Show AN OPEN LETTER TO iI i 1 I u up I 1 THE THE LEGISLATURE LEGISLA TURE t f i. i 1 L- L I 1 Gentlemen It is but our plain in duty as s one p pf the he l leading ading newspapers in Eastern Utah t to complaining r ss s YO l ou this letter et er a letter t r both bot c to yo you of f our being ignored b by your our 40 honorable r bl body heretofore an andI and d j explaining why we thus lS complain o plaIn We li have y 1 a wonderful erf l country tn try b but t there I here by nature surrounded l ct d with mountains ta ns It was wa's until August 1905 the of the he pt Ute a and t the e lh Uncompahgre mp hgr Indians largely reserved by congress as their home because use of its gr great eat at natural wealth and the unique q isolation fi from n the White man On the North is the gl great at U Uintah t I h r range ng without a break from fron i the Wasatch Wasatch Wasatch Wa Wa- satch o on the West to th the Colorado 11 q W. W on oJ the East ast except the Green river nver canyon While this ran range g a might seem to t bea be a a ban barrier ier to us it is in reality the northern wall which shelters us against the winter wind and storms On the East there are are the the mountains ns which lead up to the main plateaus or of Colorado with a nat natural al union as as s it were with the eastern branch of the Wasatch that leads south and east from Colton Colton Colton Col- Col ton cut only by the Green river c canyon nyon But this canyon on the South and North te is c impassable the river rivel cutting thru sandstone shale and granite and le leaving wing no room for roads or even for a foot footpath footpath footpath path along its border On the West there thel is the unbroken Wasatch range Thus are we hemmed in on all sid sides S by mountains that afford gaps not lower than about feet This isolated country is of ma mammoth moth proportions and equally as rich as it is large arge Here we have as much f farm rm lands with an un un- unlimited unlimited limited supply of water as Utah has north of Salt Lake Here is one half o of all Utah's timber r as yet almost untouched hed Here is the worlds world's supply cupply lv of Gilsonite and with coal gas and oil Here is enough water power to run all Uta Utah's s 's railroads and then have some left for our local use In this isolated inland empire empire empire em em- pire is ample wealth for additional al' al alp p population Per Perhaps aps the farm l lands cR come e fir first t de demanding fi first st attention as affording hom homes s and the products which the soil produces Numerous irrigation projects surveyed and in many cases partly completed and in other cases wherein the ground has not been broken all demand assistance nce These lands hinds can be irrigated at a avery avery avery very low cost O t ranging from five to p dollars per acre while several tru tracts ts not notY yet t o owned n q or cats cap be fee watered at slightly slight slight- ly increased cost Poor people as a rule c came me here and rind have since struggled against adversity without capital without t tax taxable ble wealth enough to even give proper local governments ts arid and the success they have won stands as a monument to perseverance perseverance to to genuine citizen citizen- i ship Untold i l r ri ri i 9 and hard hardships hips have e b-e been n suffered and are being endured endure t Homes domes might be pe h hewed wed out and lands made ade to yield w e facilities have hav comp compelled all to be frugal and to practice th tho vinos Inos mos economy At first even hay could not not- be had the farmer farmers k kwe Baying as high as 2000 p per r ton for it and even eve now ow we cannot raise enough meat Ineat or wheat for the rapidly growing population Each farmer larmer as a rule must spend all Il the time he can spare above a bare existence working out assessments on the canal and hauling freight and in ip tr traveling back and forth to isolated ed towns where provisions may be had Our climate is s of the best the altitude permitting the raising of all crops to Utah as asa a whole including corn kinds of fruit OUt Our winters are the best in the West winds being unknown and snow seldom affording a sleigh ride We dont ask you to tc build a railroad the prime requisite but we do ask fo for help that we may grow qui quickly kly to t that at point that a road shall be ne built Wagon ro roads qs always precede the railroad We have not yet a good wagon road in ill any apy direction either in the basin or leading out of the tile basin AH AU that we have we have built ourselves without taxes without aid from the State worth men men- What do we want VI We e want the great State of Utah to i either loan us about or arrange for our securing such an amount for completing our irrigation projects This is not all I t We ask help to build a western gateway so that we may go to Salt Lake or Utah county county to to the old settled part of Utah with a load s so o that autos may go east and west during the major part of the year Is it possible for Utah to do this Yes it is not only possible out it is morally obligatory T that the state does this S Lt aid for ether otner sections of the state has been freely given Lands have been irrigated that cost more mor far more per acre than these lands will cost Roa Roads s have been built and are being built that lead to less lefts wealth and population than that which we have Every dollar which the state will loan us and which the state will appropriate for our use will bring ten dollars return to the state within five years We have reached that time when some something thing must be done t to pi pierce this mountain wall as it were so that I we may get over it with a load of wheat If we cannot tunnel it and lay rails thru it we may at least construct a respectable wagon road over it If this were e d done don one and if we should o obtain tain the capital capitalI I necessary to complete these canals we shall not ask for more because beI because be be- cause the whole state stale would soon find out that here is about half I I the states state's natural wealth and a third of her citizens and railroads would come mighty quickly after these canals were completed 1 Gentlemen of the legislature you are building a State House I costing between two and three million dollars You are spending money on roads and you have been building canals and dams yet I you have DONE VERY LITTLE FOR THIS INLAND EMPIRE El We tried trie to get the state land board to loan us some money but did olid I they do it Yes the they r let us have as we understand it after we forced the matter atter into the supreme court two or three times to make that board live up to its contract Is that he extent extent ex ex- tent of aid We are tired of this negle tj which has been town us and our wonderful country We think it is is about time tim that the legislature awaken to your plain duty we A trust that you have seated Duchesne county's representative little more hearted cold-hearted treatment of this section will turn us IUS all toward Denver and titi we e shall likely get some help But our first duty is to ask you Denver is doing all that is being done to get usa us usa a railroad and Colorado business men are looking j this way About the next thing you know there will be a petition 1 in congress fre s to have nave havethe havethe annexed to Colorado This might be unconstitutional unconstitutional unconstitutional un un- un- un the Great Uintah nt int th B Basin constitutional but if we do this commercially you m may y find that it itis itis itis is quite as constitutional a m ac your past neglect A J oil 1 t W Ross Bartlett was married last Saturday in Vernal to Miss Rose Rose I Hays of Hayden the bride being a awell well known teacher in the HayS Hayden Hayden Hay- Hay den den s schools Hoolst The newly married couple will live at Liberty near Hayden Both bride and groom are well known and a host of friends will wish them a long and happy companionship The marriage was vas a complete surprise surI sur surprise I prise to their friends we c are r re told I even Ross Ross' folks not being aware that such an important event I was contemplated 0 0 |