Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-11-28
A Far Reaching Proposition.

The proposition of THE governments
| attorney, sent from Washington ITO Las
Cruces, to aid i'm perpetuating an in
| junction against the Elephant Butte
irrigation proposition, had the merit of
novelty at any rate. 1t was rejected by
the irrigation company, which secured
| an approval by the interior department
of a reservoir site on the Rio Grande
before commencing work. The attorney,
presumably at the suggestion of the de-
| pa1tment of justice, made am offer to
permit the Elephant Butte dam to be
constructed, provided it's promoters
would admit the navigability of the
| river, in the meantime permit a contin-
uance of a hearing i'm court, and con-
| SENT for the government to superintend
the work n divide the water sc as to
permit the FL Paso country Ito have an
amount, which THE government was to
determine. This proposition was to be
subject to approval by the department,
which would in the end nave to arranga
for an official division of the water that
| ait intervals flows in the Rio Grankle.
AS the contention of thu United States
| supreme court is that If navigation hun
| dreds of miles below Elephant Butte
would be diminished by the proposed
reservoir none should be created, then it
is difficult to see what warrant the de-
partment could have for arranging for
two reservoirs instead of one and ignor-
ing the matter of navigation, unless 1T is
proposed to require all reservoirs to al
low a considerable por4tion of the flood
waters to go unimpeded. 1t is doubtful
| whether amy of the flood waters now
reach the lower river, for they would
have to pass Through 500 miles of sandy
/ bed that is usually dry before flood wa
tiers come. 1t is therefore MOT easy to
| see how The reservoirs r to be oper-
ated if they are Ito permit enough of the
waite to escape Ito aid navigation. And
if the question of navigation should be
| waived, the government would, If logi-
cal in it's determination to protect the
rights of Ell Paso, have Ito recognize the
claims of all below that city who want
waiter Ito flow ito their farms. And in
the end, as it became clearer THAT there
are impediments higher up h river,
the government agent would have to
come up to Socorro and limit the use
of the stream, and then ITO Albuquerque,
and finally to Colorado, and say that
the farmers of the valleys in that state
must tear out some of their dams, limit
! the intake of their bitches and leave
enough to flow through the sandy
wastes above and below Ell Paso. This
would certainly involve serious compli-
cations and be a new though rather late
departure.
According to the attorney for the gov
ernment, that is just what is wanted by
the department. of justice, for he has
said that the government wants to get
its grip on the river" and distribute the
Walters justly. If the scheme could at
an early day be worked out practically
by the government building reservoirs.
carrying the water Through canals to
keep 1T o wasting in the sandy bed
and supplying every one who liz entitled
to lit with plenty from "a stream which
is deficient in Quantity, then the plan of
the legal department of the govern
! ment might be a good thing all around.
But from present appearances THE de-
/ par1tment was moved to- it's plan by a
| wish to grant the demand Of Mexico and
Ell Paso schemers, who desire to have a
dam built, and must first secure water
before going to congress to ask to have
money appropriated for their project. II
does not appear that the United States
irrigation experts have been called into
consultation in this matter; and, i'm fact.
Elwood Mead, the chief of the govern
merNt irrigation inquiry, will go before
the court in opposition to the claim that
the river should be unimpeded because
VI is supposed to be Ma vigable some
where, which is the only point concern
ing which inquiry by the lower court
was ordered TO be made, when the su.
preme court remanded the matter.
The governments attorney may sue
coed i'm getting a grip on the river, but
II the solution of all the problems that
will follow are to be left to him and the
lawyers of the department Of Justice
they will soon want some one Ito help
them turn loose their grip.