Arizona republican., 1902-03-06
PHoENIx. ARIZONA, MARCH 6, 1902.
After devoting many months of study

After deNOInS many IlOIllIlS ol olu<S to the subject, the board of water
 storage commission THE CTS of Maricopa ENABLING ACT county have agreed FOR STORAGE. upon the terms of q
 bill to be submitted to congress, to enable the county to issue it's bonds and construct a storage reservoir for irrigation. The proposed measure appears on another page of The Republican this morning. and speaks for itself. As printed. it eN- presses the views of the commission as arrived at after many conferences and after consulting many and con- flicting advisers among the citizens Of the county Before laying the bill be- fore congress, however, the commis- sioners have decided to submit it to eminent counsel in New York, in order that all legal pitfalls may be avoided, and in this they are wise. Doubtless, Judge Dillon will point out crudities and weaknesses, but it should not be difficult fer him to put the bill in shape very speedily for submission to con- gross.
 It will occur to many readers at once, upon examaniation of the bill, that the commissioners have made a serious mistake in confining it's enabl- ing features to county ownership alone. It should have been kept steadily in view that the voters might reject this proposition at the polls, in which case all the time and labor heretofore ex- pended would be lost. There should have been alternative provisions. there fore. for subsequent elections to de- termine whether the county would vote moderate subsidy to a private corpo- ration. or would vote bonds to guar antee the interest on bonds of a corpo- ration. or vote a limited amount Of bonds to be exchanged for bonds of reservoir company, in the event of defeat fer the first proposition. In other words. the bill should have been sufficiently broad in scope to enable the people of AIaricopa county to do as they pleased. It is understood that the commissioners could not agree on this feature. however, and those members who have stood out for single plan will find that they have assumed a heavy and very unpleasant responsi- bility, should the plan carried by the bill be defeated by the voters.
 To be sure. it is only on the asump- tion that the people of AIaricopa county can be blind to their own interests, that fear need be entertained that the commissions plan will fail at a popular election. In view of the urgent need for more water, and in view of the in creased benefits 10 the whole con- munity which will flow from a storage reservoir only the most palpably ob- jecticnable proposition should be re- jected when the question is ct final issue. Phoenix solidly. and large ma jority Of the people throughout the irrigated districts of the county. are for any reasonable scheme that VII obtain storage. But the commissioners held tc 3 shcrt-sighted view when thcs determined to withhold from the people the privilege of determining on the rlan that is most practicable for ac complaining that which everybody wants
 The bill wisely provides that in cas: the revenues are insufficient to me- the fixed charges, any special taxatior necessary to make up the deficit shal be only upon the territor* comprise within the irrigated districts This i to relieve the outside communities such as the Buckeye country. Wicken- burg and localities not directly bcne fted, from any burden in meeting tn expenses of the reservoir. This pro vision is good from tactical stand point. Had it not been inserted, man, misinforIned people outside the cana lines would have been arrayed agafps the bond proposition through fear 0 increased taxation As q matter 9 fact, as every informed person knows if the reservoir is properly manage, and its revenues honestly accouutc' for, it will be a profitable propositiol for the ccunty. and there will b. Ii