The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1896-09-04
MEXICO'S BOUNDARY.
The Mexicans Claim the United
States Is Trespassing.
Heavy Damages Are Claimed There
for - The Circumstances Upon
which the Claim Is
based.

Along no inconsiderable portion of
its course the Rio Grande Constitutes
the international boundary between
the United States and Mexico. Until
within a few years the Rio Grande
served the purposes of a boundary line
very creditably and satisfactorily. but
recently the settlers in Colorado and
New Mexico (away up stream) have
taken SO much water out of the river
for the purposes of irrigation that the
old boundary line becomes obl.terated
during the dry season, and this has
made SD much trouble for the MeXicans
that their government claims of the
United States 500 .OO0. 900 damages.
The circumstances upon which they
base this heavy claim for damages may
be briefly summed up as follows:
From the neigh Dorhood of El Paso. eN-
tending about 90 miles down the river.
there is valley about Is miles wide
and since the river has got into the
habit of going dry every summer il has
cut many different and widely diverg-
ing channels with the advent of flood
water. In this way the Internal .onal
boundary has been practically oblit-
Grated as far as this valley, Is miles
wide and 80 miles long, is concerted.
This has led to endless complications as
to national jurisdiction, and finally to
a condition of utter law lessneSs. In
addition to this. the MeNicans claim that
for some 200 years they have been cul-
tivating the lands of this valley on1heir
side of the boundary which We're made
very fertile and productive by irrige-
ton from the waters of the Rio Grande.
but since the river has been systemat
ically and continuously robbed of its
waters by the American settlers of Col
orado and New Mexico just at the sea-
son when the water was needed for
irrigation, this valley below FL PaSo
has become a sterile desert, absolutely
worthless for agricultural purposes.
They claim that the Mexicans have u
prior claim to the water of the RIO
Grande, as they were using it for pur-
poses of irrigation 200 years ago, but
now they have been robbed not only
of the water, but of the international
boundary line, and, indirectly, of law
and order in the valley referred to-
In view of all this they set up claim
for S22, 100000 damages, but they also
propose the terms of compromise.
The proposal is that the United States
should build what has lately figured in
the news of the day as the information
al dam" This dam will (if built be-
located about two and one-half miles
above FL Paso, where the heights which
inclose the canyon-like valley of the
Rio Grande Just above FL Paso converge
50 nearly that a dam GOO feet long will
connect them. This dam, to serve the
purpose for which il has been designed,
should he 600 feet long and about 40
feet high, and will, when completed
cost about 81 600 900. Such a dam Will
il is estimated, create an immense
reservoir Is miles long by four miles
wide, or about four times as large as
any artificial reservoir now in the cN-
istence This will hold all the sur
plus water of the Rio Grande at flood
time. and this accumulation will not
only be ample for irrigation of the arid
lands in the valley below il on bott
sides of the boundary, but furnish u
supply of water sufficient to hold the
channel of the river by moderate but
continuous flow all through the dry
season. In this way the demands of the
MeXicans for damages can be satisfied,
the international boundary maintained.
law and order restored in that valley
below FL Paso, and the lands on the
American as well as the Mexican side
of the valley furnished with an ample
supply of water for purposes of irriga-
tion.-Buffalo Express.