White and I had been associated in a number of affairs, and we discussed the Deuel county proposed experiment, and the methods sought to raise money to build ditches. That was the big question on the North river. There seemed some sort of an injustice in bonding a precinct to build a ditch that would water only a part of the precinct; and out of the consideration of the problem, the idea of district irrigation came.

George C. Lingenfelter, of Cheyenne county, was elected to the legislature that year, and in the legislative session of 1893, he secured for me an appointment as chief engrossing clerk in the house. J. L. Lynch, representative of Dawson county, assisted. J. H. Darner, of Lexington, who had been chosen senator, secured for Tim T. Kelliher a position as bookkeeper in the senate. E. W. Crane, an active man in the campaign, tried to get a place through Senator Darner, but he evidently did not get the support he thought Mr. Darner could give. He did, however, secure a clerkship through the friendly offices of H. G Stewart, now of Scotts Bluff county, but then senator Crom Dawes county.

Carried to Lincoln Tim Kelliher knew of my irrigation ideas to some extent, and he had met R. B. Howell, of Omaha, who had some ideas of forming irrigation districts. He had us meet and with Senator Darner we went over a proposed bill

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

forming it from what our insufficient knowledge of California and Colorado statutes, told us would be applicable to Nebraska conditions. Darner introduced the bill. Crane was still irritated by what he considered Senator Darner's neglect, and he picked some holes in the bill, which he put up to Senator Stewart. No doubt some of them were weak points, but in the main the opposition came from a lack of understanding the purpose, and in that day when populism had emerged to power, there was a fear of a joker in every thing that was not fully understood.