Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-11-14
TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO.

Better Qualified for Statehood Than
Many Territories Admitted to the
Union-Plans for Irrigation-Land
Titles.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3l.-L. Bradford
Prince, the governor of New Mexico,
in his animal report to the secretary of
the Interior, calls special attention to
the subject of land titles in that terri
tory. The governor summarizes the
need of the people as follows: First, a
Limitation of the time within which
grants can be presented; second, tri-
bunal exclusively for the hearing OF ftheJe
claims and settlement of these titles.
This tribunal, the governor says, should
be a court i'm order to challenge the
highest respect, and it should have no
connection with any other court, either
to interfere with its business or to be
interferred with In turf.
Upon the subject of statehood the
governor says in part: New Mexico
was much older Territory than either
of those admitted; its population largely
exceeded that of Montana or Washing
ton, it had q special right to self govern
ment Under the treaty of Guadaloupe
Hidalgo, 1t had only failed of admis-
sion in 1876 by an accident, its resources
were both greater and more varied and
its population was better adapted for
safe and conservative self government
than that of other sections of the west.
This refusal to admit her has forced US
to recognize that there is prejudice in
the older States against New Mexico
which, although based solely on ignor-
ance of our condition, yet is none the
less powerful and Injurious" The
governor answers at some length the
statements made by persons opposed to
the admission of the territory tending
to show that she is not yet prepared for
statehood. He shows that while the
older nation population is more or less
illiterate this is not true of a very large
proportion of her people. The ratio of
illiteracy, he says, has been reduced 20
per cent. during the last five years.
The governor makes an earnest plea
for the admission of New Mexico into
the Union.
Upon the subject of water supply and
irrigation the governor says: The
people feel that it is as much the busi-
ness of the government to render val
liable the immense acres, largely of pub
lie land, which are now useless for cul-
tivation, as it is to improve the harbors
of the seaboard or the rivers (often so
called by courtesy of the central
States" While hoping for extensive
government aid in this regard, the gov
ernor says, private enterprise has not
been idle. During the year several
corporations have been formed for pur-
poses of irrigation. One company is
now constructing two immense canals,
the first being forty miles long, 35 feet
wide at the bottom and carrying 7 feet
of water, and the other fifty miles long,
As feet wide and also carrying 7 feet of
water. These, he says, are to be fed by
the Preros river, the flow which is cal
culated to be 1000 cubic feet per second.
These canals, with their intervening
reservoirs, are estimated to cost about
81 900, 900 and TO irrigate between 2OO,-
900 and 300, 900 acres of land.
The business of cattle raising, the re-
port says, has been in depressed con-
dition throughout the year, not on ac-
count of any intrinsic difficulty, but of
the low prices to be obtained for the
animals when sold.
During the past year mining, the
governor says, has been carried on with
more than average success.