Show good news for dry farmers to all concerned for your information am quoting letter from senator reed smoot to prof lewis A almerrill errill Al INI under date of june 20 1933 1913 this letter is id in answer to one addressed to senator smoot by prof lewis A merrill inquiring if it would be possible sible for entry men to prove up on lands where subterranean water had been found the rif ruling flim of the secretary of the interior as quoted in senator smoots letter is of much importance from the facts fact that it assures entry men who have located andr tin tho enlarged home stead act in good faith that his entry will not be canceled by reason of tile the securing and use of such water in accordance with the ruling we urge you to secure a pump and developed dev elope its as much water for irrigation its as pos possible gible if forty or fifty acres can call be alao placed ed under irrigation and used for the production of alfalfa fruit and shade trees 11 homes omes may be built and the country permanently dev developed elope d we hope that you will advise with our agricultural expert prof lewis A merrill at salt lake city if you have any problems connected with your de work in which lie he can be of assistance yours truly J H manderfield agat freight and passenger agent I 1 mr ir lewis A Al merrill errill agricultural expert salt lake route 0 salt lake city utah I 1 lam ani in receipt of your letter of june loach advising me that subterranean water may be found at a depth depoli varying from 10 to to 70 feet over t ti a large area of land classified as Eu En lagred homestead lands and inquiry ing if it would be possible for smoot act entry mn on oil these lands to prove up and secure patent if they should get water by pumps all and put some cf alie ground under irrigation this questin lias bas been art an dented to ine men a number of f timed times since the passage of the smoot act in 1909 as there have been beai many cases where entry men have discovered means of cecur I 1 ing water after making entry entry stich source of water supply sup ply being 1 unknown own at the time the flip land was designated under ali the provisions of alie smoot act and unknown to the entry men inen at bh all time of entry the th 1 import anco of the question prompted me in Alai march ell 1910 to ask the secretary of the interior for it a ruling to ac act t as it i precedent I 1 submitted to him it a letter I 1 had received from a resi resident delit of salt lake city to base liis his ruling ng on i this resident lad had made entry D under the non residence section section 6 0 of the smoot act and later hater bad secured water in sufficient quantities for domestic purposes by 1110 means alls of it a well i on oil may alay 25 1910 the secretary of the interior replied to my request for a ruling which reply will be found in f till full in ill 38 L D in his letter the secretary niad made the following statement while Wh ileitis it is believed that a designation or classification of lands under the smoot act involved is not necessarily conclusive clu sive nevertheless nevert heleg s I 1 am of the opinion that eliat where entry is made und under er the provisions of section 6 upon the faith and in full reliance upon the correctness of the designation or classification should not thereafter be modified to the injury of any one who in good goad faith lihs has acted upon such designation to be concluded |