Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-01-20
GENERAL INTEREST.
Working for Statehood Arguments
Heard by Committee.
ARID LAND BILL.

A telegram from Washington to the
Rocky Mountain News says:
The house committee on territories
gave hearing to New Mexico dele
cation on the bill to admit that terrific
ry to statehood. Delegate Rodey open
ed the argument. He said that New
Mexico had been asking admission for
| fifty-five years. Admission bills had
many times passed one or both branch
es of congress. He claimed that New
Mexico now had 10000 voters and
more than 100000 people.
Major w. II. H. Llewellyn followed,
He dealt with the legal arguments for
admission and dwelt particularly on
the strict enforcement of the laws
against crime in that territory.
Cal. A. w. Harris referred to the
great difficulty in getting foreign cap
ital to invest in the territory.
National Committeeman Luna follow
ed with an earnest argument on behalf
of New Mexican citizen of Spanish
ancestry.
G.. II. Gildersleeve alluded to the
great difficulty encountered in coloni-
cation, irrigation, railroad and other
enterprises under territorial form OF
government
w. H. Pope and l. NJ. Bond also
urged admission. Mr.. Bond said the
people of New Mexico had fought hos
tile Indians for 200 years and all that
time had governed and supported
themselves.
New Mexico had a larger percentage
of soldiers in the Union army than
any other state or territory. She fur
nished half of Roosevelt's Rough Rid
or nd tnI 30 f,,n, 1fCh hn rhn1n 20
regiment.
In the fifty-three years congress had
amended but one law of the New
Mexico legislature.
The hearing was a good one and the
chances are that the committee will
report the bill favorably.
In answer to question of a member
Of the territories committee, Delegate
Rodey said that he had three letters
from President Roosevelt, in which he
said that he was heartily in favor of
statehood for New Mexico and that he
would do everything that he could in
an honorable way to help secure the
great desires of people that furnish
ed half of his regiment.
The subcommittee in charge of the
arid land bill held a meeting and made
/ radical changes in the bill. Ii Will be
reported to the full committee of west
ern senators and representatives, and
/ if accepted will be introduced. 1t is
| the desire of all to get together on a
bill, abut much difficulty had been en-
countered, and it is still too early to
obtain definite information as to the
chances of arid land legislation this
session. One of the Objectionable fea-
lures still in the bill is that providing
that distribution of water shall be gov
ferned by the laws of the several states
in which the irrigation system may be
/ located.
The bill as changed omits the pro-
vision limiting the cost of any system
! TO a total not exceeding the value of
/ the lands, under it, with water right,
is now no limit on the cost of any sys-
/ TEN. excepting that each project must
| be self-sufficient and self supporting
/ the lands under it, with water right,
must of sufficient value TO pay for
the cost of construction and mainten-
ance of the system. The settlers in
stead of paying the maximum price Of
/ s. an acre as provided in the first form
of the bill must pay prior rate for
/ land and water sufficient to defray the
cost of the system.
Another new provision is that the
/ secretary of the interior is permitted
! to decide the size of lots to be sold
under each system according to the
quality of the land. The minimum is
/ fixed at forty acres. for fruit lands,
and 100 acres for that which may only
| be adapted for alfalfa. No private land
holder may purchase water for more
/ than 100 acres in any event. The com
mutation provision of the homestead
/ law, which permits entrymen TO COM
plete payment within fourteen months
will not apply in the irrigation act, the
object being to prevent spectators
from gobbling irrigable lands.