El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-02


ing in this city, then it is for us to
wake up. and show the folks in Wash
lngton that we are smarter than we
seem. We ought to be ashamed OF
ourselves. if we cannot be forceful and
honest ar the same time.
It is not business to fight New Mex
leo. We may turn up our noses and
say that New Mexico needs us more
than we need New Mexico, and all that
sort of stuff, but when we get right
down to the bottom of things We know
very well that Ell Paso is more a part
of New Mexico, commercially, than it
is of any other state or territory, and
it is to the development of the upper
valley, and the mines in the west, and
oil in the east, that we must look for
the quickest and most direct prosperity.
We must scrupulously avoid getting
the big head, as a city. We must scru-
pulously avoid offending our best GUS
toners. And they would nave a right
to get offended if we should turn our
coats inside out and inaugurate a new
fight on the upper valley.
Any candid man must admit that ev-
the courts the contentious of the Uni
ted States government and it's agent,
General Mills, have been proved in
valid. The Herald would like to see
some dam built pretty quick, but Sen
ator Turney expressed the sentiments
~ Of hi in, &c,
community when he said he would
have nothing to do with the project if
it was merely a method of getting gov
eminent appropriation for the benefit
of FL Paso merchants. Unless the
scheme is feasible as a permanent ir-
dertaken-
The Herald has many times brought
forward two possible solutions Of the
difficulty. Either one of these would
be better than a continuation of the
senseless squaboles with which we
have been afflicted so long. The two
alternative plans of action are these:
First, endeavor to get the Mexican
government to consent to the conStruc-
ton of the Ell Paso dam, to cancel all
claims, without any prohibition against
the use of the water above Ell Paso. fur
Their than to provide for the equitable
distribution" of the water in an honest
sense. 1t is probable that both the
contemplated dams could be built on a
smaller scale than heretofore contem-
plated. and it is practically certain that
there will be water enough for both.
But leave the United States govern
ment to settle the rights of the riparian
residents. subject to reasonable share
of the water guaranteed to Mexico
This plan would be that to which the
Mexican ambassador agreed when he
was in this city, and if Ell Paso had car
ried on any sort of a campaign in
Washington following that event. there
would have been no trouble now That
there is trouble, is the result of our
own carelessness. The mistake is not
irretrievable.
Or. second, work for the construction
of the upper dam as an International
project. Competent engineers have
said that the upper site is far better
than this one. and it is quite possible
that under proper direction and super
vision by the United States govern
ment there would be ample water to
supply the valley both above and below
this city. If, in practice. we should
find that the water was sufficient to
permit the building of new dam be-
low the Elephant Butte dam, neither |
possibly object. Engineers say that |
the Rio Grande has a heavy underflow |
along it's whole length, but in addition
to that it virtually becomes a series of |
rivers in the season of tor |
rental rains, and that a dam at Ele- |
flood water to fill a good sized dam |
here, taken in connection with the in |
evitable overflow from the upper dam |
in the flush season.
The two plans are about equally |
Either work for the Ell /
Paso dam without prejudicing the sub |
5equent construction of an upper DAM
or work for the construction of the up
per dam as an international project |
without prejudicing the subsequent |
of dam here. But in the |
name of progress choose one path or |
the other. and follow it consistently |
until something tangible is accom-
plished.
1T is TIME TO GET TO WORK