Arizona republican., 1896-01-09
ON THE RAGING CANAL. A Water War On at
 Florence. Farmers Forcibly Command
 the Ditch. Prominent Citizens Arrested and Brought to Trial for Grave
 MIsdemeanorS.

There is war at Florence. Not such as on the Transvaal nor even that of Cuba, yet for causes not less weighty than the welfare and fortune of sev- eral score of farmers whose sustenance depends upon a proper union of water with the arid soil of the Casa Grande valley.
 To repeat the history of the Flor ence canal would be a tale too long to | tell The waterway leads from below the Bubtes, a dozen miles east of Flor ence, on the Gila river, down to the town and thence off upon the desert, out to Wentworth, and then into great storage reservoir. From the res ervoir is fed a subordinate ditch that | 6rrigates the lands lying about Arizola | and Casa Grande stations on the | Southern Pacific railway.
 The main canal was originally de- signed to carry about 25,000 miners inches of water. But it is as crooked as a rams horn and of the slightest practicable gradient and with years of neglect has so filled up that perhaps a fifth of the original estimate would now be nearer the truth. In this canal lies the cause, or at least the main cause, for the stagnation of Florence and of the wonderfully fer tile and far extending farming region the canal is supposed to irrigate.
 The canal had great future mapped out before it, and he who first secured land under it and a water right thought himself favored by fortune in a high degree But litigation arose over the bonds, of the canal; the river ran for years at its lowest ebb, and the ditch after scores of lawsuits passed through several hands till now nominally owned by the Casa Grande Valley Canal company This company disregarding all prior contracts, isl said to have made of water consumers exactions that they cannot stand Hence the war, and a pretty kettle of fish to fry.
 The water consumers took forcible possession of the canal ejeoted the zanjero and for few days, to their entire satisfaction, kept the canal bank full and irrigated as they had not for years. But the company ftcame back" at them and as a result number of the most prominent citi- zens of Pinal county were arrested for riot
 The main complaints are against the following named. D. c. Stevens, one of the most highly respected men of Arizona, owner of the Casa Grande stage lines, and heretofore super visor and treasurer of his county and now probate judge; W. Y. Price, one of the most extensive. ranchers and cat tie feeders in Arizona A. F. Barker the principal merchant, and now chairman of the board of supervisors; W. H. Lonergan, a solid citizen and a member of the board of supervisors; O. H. Carpenter, the retiring post master; J. s. Sniffen, an attorney and 0 candidate at the last election for the office of district attorney; w. F. Cooper, practicing attorney and lately editor of the Florence Tribune; J. J. Frazier, a well-known cattleman, ergeant-at-arms of the last legisla- tive council, and a deputy sheriff of Pinal county; M. M. Hickey, for many years peace officer of Florence; Tom Jones, Chas Forman and Frank Hop kins, cattlemen and ranchers. There are others, but against none of all those arrested has ever before been laid a charge of breaking the law They have retained Judge J. H. Kip bey, himself an old citizen of Flor ence, to defend them and the war has been carried into the courts.
 Without reference to the equities or law of the case, it is plain to see upon which side, considering the character of the men arrested, lie the sympa- thies of the people of the county. There is reported from Florence much suppressed excitement but cool heads are directing matters and hope that yet the water muddle may be cleared and the valley and town started on the right and direct way to peaceful ffrosnarjtv