Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-04-23
HANGED HIGHER
THAN HAMAN
Delegate B. S. Rodey Succeeds in Putting the
Finishing Touches to the international
Dam Scheme.
DEAD FOR PRESENT SESSION
Contrary TO the Widely Published Statements, Mexico Is
Not Pressing The Matter Of Building Dam at E
Pasu at Ml--The Department OF State
Takes Up the Case.

That the International Dam scheme
is practically dead, as far as the pres
ent session of congress Is concerned, Is
an assured fact. Much praise for this
victory is due to New Mexico's delegate
to congress- Hon. B. S. Rodey. He has
.. hanged the nefarious Stephens and
Culberson bills and the Burleson sub
stitute higher thal A&man. Last week,
when the house = sn.ssttee on foreign
relations was about 10 repori adverse
ly on the Stephens bill Representative
Burleson of Texas, in the absence of
Representative Stephens, withdrew the
Stephens bill and Immediately intro
duced new bill in which he endeav-
ored to meet the wishes of the commit
tee. In this substitute bill it was pro-
vided that the secretary of state should
proceed to negotiate a treaty with
Mexico. providing that the latter coun-
try should accept the building of the
International dam at the cost of the
United States, the ceding of part Of
the national domain to Mexico, so that
one end of the dam would be on Mexi
can SOIL and the giving to Mexico for
ever, of one-half of the impounded wa
ters, as full compensation for all past
and future damage claims which Mex
leo is said to allege to have sustained
by reason of the appropriation of the
waters from the Rio Grande by citizens
of the United States. Delegate Podey
learned from friend in the house of
representatives, that this substitute
bill has been referred to the secretary
of state by the house committee on
foreign relations, for his views. The
delegate at once set to work following
up the bill He learned that the secre-
tary of state had referred the question
of the liability of the United States to
Mexico, and the necessity for such a
treaty, to the attorney general for a
legal opinion. Delegate Rodey at once
saw the attorney general and made an
argument before him, with which the
latter seemed much impressed. He
thanked Delegate Rodey for the great
clearness with which he had stated the
law and promised that when the matter
came up again for consideration, he
would be given an. opportunity to be
heard at length Soon after Delegate
Rodey received notice to appear before
the attorney general and last Friday
afternoon went before Assistant Attor-
ney General Hoyt, who had been desig-
mated by the attorney general to look
1t T,,I
called in Judge Burch who has conduc-
ted the governments side of the Ele-
phant Butte Dam case, and permitted
Mr. Rodey and Judge Burch to argue
the International dam project Mr..
Rodey made an argument lasting for
two hours and succeeded in taking the
wind out of the sails of Burch's preju-
dices against New Mexico's rights.
Judge Hoyt was convinced that the de-
partment of justice ought not to render
an opinion in the matter at the present
time, because the questions involved IN
it are being considered by the supreme
court of the United States in the Ele-
phant Butte Dam case and the Kansas
Colorado case. The department of jus
tice will therefore render no opinion at
all for the present or else find that the
United States is under no obligations
to the citizens of Mexico for waters ap-
propriated within the territory Of this
nation On Saturday morning, Dele
gate Rodey had a similar satisfactory
conference with Secretary of State
Hay and laid the same points before
him. He received very courteous treat
ment and the promise that no hasty
action is contemplated and that he
would be given ample notice and an
opportunity for a full hearing. One
fact brought out by the secretary, bears
out the assertion made before this, that
the minister of Mexico and the gov
ernment Of Mexico have not been pres
sing the International Dam matter at
all and as far as Secretary Hay could
remember it has never been pressed
| before, except by the people of south
western Texas and the delegation IN
congress from that section. 1t seems
| that the Mexican government is practi-
cally taking no interest in the matter
at all. and that the Texas land grab
| bers are merely using the name of Mex
| leo and it's so-called rights and Inter-
ests, in their preambles and proposed
treaty, to give greater weight to their
demands, whose absurdity Is evidently
even apparent to them.