270 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



THE STORY OF A FEDERAL WATER USER 



This Simple Statement of Facts Shows the Kind of Stuff the Settlers Are Made of 



By A. L. GURWELL 



A Water User on the Belle 

 Fourche, S. D., Project. 



AS a Water User 

 on the Belle 

 Fourche (S. D.) 

 project I am in the 

 fight against New- 

 ell and his bureauc- 

 racy for justice and 

 equity. I filed on 

 a farm unit here in 

 1910. I had a wife 

 and five children, 

 about $4,000 and a 

 carload of equip- 

 ment. Today my 

 money is gone, I 

 am in debt and 

 have nothing left, 

 speaking in a busi- 

 ness way, but muscle 

 and brawn to continue 



the battle. Thank 

 Newellism hasn't been able to deteriorate that. 



I came to South Dakota to homestead land, ex- 

 pecting to have ample time to make my payments from 

 the money, lands and labor invested. I understood 

 that was the intent of the Reclamation Act. I was 

 first required to make a payment of $3.40 per acre, 

 cash down. I made my filing on March 1, 1910. In 

 about 10 days my filing was turned down because 40 

 acres of the unit had been entered several years pre- 

 vious, and this entry had not been cancelled on records 

 in the Land Office. 1 appealed to the General Land 

 Office at Washington, D. C. There was delay in get- 

 ting a decision until April 18, 1910. 



Meanwhile I worked incessantly every day and a 

 good part of the nights building fences, clearing sage 

 brush land and breaking 30 acres. I seeded and 

 irrigated the land, being forced to build ditches through 

 my neighbor's farm to get water delivered to my own. 

 The water supply was exhausted about July 1, and 

 the crops were damaged very materially, notwithstand- 

 ing Newell's reports and records at Washington to the 

 contrary, -so I have been informed. 



I received orders from R. F. Water, supervising 

 engineer, about July 1, 1910, that if I did not come 

 through with two more payments on my land my 

 water would be shut off. The order came through 

 the local engineer, F. C. McGruder, in charge. I 

 appeared at his office and notified him I would not 

 make the payments, so my fight began. 



I appealed through the local land office to Wash- 

 ington in November, 1910, and obtained decisions in 

 my favor. 



I made a short talk at the annual meeting of the 

 Water Users in the fall of 1910, but it did not suit] 

 Newellism, for a day later I was approached by one 

 of the Reclamation authorities, who tried to seal my 

 mouth. The plaster Newellism compounds is no good, 

 so did not partake. I wouldn't advise any Federal 



Seme Colorado Hogs, raised on a San Luis Valley Irrigated Farm. 



God 



Water User to let 

 himself be silenced 

 if he wants to be an 

 American, or if he 

 has a dollar, Newel- 

 lism can squander 

 in extra vagance, 

 waste and ignor- 

 ance. 



In January, 1911. 

 I went to the engi- 

 neer in charge and 

 made inquiry if they 

 would store water, 

 so I would have 

 water to raise a 

 crop. I was as- 

 sured that I would 

 have plenty of wa- 

 ter. I rented my 

 n e i g h b o r's land, 



about seventy acres, seeded it to grain, as I also did 

 my own land. I received water with which to start 

 the crop, but never threshed a bushel of grain. I cut 

 something like thirteen small loads of burnt wheat and 

 oats hay off my neighbor's land and a proportionate 

 amount off my own. I lost a greater portion of my 

 1912 crop by hail, and failed to find a market for two 

 carloads of onions. 



With such conditions as these Newellism says 

 come through and foot all the bills. Mortgage your 

 land, sell your cow and your horse ; run your face 

 until it is no good, and then turn up your toes. But 

 you must keep the Ncwellites riding around in auto- 

 mobiles, smoking cigars and wearing bull dog collars. 

 The extravagant overhead charges of the Reclamation 

 Service will break Uncle Sam, himself, if the brakes 

 are not tightened. 



Why is Newell retained at the head of the Rec- 

 lamation Commission or permitted to have anything 

 to do with it? This man has practically wasted $40,- 

 000,000 of the people's money and a like amount df 

 the Water Users' money, if all the other projects are 

 in the same boat as is the Belle Fourche, as reports 

 indicate. 



The cry has gone up from all over the West to 

 the seat of government, "Remove Newell." If it can- 

 not be done in any other way, give him a pension. 

 I will donate twenty-five cents a year to such a pen- 

 sion, providing that he is never again permitted to 

 occupy a position by which he can blight the happi- 

 ness and the homes of people as he has done in lording 

 it over the Water Users. 



Rally, Brother Water Users. Rally ; don't give 

 up or even think of such a thing. The day is dawn- 

 ing when you will be freed from Newellism, with 

 all of its high-handed slavery and extravagance. 

 Throw on the searchlight. Blow the bugle long and 

 loud. The walls will crumble. 



Continued on Page 281 



