Show I I AN OPEN LETTER My Myton ton Utah June Zuno 6 1923 Mr N. N W. W Irsfeld Engineer In Charge Uintah Indian Irrigation Project Myton Utah Dear Mr Irsfeld On May 29 last yOU you favored me with a personal visit Isit during which we discussed matters pertaining to the Uintah Indian Irrigation proJect In company with other members member's of ofa a committee of ot white water users under un un- der dot tho the project named I also met you at your office on June Juno 4 I may have misjudged you I hope I did but the Impression I got at those In Interviews Interviews In- In was that your mind had been poisoned against the white whitewater whitewater water users of oC your organization The few rew words you uttered and your general demeanor led Jed me to believe that you had little sympathy for the small army of struggling pioneers who brought here by alluring ad advertisements advertisements ad- ad had purchased Indian lands in this Uintah basin had brought their families hero to live and who by clearing the brush buildIng building build build- ing the fences and plowing the ground under conditions of ot great hardships and adversity had made possible to function the government canal system over which you preside You seemed to discredit our contention contention contention con con- that the maintenance charges under the system were too high You produced a tabulation to prove that the maintenance charges for forI forthe forthe the last several years had been higher under the system than under the government system The figures you presented were misleading misleading mis mis- leading and failed to prove your jour point Thosa Those that pertained to the tho system Instead of ot representing representing maintenance charges set forth annual assessments and besides covering maintenance costs they covered coy cov ered construction costs costs of reservoir reservoir reservoir res res- sights beneficial proof costs payment of borrowed money payment payment payment pay pay- ment of Interest and possibly many other costs The government figures on the other hand represented simple simple sim elm pie maintenance costs You Implied to us that our au complaints corn cora plaints were not definite but hut that they were vague ague and perhaps ps In this letter I desire to give you JOU some definite reasons why rhy I feel that in the past th the management management manage manage- management ment of the Uintah Indian Irrigation project has been tyrannical despotic and extravagant First as to tyranny and despotism The project violates the true spirit of oC Americanism In that It imposes upon loyal citizens who hold In the neighborhood of OOOO acres of or land under It a system of ot taxation without with ith out representation the last several everal years rears these thes-e citizens have hare paid aid Into the treasury of the project project pro pro- thousands and th thousands of dollars and in return have had not one word to say as aB to how th the money f hould be spent The only ny word of encouragement they have lune is P par pty ty up or your W water waler l eT will be shut nit off fr t. t frI I have haye a letter written by Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Com Com- missioner Burk of ot Washington D.C. D.C. D.C. D. D C. C in which he states in erre t f tl at the project was primarily constructed construct construct- ed for the Indian out of Indian funds and that the white settlers knowing conditions conditions' when hen they bought the theland theland 1 land have no right now v to complain about bout them Mr Burk loses sight of ot the fact that practically every dollar spent In establishing the project project project pro pro- would have been utterly worse than wasted if after atter the canals were constructed the land had been left leftin ill in the hands of the Indians and the white settlers had stayed In their former homes What do you think would happen to tho the project now if iC all the white land Jand owners under it should suddenly leave their holdings and go so to another country It would not be long Jong before beCore you and all your subordinates would bo be seeking new pastures According g tc to Commis Commis- Burks Burk's letter tile tho Indians at present own three-fourths three and the whites one fourth of the land under I the project Let any man c. c compare the acreage of the whites with that I of oC tho the Indians What will he find to tobe tobe tobo be bo the case Who Is It that is aol an has been using the water beneficially beneficial beneficial- ly The answers to these questions are obvious to all aU who are acquainted acquaint acquaInt- ed with the tile facts They cannot be given without proving that the white settler is a very vital spoke in the wheel fly-wheel of ot the organization Is It right that he should be Ignored Ought he be not to have some voice lint But to leave generalities and come comedown comedown down loWn to actual happenings that have passed under my own tion I know of or a case where a 11 farmer bought a piece of Indian land and amid then asked the engineer in charge chargo to by building a lateral put water to Its highest feasible irrigable irrigable ble point His request was refused on the ground that the cost would bo be excessive This farmer joined with two other Individuals who had hadland hadland hadland land under proposed lateral and built It at a cost of per acre for the land covered conred They used the ditch for one year when It Jl was confiscated confiscated con con- by the government project and It has been used kr r the last four years to carry project water vater The farmer did not object to lo the tho transaction providing he ho bo given back the money he had Invested He lIe asked that the amount be applied on his next years year's maintenance His request was refused He still continued continued continued con con- to Irrigate from the lateral through boxes he had put at convenient convenient con COD places Last year though the piece of land he had bad been water- water On Last Page I IAN AN OPEN I LETTER i From Page One ing from th the lateral was n a half hatt mile mUe long and extended 1 und ft It very ery difficult hillside h he ha W was s D ly by tb the engineer in charge through the ditch rider ordered to take wa water er only through a bo box that had been placed at tune the upper end of hl his land A controversy ensued and the time farmer was vindicated but to this day he has never been reimbursed for the money he be Invested in id building the time ditch The prof project ett has hns had bud d the use of his money for five flue r without without with without with with- out Interest Ho tic has had lUid t td to borrow money to p pay nay his e I know lit Or a n ease base s where Where i a 3 farmer accidentally fl flooded oded the road to a small Extent As a punishment for tor this offence his was closed down and locked and kept locked for two weeks all aU during which time and for two months after within a half mile of ot where the time flooded had bad occurred a government lateral was overflowing and making a swamp of ofa a n public highway I know mow of a case where a farmer left home for tor about a week When he lie returned he lie found that a government govern govern- government ment nent ditch-cleaning ditch crew had torn I down his fences fences- in six ix different places dragging the wires out and leaving then th m In entangled musses masses and ond letting hi his stock k oUt to sc scatter U r I in lit every direction I know v of dr several l leases bases as s where heire farmers arniel's who ow owned rights in the project ct were positively reh refused sed waiter W ter with which to start star t their crops beca because se through hard har d td conditions which they had been powerless powerless powerless pow pow- erless to control they were unable t to raise maintenance money at tim the e same s time lime other individuals wh who had no interest in ill the project whatever whatever what what- ever er were freely Creely given water without without with with- ou out t cost So much for tor tyranny and despot despot- ism I turn now to the point of extravagance extravagance ex ex- i I know of a case cast i where the engineer in charge bunt built bunton t on his own laud land at a cost to th the t. t e t. t project or of thousands of of dollars a large home which he used for years year s for Cor personal purposes The building g was finally torn down by the project and taken away I know of an engineer in charge who gathered unto onto himself a multiplicity multi multi- of lieutenants to do the work lIe He spent much of ot his efforts in a project car using project gasoline on project time Ume writing life lifo insurance This In face of ot the fact that he was paid a handsome cash salary and given for lor the use of ot himself and family free house rent free fuel free tree lights free Ice and possibly free dee other things I know of orl a case where a project employee left his own home and it to another party arty while he took ook ool up his abode in hI a x hoUse holise rented for Cor him by the project roje t This case illustrates a common practice Is Is' Is Isit s it necessary for the project roje l to pay salary sal sal- ary arv and house rent t. t ton I know of a case where a ditch I ruler rider started out to go over his route Noon over took hint him tie lie tied up his horse ate his dinner and went to sleep He slept until 4 3 0 p p. p m. m and then went home He did that same thing often otten This man was employed employ employ- ed for years by the time project during which time he held ant positions siU many important Import import- Permit me to refer again to the Dry- Dry gulch g company compan Last winter wInte H. H v. v were paying salary to n. n J I and assistant who were an busy engineer with beneficial proof work and to one bookkeeper to these three At the same time the government only project was paying flaying salary to two engineers two office sT men two supervisors supervisors su- su ten te ditch riders smith one blacksmith blacksmith black black- one garage man one ono table hi man and perhaps er erthe many others locally local local- ly not to mention employees scattered scattered scat scat- from here to Washington Is 15 it necessary to keep such during the an army winter months Who pays lays the bill Honestly Mr Irsfeld dont don't you OU think we have havo complaint i Is it Possible cause causo maintenance that ou our costs cannot bo down cut I Let me tell you a few tew things M. M havo heard We have heard we wa Uintah Indian that time Irrigation project is I so closely connected lar Jar projects that with other shullar shul- shul last year in fn the tho general of 01 accounts dollars a charge or of thou thou- was made ours that against should have been placed against time the Blackfoot proJect We have heard that last year several sev- sev eral el-al of our project automobile were fitted up here and then trucks sent to the Blackfoot project trucks that the poor water user had been to com coin borrow money to for pay for tor sent as a gift to a project In fn iLi Idaho We have heard that one of th time the e men under you Mr 11 Irsfeld 1 made de a statement something something recent recently J v this These farmers that ing are knocking knock knock- better watch out If It they theor M- M Jett to to per aero acre nce i 11 j J charges the new engineer will teach them a lesson He will put it up Ul to toWe We have heard that last summer when the Duchesne river was muddy one of or the project supervisors made two trips w weekly ekly up to Altonah a distance of about 25 miles to obtain clear water for drinking purposes inand in inand inand and around the project offices Pretty Pretty Pret Pret- ty water dear dear water dont don't you think The poor fellow that paid for tor It had to use muddy water Last but hut not trot least Mr Irsfeld we have heard hoard that at the present time In face of the fact that the die white while bought his land and water together r and amid paid for them both together r there is a movement on foot toot to compell com com- pell him to now dig up an additional l 1560 1660 per acre for construction costs If this decree is carried d out ont as we have be been n told that Federal Attorney Ward expects to carry I ft it t out It will mean 90 of or these whites white s will be compelled to abandon their theft sr r holdings Now Mr Irsfeld just a few rew words word s to show what we white water users user s should like to know We should shout sd d like to know how much money has ha s been spent to maintain our project during the last ten years We should like to know how many automobiles and trucks have bave been purchased for the project during the last ten term years what they cost and what the expense has bas been to keep lh them ll up We should like to know just how many employees there are at the present time connected with the project proJect pro pro- what is the office of each and what is the complete compensation for or each per month We should like this last Item to include not only In individuals in- in individuals who live In the Uintah bairn bato ba ba- sin irn to but those who live in Blackfoot in Denver In Washington or any place else We should like at the end of each year for the project to publish a financial statement showing just how much and for tor What purpose maintenance maintenance nance money has been spent during the y year u for or each ditch under the project I hope l Mr r. r Ilsfeld that this long I. I letter r will lU suggest t to you you some rea rea- I sons ons way the tae white water users of or the project are Please however keep this fact In mind The Time big thing timing is not excessive nance It is without representation representation rep rep- Our cat cause se is the same as that of the thirteen original colonies They fought for Cor their rights If It necessary so shall shaH we Very respectfully F. F S. S S MUSSER P. P S. S I sl shall all be glad to have your reply to this letter I lish it expect to pub pub- |