The Dolores star., 1902-12-19
Where Are We AtP

area to New Mexico.
In other words, the northern bound
ary of New Mexico and the southern
boundary of Colorado, according to the
official description in the new statutes,
overlap an entire degree of latitude.
The boundary between the common
wealths has always been given as the
thirty-seventh degree, and has never
been disputed. Now New Mexico's
northern line is described as running
along the thirty-eighth parallel.
According to the latest statutes on
the subject a strip of Colorado sixty
miles from north to south and 400 miles
from east to west, belongs to New
Mexico.
The counties lying wholly south of
the thirty-eighth degree are La Plata,
Dolores, San Juan, Montezuna, Miner
al, Rio Grande, Archuleta, Conejos,
Costilla, Huerfano, Las Animas aud
Baea, while the counties which the
line divides are san Miguel, Ouay,
Hiusdale, Saguache, Custer, Pueblo,
Otero, Bent and Powers. Ifthe matter
goes to a point where the discrepancy
between the statutes and the old surveys
is taken into the courts all of this inn
mense area of what was supposed to be
part of Colorado, will be veritable
No Mans land until the dispute is
settled.
,n p,ll lnl .af
latitude passes through the state in
line few miles north of La Junta and
Telluride and few miles south of Lake
City and Ouray Ifthe revised statutes
are TO be believed a doven important
counties, in which are included por-
ton of the fertile Arkansas valley, al-
most the entire San Luis valley, the
rich mining region of the San Juan,
and other districts of equal Importance
are all in New Mexico.
State Engineer McCune received the
news in an unofficial way this morning,
but he has no doubt that the federal
statutes give the boundary line as
stated. Mr.. McCune believes it is either
an error of great magnitude on the part
of the men who revised the statutes or
is scheme concocted by the opponents
of New Mexican statehood to start
boundary war, and thus cause such
confusion among the friends of state
hood that the proposition will be badly
defeated.
The discovery of the contrariety was
made several days ago by the commits
sion in charge of the codification of the
federal laws in Washington. The new
statutes gave the thirty-eighth degree
as the boundary between Colorado and
New Mexico, and the commission
looked up the maps and surveys and
saw that the line given there was the
thirty-seventh degree.
1t appears that an attempt was made
to keep the matter secret until an in
vestigation could be held, but the sem
ate committee on statehood secured
possession of the information and will
spring it at the proper time as one of
the arguments against statehood.
7eNeiai vi 'iie we" oTk papers pup
lished stories about the boundary vari-
| ance last week and held that the stat
utes would have to be amended or a
| large slice of Colorado's territory would
be added to New Mexico.
"The changing by the statutes of the
boundary line between Colorado and
New Mexico must he an error, but I
cannot see how such a mistake could
have been made said the state enpin-
Ger this morning. at will certainly
be productive of great confusion before
it is settled. The discrepancy may
have been purposely arranged in order
to befuddle the members of congress on
New Mexican statehood. denver
Post.
! Whatever the opinions may be the
fact remains that New Mexico's north
ern boundary line was defined in 1850
as follows, and has not been changed
since, except when the territory of Ari-
zona was made in 1868:
"All that portion of the territory of
the United States bounded as follows:
Beginning at a point in the Colorado
river where the boundary line with
the Republic of Mexico crosses the
same; thence eastwardly with that
boundary line to the Rio Grande; thence
following the main channel of the Rio
Grande to the parallel of the thirty
second degree of north latitude; thence
east with that degree to its intersection
with the l03d degree Of longitude west
of Greenwich, thence north with that
degree Of longitude to the parelIeI of
thirty eighth degree of north latitude;
thence west with that parallel to the
summit Of Sierra Madre; thence south
with the crest of those mountains to
the thirty-seventh parallel of north lat
itude; thence west with that parallel to