Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-05-12
THE STEPHENS BILL
The Promoters of the International
Dam Bolster Up Falsehoods With
Acknowledged Facts.
new MEXICO MUST ACT NOW
Its Rights Must Be Defended and the Pro-
l. paganda of Its Enemies Must Be Ooun-
tsracted-send Delegates to the
Albuquerque Convention.

Albuquerque convention.
New Mexico must be wide awake and
active In the assertion of the rights it
possesses. The enemies of the territory
| are alert and are pushing their projects,
which mean harm and loss to New Mex
leo, with skill and adroitness. The ad-
vocates of the International dam at Ell
Paso are flooding the country with lit
erature in order to create sympathy and
supporters for their nefarious scheme
They will be only too successful unless
will be a most emphatic one. For that
reason the convention at Albuquerque
on May Is. called for that purpose,
should be a largely attended and en-
thusiastic gathering, representative of
every county, city and town in the ter
ritory. for the rights of not only a part
of the commonwealth but the prosperi-
ty and future growth of every section
of New Mexico are attacked. 1t is only
a few more days until the convention
appointment of delegates.
CREATING SENTIMENT
The activity of those who desire to
rob New Mexico of it's water rights Is
shown by,an article which appeared in
over a score of influential newspapers
in every section of the country, and
which emanated from the same source
in Ell Paso. The article sets forth the al
legged advantages which would be Sc
cured by the building of an internation-
al dam and the imaginary harm which
is done by the use of the waters of the
Rio Grande for irrigation purposes in
New Mexico. This article is sure to Gre
ate sentiment against the rights of
Mexico that are involved wherever it is
read, because people outside of the ter
ritory are not informed upon the situa-
ton, and will accept the false state
ments of the essay as truth. The writer
of the article skillfully interweaves
facts and falsehoods and it is in this
that it's viciousness is most apparent,
for 1t shows that it was penned by a
person we'll informed, who lied in order
to siren lthen his argument.
A DELIBERATE FALsEHOOD.
When the writer of the article in
question speaks of the necessity of irri-
cation in the arid regions he tells the
truth, but the deductions he draws from
this fact for the necessity of the con-
struction Of the international dam are
false. When he says that the diversion
Of 1000 second feet of water from the
Rio Grande in Colorado for irrigation
'purso5es causes a dry channel at FL
Paso he is uttering deliberate false
hood 1t has been proved over and over
again in the Elephant Butte dam trial
that not drop Of the ordinary flow of
the Rio Grande in the northern part Of
New Mexico ever reached or ever can
reach Ell Paso.
THE STEPHENS BILL.
The article says further: Recently
bill was introduced in congress that
provides for the construction at El
Paso, Tex, and Ciudad Juarez of an in
ternational dam and reservoir. The
measure sets forth the necessity that
exists for legislative action in order
that water rights might be preserved.
and that the Rio Grande river shall not
be entirely diverted for the purpose of
irrigation in one section to the detri-
ment of another, and to satisfy certain
claims which the republic of Mexico has
filed against the government Of the
United States. In the main the bill pro-
vides that an International dam shall
be built, at the expense Of the United
States, to hold the waters of the Rio
Grande for equal distribution in the
valley that spreads below Ell Paso, Tex,
and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico"
MEXICO HAS NO PRIOR RIGHTS.
The New Mexican has pointed out in
previous issues that the alleged claims
of Mexico have been passed upon by
former attorney general. and later by
Secretary Olney who held that Mexico
had absolutely no claim, legal or equita-
BILE, against the United States. AS it is,
the republic of Mexico has no right to
| the use Of the waters of the Rio Grande
prior to the rights Of the citizens Of
New Mexico, and by the treaty Of 1854
surrendered all claims for damages
against the United States, and even re-
ceied from the provision it insisted up
on in the treaty of 1S4S, that the Rio
| Grande should be regarded as navi-
gable stream in the United States. In
view of these facts the proposition that
the United States should build at its
own expense an international dam at a
cost Of So, OOO, 900, and to take away the
water from thousands Of citizens Of the
United States, and to render valueless
hundreds of thousands of acres of good
land in New Mexico, is preposterous.
NECESSITY OF ELEPHANT BUTTE
| DAM.
The article written in FL Paso at the
dictation of the selfish schemers who
are in back of the Stephens bill, goes
on further: vineyards and orchards
have burned and died, fruit trees have
perished. and fertile acres, heretofore
!yielding abundant crops have lapsed IN
to dry wastes. Irrigated, the soil Is as
fertile as that along the Nile, but with
out irrigation 1t is scarcely more thar
a desert" This is to describe the condi'
tions in Mexico below Ell Paso, but II
also describes conditions on the many
square miles of land which could be re-
claimed In New Mexico by the building
of the Elephant Butte dam, the build
ing Of which the Stephens bill seeks tt
prevent. To one acre in Texas or II
Mexico that would be benefited by th'
international dam, there are fort!
onou Man, AEoxlo1, Al mould hfa ran