El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-09-07
Taken Bythe Irrigation Com
mittee Of the Chamber
Last Night
STATE DEPARTMENT
Will Be Petitioned To Urge
the Department Of Jus.
tice To Cease Pros
ecUtion.

The irrigation committee of the
meeting lass night, for the purpose of
taking further action in the interna-
tional dam matter. There were pre-
sent besides chairman Dillon, Messrs.
Tuttle, Huffman. Martinez, and No
| Cutcheon, of the com mittee, and SEQ
retary Russ ell of the chamber: also E.
| O. Roberts and DR.. Nathan E Boyd, of
the Elephant Butte project. who were
present by invitation.
| After come informal discussion DR..
Boyd, by Request, gave an accoun, Of
what he had done In the interest of his
company, and what he intended to do.
He delivered . severe lecture on what
he denominated American bad faith as
understood in England. He said ts At
he had seen enough in Ell Paso to con-
vince him that the majority of The
people now saw that they had made Q
olonder in antsgonizing the Elephant
Butte dam scheme. He had carried
the project practically without as-
sistAnce during four years of niga-
tion, and did not propose to let 60.
II the English underwriters, said he,
could have soma direct assurance tn ~
the litigation would be stopped on the
part of the United States government.
they would be entirely willing to carry
out their contracts, whether they were
legally bound or not. The visitor was
asked to tell in detail something of the
subsidiary schemes that he had said,
few days ago, would have helped to
put five million dollars of English
capital into this valley b7 now if the
dam had not been tnterfered with. He
told of the canAigre, desiccsted vegesa-
bies, fruit, wine grapes, and so on that
would be grown and prepared for
market, especially the British market,
in the Rio Grande valley If his plan
| carried.
Characterizing the S.eph ers bill as
| Tan idiotic affair to begin WITH" DR..
Boyd said that his company claimed
| vested rights that he knew would
never be overthrow by the supreme
court. He said that the litigation had
only resulted. and would only reeuls,
in more or less delay. bus that tha
ultimate result was certain-the Ele-
phant Butte dam wou Id be built
| DR.. Boyd expressed his opinion that
the building of the international dam
would be the worst thing that could
happen to Ell Paso. He made several
statements 10 this connection that
some people might oonceivably deem
exsravagant, such Is that she interna-
tional dam would back up the water,
| the underhow, so that two thirds Of
the Mesilla Valley would be Q swamp,
and ruined for all purposes of resi-
dence or agriculture, while the water
would come up within foos OF the
surface at Mesilla and Las Cruces.
He asserted that Governor Otero
would Immediately after the election
head committee OF seven republicans
and seven democrats to Washington,
20 protest against the international de m
On grounds Of alleged prospective in-
jury to the Mesilla valley, as well as
upon the "sixth clause idea.
DR.. Boyd suggested TO the committee
thas il recommend to the boa. of
directors of the chamber of commerce
that formal resolution be passed
asking the government to Withdraw
the Injunction case from the courts.
He advised that the resolution take
the form of asking the state d. part
mens to request the department OF
justice to accept as final the decisit n of
the territorial supreme court.
The various members of the commit
tee expressed their views, which were
quite in accord, aud the following resi-
luton was unanimously passed:
Resolved, that this commi tee re-
com mend that the board of dir ectors
OF the chamber of commerce pass
resolutions petltioair III. state de-
ss Washington TO re quest the