THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



263 



The people have grown somewhat wiser, as the 

 recent postoffice investigation has demonstrated that 

 official honesty is not a self-evident virtue, because pecu- 

 lations, swindles, frauds and schemes of robbery may be 

 ripped open by the executive knife and the foul contents 

 of the ulcer exposed to the public nostrils. 



It is presumable that the same slogan of the presi- 

 dent "Let no guilty man escape," will be dinned into 

 the ears of the schemers who are setting at naught the 

 will of Congress for private gain, and that if they can- 

 not be shamed into honesty, they will keep their grasp- 

 ing hands off through fear of punishment. 



The investigations now going on in the 

 Organize Postoffice Department and soon to be be- 

 for Self- gun in the other department of the gov- 

 Protection. ernment unless political pull prevents 

 them ought to be a lesson to the people 

 in the arid and semi-arid regions who are dependent 

 upon the recent irrigation act of Congress for the per- 

 manency of their homes or for the establishment of new 

 ones. 



We have the word of the President of the United 

 States (moreover it was the object and purpose of that 

 act) that it was intended for actual settlers, American 

 citizens in pursuit of homes, and not to enrich certain 

 government officials and private parties organized into 

 syndicates to grab the best and most available lands and 

 hold them against actual settlers at a high, even an 

 unconscionable price. 



That these perverters of the public law are at work 

 to destroy the objects of the irrigation act has been dem- 

 onstrated by the most conclusive evidence, and that they 

 are pursuing their work without molestation is painfully 

 evident. Time and again have the sufferers from their 

 frauds complained, but their complaints are derided or 

 treated with sublime indifference. It is now time to 

 take active steps to scotch this venomous serpent in its 

 infancy and before it develops fangs dangerous even to 

 the government. Under the circumstances, it would 

 not be wise to leave to some future administration an 

 investigation into frauds originating under that of The- 

 odore Roosevelt. 



Had the powers that were in charge of the govern- 

 ment listened to the complaints made against the post- 

 office and other departments for fraud, there would not 

 now be any fraud to investigate. The people are only 

 affected indirectly by department stealing, but in the 

 land frauds now on the eve of being perpetrated, with- 

 out any attempt at concealment, they are directly made 

 to suffer. Will the people stand for this governmental 

 apathy, particularly where the home hopes and aims are 

 to be ruthlessly destroyed? 



The article of Alfred Sears, on another page, gives 

 some insight into the manner in which the government 

 is made a party to land-grabbing schemes, at least, 



enough to put the people of other portions of the United 

 States on their guard against the same conspiracy. The 

 fact is, it is useless to appeal to certain government 

 agents whose duty it is to investigate, for they are parties 

 to the wrong, or are induced by certain promises to wink 

 at the shady transactions. In plain language, so far 

 as the individual sufferer is concerned, the government 

 is engaged in a scheme to rob or, at least, to deprive 

 him of his rights under the laws enacted for his benefit. 

 To him, the government officer is the government, and 

 that portion of the government which he sees and with 

 which he is in immediate contact, is corrupt. 



It is a curious condition of things in a people's 

 government, as there is no way of reaching the execu- 

 tive power, who alone can apply a remedy, except by a 

 powerful organization that will manifest enough politi- 

 cal pull or influence to stir it into action. This govern- 

 ment has changed hands more than once on issues of 

 less importance than land stealing, and now, to the great 

 body of home-seekers and home-defenders of the great 

 west, it is the paramount issue. 



THE AGE is pleased to learn that an organization 

 of irrigators is about to be perfected for the purpose of 

 protection against tho public and private land frauds 

 that are springing up everywhere, apparently under the 

 domination and control of a gang which assumes vari- 

 ous names in different localities, but which has always 

 the same individuals back of them. 



Such an organization cannot fail to obtain the ear 

 of the executive power, at least, proportionate to its 

 size and influence. Our advice is to organize at once in 

 every district, in every locality, and prepare for a na- 

 tional convention at the earliest possible date. 



THE AGE will gladly give all the information in 

 its possession concerning this organization and, as a 

 pointer, it desires to say, that its members will be only 

 actual homeseekers and settlers; none of them will be 

 connected with any syndicate, interested in any land- 

 grabbing scheme, or connected with any official of the 

 government in diverting the irrigation act from its true 

 purpose. On the contrary, it purposes to be an organi- 

 zation for protection against the defrauders of the peo- 

 ple, whoever they may be, and whatever public or priv- 

 ate position they may occupy. 



THE AGE, moreover, purposes to lay before this 

 organization the most convincing evidence of a con- 

 spiracy to defraud, not only the government, but the 

 people, and enable it to strike at the right time and hit 

 the proper parties. 



There is every reason to believe that President 

 Roosevelt will listen to the voice of this organization 

 he has given every evidence of being averse to fraud on 

 the part of government officials and their private part- 

 ners but even if he will not, then some other executive 

 will, the matter having reached such a pernicious stage 

 that something must be done, and that very soon. 



