El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-08-18

tina. will hold of the flood waters of the
Rio Grande q supply for year or two
of irrigation. Moreover the engineers
figure out that by carrying the rock
wall of the dam down to bed rock, .
distance of sixty to one hundred feet,
the underflow of the river will be
backed up and our people will get the
benefit of vast amount of water that
now goes to waste aud benefits no
body.
| 1t is likely that We would have had
dam long ago but for certain unfor-
tunate complications that have come
up and delayed the international
negotiations. A certain secretary of
the interior granted permission to an
English company to built dam
across the Rio Grande at Elephant
Butte, some 125 miles above Ell Paso.
Since international negotiations we're
not then in active progress, nothing
was done In regard to the
proposed obstruction in the
river until q new administration
came In. Then, in answer to the re
quest of citizens Of Juarez. backed up
by the Mexican government, the state
department endeavored to have the
new secretary of the interior repeal
she permission granted by his prede-
cessor. This the secretary refused to
do and In casting around for come way
OF stopping the building of the Ele-
plant Butte dam pending the settle
ment of the water dispute and she
matter of the Ell Paso dam, the state
department. and the attorney general
discovered that under tho terms of the
Grande was officially declared to be a |
navigable stream within the meaning |
OF the laws, and such . streams being |
under the jurisdiction Of the secretary |
of war that individual was led to take
prompt action in suing out an tnjunc-
tion against the English company and
having the building of the dam stop
ped. This litigation is still in the
courts.
In the draft Of proposed treaty that
was in process Of negotiation between
Secretary Olney and Minister Romero
there y as included Q clause which was
intended to prevent the construction OF
any more dams than then existed in
the Rio Grande or any of its tributaries.
Since this provision would seriously
hinder the development of New
Mexico and might hurt Colorado
to some extent that state and
territory at once took up strong fight
~ino he tu |
have been confined entirely to this
clause, known as the
sixth article. It was believed that the
Justice of New Mexico's claims was SO
patent that no treaty could be ratified
on such basis If the senators were
m ade aware of the facts.
To add to the hurt, the bill known
Is the Stephens bill was introduced in
the house of represen tatives last SEES
sion by the represent ative from this
The Stephens bill provided
in substance that after such and such
a treaty describing the proposed
treaty with the Objectionable article)
had been duly ratified, the govern
ment of the United Stases would ap-
build the dam, which was acknowl-
edged in terms to be in settlement of
certain claims OF Mexican citizens of
Juarez and Vicinity against the United
States for damages On account of al
legged diversion of the waters of the
Rio Grande in New Mexico and Color
ado, In violation of treaty rights.
l>;1 /
i'll advised move, as the HERALD has
But IL served to stir up ,
the people of New Mexico into action {
md they sent committees to Washing
ION to protest against the passage of :
The bill. They got assurances that !
heir protest would be fully considered,
Ind that probably meant that IL would 6
% needed.
The other day the Mexican ambae-
ador, while in this city, stated that t
+ necessary to the success of the dam t
project the Objectionable sixth article
# the proposed treaty would be omit
ed. Now all along certain partisans '
y that Mexico would never accept any
resty or dam in settlement of her .
claims unless the United States should 8
not to permit any other dams
o be built in the valley above. This {
ontent zion was based largely on the :
wording of the report of General An. a
on Mills that there would not be water 9
neugh in the river to supply two '
ANS.