El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-07-22
IRRIGATION AMENDMENT
Opposition From Quarter That Is
Likely TO Attract Attention.

General attention is being called in
wesi ern Texas to the recent meeting
| held by the Irion county farmers in
protest against the adoption, on the
coming constitutional election on Au-
| gust 3, of the proposed irrig alton
amendment. Among the objections
| urged are that the amendment will
sectionalize the state constitu be-
cause it applies only to the west part of
the state. If different laws are need
ed for different points of the state, let
it be by act of leg islatiOn and not by
the constitution. Constitutional prOvi-
sions should apply to the entire COM
monweslth.
The protest next denies that west
Texas farmers are clamoring Tor the
amendment. 1t is necessary to adopt
| this amendment in order to further
develop legitimate irrigation enter
prises. Texas already bas irrigation
laws ample encouraging irrl CATION, and
IT, e valleys of every flowing stream IN
the west are dotted with irrigated
farms by authority OF exis ing state
laws. The people of east Texas are
being systema' ically deceived on this
point by those who claim tha. the
amendment is necessary to permit ir-
rigation in the west. Moreover, the
amendment will work injustice and
robbery TO citize IS who, relying on the
authority of existing laws, have al
ready developed irrigated farms by
authoriz' ng a majority OF the land
owning neighbors to include them,
against their will, in an irrigation dis
trict, bond their land for construct ng
new irrigation works which they do
not need and divert the limited water
available to dissipate i: over large
area, without any suggestion of COM
pensa ion fer the damage thus done to
the property rights of the minority.
The amendment should be defeated
because it will permit speculator or
promoter to colonize handful of land
owing voters on ba'f-acre tracts of
land and thereby carry district cleo
tions and issue bonds to rest as lien
on the land of the minOrity. The
amendment creates a caste of resident
land owners and disfranchises in dis
trict elections all voters who do not
belong to that caste. IL is class legis-
lation of the rankest sort. 1t should
be defeated because it requires the
state of Texas to endorse the bonds of
district, not merely as being issued
in accordance with laws, but as being
entitled to al the faith and confidence
now prescribed bv law in the case of
county and city bonds The cOnstitu-
tion as il stands permits the fullest de-
velOpment of any irrigation enterprise
which has merit, and the legislature
has from time to time passed laws that
are now in force under which irriga-
ton is steadily developing in west
Texas.
The amendment especially eXemptS
the state school lands from being bond
ed. but any county which has school
lands in the west can have debt of
SIS an acre voted upon it if a profess
sional dam builder looking for a job
shall claim it as irrigahle Then, if
the dam is carried away by a food, or
if it fails to rain for year or two in
the drou'hy west, so as to provide
storm water for storing, or if las gen.
orally happens in storage tanks for
livestock when locat d on a dry creek
the water stall leak out through
the gravel bed, the county school
lands will be sold for taxes to pay the
bonds.
If the present laws to encourage ir-
rigation are not sufficient, why not
amend them then or pass new laws?
If the irrigation districts are better
than present methods, why not estab-
lish them by an act of the legislature,
as Nebraska has done? What provi-
sion of our constitu tion stands in the
way? Why should compensation for
damages be granted in Nebraska and
not in Texas? If irrigation can be
prOmOUSu In 1eHaS only Dy authorizing
robbery by the majority vote of
class, do Texans want it on these
terms? Are they prepared to incOrpo-
rate such scheme in their constitu-
tiOn?
Irion county is west Texas county,
being only sixty miles east of the Pc
cos. and in view of the opposition from
that quarter, voters in Ell Paso county
will be likely to think twice before
hai fa Of ho
amendment.