Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1890-02-11
NEW MEXICO WATERS FOR NEW MEXICO,


NEW MEXICO WATERS FOR NEW MEXICO,
The Santa Fe New MEXICAN grows
Wrathy over FL Paso's offer to protect Its
old right to the water supply OF the Rlt
GrAnde. That paper Of the ancient city
should study the situation. Director
Powell, in charge of the water storage
surveys on the Rio Grandp, said in l.
Paso last October that unquestouably Oul
rights to water here demanded protection
from the harm done by every new irrigat
ing enterprise on the river between it,
source and this point. He said the ques-
ton was capable of hut two solutions
either to store the torrential waters by the
Mills dam and thus restore Old and prior
water ii hts here, or to refuse Colorado
and New Mexico the further use Of the
water So as to leave those rights here un-
mulested.
Nov what position are We to under
stand the NEW MEXICAN prefers. FL
i'asO, with the Times, agrees to assist
every new rri-ating project ID New Mex
n'o, nut we ask the privilege at least Il
storing the surplus flood waters OF thu
klO Grande Tor onr use. Is 1t not ma
tural then that We should Use every ell
dpavor to have the international dam
built? Mexico il deeply interested
Where is the wrong then III enlstlns that
country in the work?
FL Paso's only course is to protest
against every new drain upon the waters
oi the river until the restoration OF our
'i water rights is reasonably assured
FL Paso Times.
The Times has moderated its tone con-
siderably.
As for Director Powell, We believe he
lid say something OF tie kind, and, i'll
doing so, he made mistake. He Ii
making the same sort OF mistakes III
Washington to-day by magnlfying the In
ter state water question lar beyond it,
real importance and using it rs an induce
ment to have congress give the national
government absolute control of all inter
state water ways in the country whose
waters are required for irrigation.
Ell Paso unYuestionabiy has right tt
store the surplus waters of the Rio Grande
but it, t lily to talk about "the restoration
Of our old water rights" when reference
to historic facts would show the Eriorit,
claims of the New Mexico farmers al
along the valley from Las Cruces It
| Texas. The New MEXICAN takes
the position that New Mexico's water be
longs first to New Mexco's farmers, and il
times of flood or surplusage, Ell PaSo is
perfectly welcome to help herself. 1t q
Tact not generally known that the bulk Of
the water passing down the Rio Grande
during the irrigation season comes alone
from northern New Mexico, from the
Rio Chama the Rio Hondo and the Taos
creek scarcely any of the water original
n! north Of the Colorado line ever
to supply the canal system in the San
| Luis and san Juan valleys, so that it Is
no uncommon thing to ind the RIt
Grande pracli, ally dry at the northern
boundary line Of the territory. Thus ever
il their prior RI hts did not warrant then
IN approaching these waters, the fact
that they oignate largely within oui
own boundaries would afford quite 4
suhstant al claim OF ownership. Ell Paso's
protest against any new drain OF the
waters in the river" must therefore
amount to nothing; and as for any claims
the Mexican government may have upon
these waters, so originating i'll Ne" Mex
| leo, it, scarcely to be expected that the
national government will ever interfere
with private rilhts here in recognition OF
such claims. FL Pasos welcome to the
surplus, but that's Ill.