Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-11-14
The International Dam.

The Ell Paso Times is the author of a
fresh story that the Mexican government
now proposes to have its congress vote
81, 600, 900 to the construction of the sin
ternational dam if the United States
will but supply the balance of the cost
should it be decided to erect such a dam.
The estimated cost is SO, 900, 900. OF
this it is said Mexico would pay about
one-siXth, considering deprecated cur
rency. 1t has not been so long since
the Mexican government with the en-
dorsement of a United States officer of
the boundary commission was seeking to
have this government bear all the ex-
pense and the Times was the able
boomer for the project. The scheme
was worked for all it was worth by the
promoters but committees of the senate of
the United States never gave much en-
enlargement to the plan. 1t has been
dormant ever since the anxiety of the
Ell Paso parties to prevent a New Mex
leo irrigation enterprise from getting
any of the river water resulted in a de-
cision that Mexico had no claim on the
upper river, through the treaty upon
which the promoters relied, and it be-
came clear that if a dam in New Mexico
would interfere with navigation of the
Rio Grande even near its mouth, none
could be built. OF course the Ell Paso
parties never dreamed that in making
the absurd plea that navigability in New
Mexico would be destroyed, it would re-
act upon their scheme. They did not
expect the lower river to be considered
when they called attention only to the
portion which would be above a so-called
international dam that was to be built
entirely upon American soil soil by this
country alone, which was to make
a donation to a foreign country of half
of the stored water, of the prior use of
which New Mexico was to be deprived.
The scheme has been lobbied for in
Washington for many years by foreign
diplomats and the influence of a United
States officer has long been used to Sc
cure the aid of departments in the ma
tional capital in favor of the proposition.
1t was this influence that secured an in
junction and stopped the work upon a
bona fide irrigation enterprise in New
Mexico after the right to construct a
reservoir was given in the manner Gus
tomary in such matters, and after much
money had been expended in construc-
ton work. The proposition was favored
at one time by President Cleveland but
was voted down in senate committees to
which it had been submitted. The rank
scheme of trumping up damage claims
vas resorted to upon the other side of
the river, the Mexican courts there,
with the encouragement of the Ell Paso
men, taking one-sided testimony to show
that had the river continued to supply
water for the farmers, damages to the
extent of from $40. 900, 900 to $40, 00o, 900
would not have resulted. This vast
sum. 1t was limited, was to be asked OF
this country in case the dam should not
be built. but in its excess of generosity
the Mexican government would waive
the damages caused to its citizens In
past decades II this country would build
a dam and store water for Mexico. The
damage bill was trumped up for no
other purpose than to furnish the lob
byists and the ~dlplomatists a lever with
which to pry open the United States
treasury. 1t was not for a moment'ex-
pected to press any such absurd claims,
| but they were intended as a bluff, or to
serve as an excuse to secure the passage
| Of the treaty the schemers framed. The
workers may or may not have been kept
going with funds secured from Mexico
| under the representation that such a
Job could be worked to o finish In Wash