Bisbee daily review., 1902-02-12
MURPHY IRRIGATION SCHEME.

when we stated Tn late issue Of the Silver Belt that Governor Murphy had gone to Washington ito work for statehood and otra cosos." we were warranted in stating that "other things" besides statehood would claim 8 portion of his time while at the na- tional capital by a knowledge of the governors record. We had a fixed recollection that about the only thing that Oakes had failed to secure, that he went after on previous visits to Wash ingtOn, was statehood for Arizona, and we could not bring ourselves to the be- lief that he would pursue that will-o'- the-wisp save as a diversion from weightier matters.
 While we do not claim to possess the occult power of divination, it appears that we had Oakes sized up about right, if the information telegraphed from Washington to the Tucson Citi- zen is reliable, and we have no reason to doubt it's authenticity. It is repre- scented that the governor is putting in his time at Washington lobbying against the policy of national aid to the reclamation of arid lands, as advo- cated by President Roosevelt and Sec retary of the Interior Hitchcock, and AS the cessiOn of the arid lands to states. in direct opposition to the concurrent views of the western senators and rep gation bill now before congress.
 Coincident with this in ormation the Phoenix Republican, of January p, outlines the scheme of Frank NJ. Mur- phy, brother to the governor, which he nnfnlda6 a a rr1oaffno of he Mo ,.. cOpa county water storage commission Mir. Murphy's proposition is, in brief. "that an enabling act be procured au- thOrizing the county to issue bonds to the amount of g 5O0, 900 or SO much thereof as would be required in the event that the county should decide to build the dam itself. The enabling act, though, should be so broad ana liberal that tLe county ould be ac- thorized by it to enter into a contract with a private corporation on some such ter IFS as the following: Give the county the right to deposit with a trust company county bonds to the amount of $l ,OOe, 900, along with contracts en- tered into with the canal companies and water consumers who would be supplied with water from the prospec- tive reservoir. These contracts should represent sufficient revenue to meet the interest on the bonds covering the cost of construction of the dam and its operation and maintenance. The de- posit of si, 100000 of the county bonds is to be guaranty to the constructing company that the contracts would be observed. If they should be, no part of the deposit of the county bonds would ever be delivered, but in case of a deficit enough of the bonds deposited by the county to be made available to meet it would be delivered"
 The Republican endorses the propo- sition editorially, but its plea is weak ened by the knowledge that the paper is controlled by the Murpbys, and the opinion of personal organ carries lit tie weight with the discriminating public.
 We can at least give Frank Murphy's proposition the credit of being original. For . county to guarantee a corpora- tiop, to which it has given a valuable concession, against possible loss through the failure of water consum- CTS and canal companies to live up to contracts made with the constructing company, is new-so novel, in fact, that we must cOncede the brilliancy of the conception. The ordinary mortal, and especially the water consumer in Salt river valley, might be SO presnmp- tuous as to expect that a substantial guaranty would be exacted from a corporation receiving so valuable a franchise, to protect the citizen. but to question the good faith of a bene- factor-even though a corporation would be, doubtless, both illogical and ungrateful, in Mir. Murphy's opinion. Nevertheless, our advice to the citi- zens of Maricopa county is to study this unique proposition from every possible viewpoint before endorsing . project which might -fasten upon the county financial burden and eventu- ally involve it in endless litigation.
 The idea suggests itself that one of the ''other things" that took Brother Oskes" to Washington is to secure the introduction of the required enabling act.-0lobe Belt.
 The Belt has sized the game about right, and besides any proposition pre- sented now to congress looking to ir- rieation works by either states or counties must be embarrassing to the real friends of e national system of ir- rigstion- The Phoenix irrigation propo-