Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-12-22
RIO BRAVO WATERS.
Minister Romero and Uncle sam u
Long Way Apart In Discus
sing Them.

Washington, Dec. 22.-Secretary Olney
and Minister Romero, who represent the
Mexican government at this capital, are
engaged in controversy involving some
novel points. The former has obtained
from Attorney Harmon an
opinion, having an important bearing on
the case, which relates to a large indem-
nifty claim on the part of Mexico for the
diversion by our citizens of the waters of
ths Rio Grande.
Minister Romero states in long Off
cial letter that the city of Paso del
Norte has existed formore than 300 years,
during aim ost all of which time its peo-
pie enjoyed the use of the
WATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE
for the irrigation of their lands. AS that
city and the districts within its jursdic-
tion did not need more than twenty
cubic meters of water per seoond-whioh
was an almost infnitesimal portion of the
volume of water, even in times of sever
est drought-they had sufficient water for
their crops until about ten years ago,
when a great many trenches we're dug in
Colorado, especially in the San Luis
valley and in New Mexico, through which
the upper Rio Grande and its atfiuents
flow, so greatly diminishing the water in
the river at Ell Paso that, except when
rains happen to be abundant, there is a
scarcity of water from the middle of une
until March.
One year the river chanced to be en-
tirey dry, no crops we're raised and even
fruit trees began to wither. There has
been subsequent reduction in
THE PRICE OF LAND.
A great hardship has been imposed on
the people and there has been dimuni
tion in population in ten years by one
half. Minister Romero also states that
an American army officer in 1850 ascend
cd the river to point several kilometers
above Paso del Norte, circumstance,
which, to his mind, shows that the river
was navigable at that point.
The state department people have con-
suited the report of this incident, the
document being on file in the war depart
ment, and it appeared that the officer,
quartermaster named Love, made the
trip under orders in small keel boat,
drawing eighteen inches of water. He
was instructed to reach the highest at
tainable point, and after Juggling his row
boat around one or two falls he could get
no further up the riyer than $50 miles be-
N Ssfs 1850.
MINISTER ROMERO COMMENDED
that the Colorado and New Mexican irri-
CATION bitches come within the prohibi-
tions of the old treaty of Guadalupe Hi
dalgo against any work which interrupts
navigation.
Attorney General Harmon says the ar
ticle Of tho Guadalupe Hidalgo treaty
bearing on the incident is limited in terms
to that part of the Rio Grande lying be-
low The southern boundary of New Mex
leo and applies to such work alone as
either party might construct on it's own
site
"The only right the treaty professed to
CREATE" says the attorney-general, "or
protect with respect to the Rio Grande
was that of navigation. Claims against
the United States by Mexico for indem-
nifty for injuries for agriculture alone
caused by scarcity of water resulting
from irrigation bitches wholly within the
United States at places far above the
height of navigation find no support in
the treaty."