, very energetic
and able attorney, was recently ap-
pointed a special assistant to the
attorney-general of the United States
and Is taking a special interest In
the legal difficulties of this project.
and from the further fact that
Henry A Cox, an exceedingly live
and capable young lawyer is win
ming his spurs In the legal profess
sion as counsel for the Yuma, New
lands and Orland projects.
1t fell to Mr.. Cox's lot to conduct
this projects cases in the federal
district court at San Francisco re-
Gently in two suits both of which he
won with such ceierity and ease
that hope is Tended to the greater
enterprise of settling once and for
all Uncle Sans status at Lake Ia
hoe where he is in alleged conflict
with owners of vested lake rights.
Mr.. cox's recent achievements are
notable, one having to do with the
case wherein five damage claimants
at Lake Tahoe sued the gate tender
at the lake outlet who regulates the
lake flow within certain prescrip-
tions as Uncle Sans employe. Dam
ages arising from the high water of
1916 were asked to the amount of
$4,000, the aim of the plaintiffs
being to collect the amount from the
reclamation fund in the event of
favorable issue. On last Saturday
Judge Van Fleet dismissed the case
at Mr.. Cox's instance because of a
lack of prosecution.
On the day following Judge Van
Fleet dismissed the case wherein
the Western Company, w. S.
Tevis corporation, was suing for the
removal of the governments con-
troll dam at the outlet of Lake Ia
hoe.
1t is further said that John F.
Truesdale, also a special assistant
TO the attorney-general of the Unit
ed States at salary of $4,000 per
year, has been advised to abandon
his watchful waiting policy and be-
stir himself In behalf of the people
of this project who have hitherto
found him o highly expensive public
servant. 1t will be remembered
that Mr.. Truesdale has shown him.
self to be a very timorous type of
individual and 1t fell to his lot to
revive the legal saw of Jarndyce
versus Jarndyce and give 1t modern
application to the Lake Tahoe mat
ter much to the discontinue of peo-
pie who reside here.
Dickens failed to give his legal
iuminaries the tenure of Job ac-
corded Mr. Truesdale who is said to
hold the legal marathon record In
sofar as time consumed and not dis
tance travelled is concerned. Dickens
lived a century too soon to be able
to depict Truesdale who surely
would have had the titular role
rather than the Jarndyces had the
famous English novelist lived and
composed in Truesdale's time.
1t Is now proposed that the legal
department of the government shall
abandon tho defensive role occupied
by Truesdale for 80 long and assume
the offensive under new and more
capable auspices and careful exami-
nations are to be made by Attorney
Cox within the near future of the
preseriptive rights of the United
States to the fluctuations of the
levels of Lake Tahoe The exact
limits within which the lakes sur
face are to be varied will be de-
termined by early study and the
opinion is vouchsafed that Califor-
MIA as a state cannot prevent the
use of the lakes control dam.
II it should be determined that
the reclamation service of the Unit
ed States is possessed of rights con-
templated when the original plans
for Newlands project construction
were made 1t may develop that
Uncle Sam will not need Spanish
Springs valley as a reservoir site ex-
cept for the single purpose of bring
ing into cultivation soils in western
Nevada now virgin.
PROJECT WATER IYGERc