Arizona republican., 1902-09-07

It must be remembered that the whole matter, whatever plan be adopted will particularly, at first. involve long and tedious labor. But there Is no evading it and it ceases to be formid- able when it is considered that the work is much of the same character. and no more difficult. than the assess ment of county taxes. and can be done much cheaper and much better.
 Each stockholder of at least one share should be allowed one vote at all cor pOrate elections. and only one what ever the number of shares he or sh= may own, and his or her qualifications as an elector shall be determined by reference to the associations books as they appear. say twenty days before an election. In no event shall voting be permitted by proxy. but must De done at the designated polling place o- places. by the stockholder in person. | Regular elections should be provided for, to be held annually for the elec- tion of directors. and upon other mat ters properly referable to the stock holders. These regular elections should be held in the spring. so as to be free | from the influences of and the cOnIu- sion incident to county and territorial elections. Specific rules governing elections should be provided. as for polling places. election boards, voting. canvass of votes and returns. etc. Pro | vision should be made also for tha calling and holding of special elections | There should be provided a council. In whom shall be lodged the general leg | islatiye powers of the corporation. as tO making, modification or repeating or bylaws. for the government of the members and the directors. The cOun- cil should consist. tentatively. of say forty members. who shall be stock holders. one-half elected every year. and holding two years. This council should meet in regular session at des- ignated times and places. and specially when called by the directors. or by a designated number of the stockholders To this council should be left the gem eral matters of the bylaws. the fixing of salaries and compensation of officers. etc. They should serve without com pensation and be governed in the trans action of their business by rules usually governing legislative bodies.
 The immediate management of the taffairs of the association should be vested in a board, of say nine direct DTS. and in such officers as the articles of the association or the council may l prescribe. The board should hold reg ularly designated meetings and special ones in manner to be prescribed by the bylaws. The directors should b. ! allowed a proper compensation. tO b. 1 fixed by the council. There should be a president. with the usual executive powers of that office. who should alsn be the presiding officer of the council. There should also be secretary and treasurer exercising respectively the usual functions pertaining to those offices, who si.ould be required to exc cute a proper bond in amount and with sureties prescribed by the council. Any proposition emanating with the direct ors, involving an expenditure of more than s1O.OOO. shall be first approved by the council before being submitted tO the stockholders. Council may pre- scribe penalties for the infraction Of bylaws and provide that those i'm posed, if not otherwise discharged. shall be added to the assessments against defaulting stockholders and collected as assessments are.
 Now. as to the settlement of thu rights of water users. as they now are. and which the act expressly provides shall not, and which could not. be dis turbed or divested.
 A discussiOn or the matter here seeSns unnecessary. That there is a priority of right to use water must be conceded. The priority of appropriation is the fundamental rule of all property: the first right to it was its appropriation. and every right is inevitably traceable to it. As with any other species or property so it is with the property In the right to use water. If there Is
 enough for all to take indefinitely. and
 as he wants it, the exercise of the right conflicts with that of no other. and
 priority becomes q distinction of no
 practical importance.
 It is proposed that the government shall construct a reservoir that shall
 conserve an amount of water which
 with the natural flow of the Salt and
 it's tributaries shall afford an ample
 supply for all the wants of the owners
 of a given extent of land. It should
 be an infiexible rule never to be depart
 ed from. that no right to the use of
 water from these sources should be
 accorded to the owner or occupant or
 one acre of land beyond the capacity
 of these sources of supply to fully and
 adequately furnish. If these conditions
 can be made to prevail as long as they do prevail then it matters not to z
 that A is first in the list in point Of time, for A and z are equally supplied.
 It would be disastrous if these cOndi-
 tions should change-that is. if the sup ply of water should become insufficient for the needs of all who shall have acquired a right to it. This could occur by the breaking away of the impound ing dam, and we should then b. re mitted to the conditions that now pre- vail, and the natural flow of the Sal; and its tributaries, as now. would be the supply and be. of course. insufh- cient for all: and the question then ob- trudes itself, who should have the use . ! of that water? The conditions having reverted to their present state. the rights of water users would naturally and logically also revert and be as they now are.
 If by miscalculation. carelessness. 2 want of foresight or other untOward cause, the right to use water from the reservoir was disposed of. or attempted : to be disposed of. to the owners or Oc-