El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-06-11

stream, even if it is not great only at
distant intervals. 1t is absolutely nee
essary to leave ample room for Lac
water to escape at its highest, ana 30
per cent or more additional, to provide
against emergencies OF reservoirs
breaking on a full river which will be
the case as reservoirs must be built in
many places in the river and its tr1bu-
tsries for the proper development OF
the country.
Sci Paso and the city of Juarez have
the natural advantages OF making
very important cities whose interests
are largely mutual as they are located
at the most important gateway OF the
two great countries. And the people
of these two cities are more RESPONSE
BILE for the peace aud good fellowship
between them than any other people
in the republic. And the responsible
ty of your honorable body in this res
pect is only second to the U. S. senate
as no other official body has so much
to do with Mexico as you. Over one
third of the vitality and support OF
your city comes from Mexico, aud
large part of your citizens are interest
ed in Mexican industries and to serve
your own people justly and ably much
broader policy must be adopted and
followed in the future. At present
there is not one fifth the room given
for the river that is absolutely neces-
sary, and for you to raise the present
levee high enough to protect the city
would throw the current into the city
of Juarez and wash it literally out OF
existence. At she same time the peO-
pie of Ell Paso are the ones who are
encroaching on the natural grounds
over which the excess water escapes in
times of overflow, and there is not the
slightest need of it, as there is ao
abundance of good safe land on which
to build your city without encroach-
ing upon the river, imposing on your
sister city, or endangering the lives
and property OF your city.
"It would have been far more credit
able for you to have called upon the
state government for an appropriation
of 500, 900 or more for q grand state
university and industrial school of
which I will write you later, than to
have asked them for $40, 900 for relief.
The result of oversight of former city
administrations in allowing the people
to populate the should be river bed.
The advertisement does the city great
harm and brands it as dangerous To-
cation, when in fact there is no danger
whatever, if the right policy is inaug-
urated, and which must be done in
order to comply with both local and in
ternational demands, l would suggest
that you petition the United States
government to denOunce all tn
land as water way lying between the
Mexican levee and q line commencing
at the mouth of the canyon and run
ming easterly about fifty feet south of
the Santa Fee Railway company's main
track to Ell Paso street, and extending
about due east from there through the
city, and to secure title to the same in
the name of the government
and have q good levee thrown up on
that line, and compel all the street and
railway grades that now cross it to be
removed to prevent holding the water
back and throwing it into both cities
as is now the case. Put all railways
and thorough fares on one large brid &c
and the approach made by open lrestle
work, as is done by most large cities
located on the banks of large rivers
Let the city get permission from the
government to smooth this low land
and plant it in an open forest under the
supervision of any U. S. civil engineer
and seed it to suitable grass, thus
making forsthe city large and beauti-
full park, and on the only place where
park would for all time be the meeting
place for the people of both cities GA
social occasions. And tie Identical
ground that is now the bone of cOnten-
ton would be turned into a cradle of
harmony.
"The city should permit very free use
to the railway companies of the land
lying between the proposed levee and
the present city irrlgatlng ditch. And
all new permits requiring the railways
to assist to a certain extent In con-
structing and supporting the levee on
the above described line of the river,
and as soon as possible compel all
railways to occupy that tract of ground.
In the future there would be a vladnct
passing over the railways to the bridge
from the city, aud the railways in
Juarez would all necessarily pass
through the city together, SO that they
could be crossed by q bridge on their
main street. Instead of having the
city cut promiscuously by railways.
'In my many years of constant travel
in both countries, 1 have watched
closely the mode of Improvements in
Have studied the resources of these
Two cities and am certain that the
above is the only feassbie way Of treat
ing the subject. The plans are not in
e xcess of future demand; and every
move should be made with the idea OF
the same, regardless of
the protests of Individuals or corpora
lions in contending for their individual
interests. I would also recommend
that you prohibit the reconstruction of
villages in q manner entirely contrary
to ali sanitary law, as has been done in
the past, and which has been the hot
bed of disease and from which the best
families of the city have mostly secured
their nurses and servants and who have
been daily and constantly spreading
diseases, that should not exist, through
out the city, to ignore the latter obser-
walton and allow the above prescribed
water ways to be re-occupied and OBJ
to the free flow of water to
exist on said land will be nothing less
than criminal neglect of your duty.
There will never be as good an oppor
unity occur again. Now as another
railway is to be built across the river,
this should be joined to the Mexican
Central bridge, and you have three or
four lines at once concentrated. An
other reason that the preseat Oppor-
tunlty is good is because the puolic
sentiment certainly ought TO assist you