Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-03-21
Ell PASO WOULD Be
THE LOSER IN THE END
A Correspondent Of !aa New Mexican Shows
That the Construction Of tho international
Dam Would Hurt the Pass City as
Much as New Mexico.
the CLAIMS OF NAvIGAHILITY FOR THE
RIO GRAHDE ARE RIDICULOUS

Taos, March 20, 1902.
Editor of the New Mexican.
Dear Sir: I have read with great in
terest your able statements published
in the Santa Fe New Mexican from
time to time regarding the infamous
Stephens bill, which arguments ough
to convince even the most bigoted, no
only as to the inconsistens and alb
surdity of this bill, put also the wronl
and injustice inflicted on New Mexic,
by keeping out capital which is nov
seeking legitimate and profitable in
vestment in developing the vast re
sources of our territory and the Ele
phant Butte dam In particular, as all
so the incalculable injuries the same
Stephens bill seeks to impose on SINH
lar enterprises in the rich valleys OF
the Rio Grande in the northern part
of the territory and in the state -o1
Colorado.
Is this fair sample of their friend
ship and justice that the enlightened
east seeks to impose on her sister in
the west and expect us to remain ST.
lent?
Now let us see what are the alega-
tions of the Stephens bill which seeks
to smother the legitimate enterprises
of New Mexico and to drive out capi-
tai. The whole sum and substance of
their argument is based on the asser-
ton shat if the Elephant Butte Dam is
constructed it will be at. the expense
and to the detriment Of the navigation
of the Rio Grande from Ell Paso south.
However, when it is borne in mind
that the friends of the Stephens bill
propose to build larger dam at Ell
Paso, they insinuate that the alleged
navigation of the Rio Grande will not
in anyway be affected thereby. All OF
it not for this fact that a committee of
congress is today discussing the Meas
ure with apparent seriousness and all
due gravity.
Having referred to the Stephens bill
as relates to its interference with the
enterprises of New Mexico, it may not
be out of place to forecast its evil eff
fects on Ell Paso and surroundings
and how the project of building a dam
at Ell Paso is regarded by men long ia
miliar with that part of the country
and of undoubted experience and fore
sight and whose opinF Fors shorla be
well weighed at this 'sa,9e OF the con-
troversy and which are as follows:
l. That the merchants of Ell Paso are
not at present looking beyond the i'm
effects of a large sum of mon
ey being expended by the United
States government in the construction
of dam at FL Paso and of which
sum they expect to get their share. At
the same time it is frankly admitted
that it is a boodling scheme first, last
and all the time. But inasmuch as Un-
Gle Sam is to foot the bills 1T Is nothing
out of their pockets.
2 That the people of Ell Paso do not
yet realize that in building dam as
under the Stephens bill, that
it will destroy the city as a health re-
sort as all decayed vegetation and
malarial germs will be deposited at the
very gates of the city and thus ire
parably destroying the value of real
estate.
8. That owing to the character of the
muddy waters of the Rio Grande and
the sitting quick sands at this point,
the dam if ever constructed, would
soon fill up and flood the surrounding
country, railroads, etc. However, this
evil might in part be mitigated by the
of dredges, that would
cost in the future many times over the
original cost of the projected dam.
4. That Ell Paso Is quite content with
the rapid progress she is making and
when once alive to the true significance
Of this dam nuisance at her very doors,
that her businessmen would never for
one moment permit the bright future
Of their city to be menaced by the nut-
sance aforesaid.
A word that may not be amiss in re-
gard to the alleged navigation Of the
Rio Grande, more particularly as 1t is
still fresh in the public mind that two
attempts We're made last summer to
descend the river from Ell Paso. Judg-
ing from the public excitement this
caused together with the comments of
the El Paso press, it is but natural to
suppose that this was the first time
trip was ever attempted from Ell Paso
south on this socalled navigable river.
However, sad to relate, they both
proved disastrous. The first boat
stranded and the second attempt in
canoe was accompanied by a loss OF
life.
Tt should be apparent that if two
minimum sized boats cannot descend
the river from Ell Paso without disas-
ter, that vessels of traffic could never
travel over the same course, much less
come up the river. facts necessary to
establish the navigability of any river.
However, as a matter Of fact, the
Rio Grande is not navigable at any
point as the river sinks in some places
and has dangerous shifting quicksands
deposited by floods at others. The rea-
son of this is that the Rio Grande
ceases at Preside del Norte and from
thnce, south it becomes the Rio
Concho to the Gulf. See the opinion of
Secretario de Fomento which says
that the Concho supplies the water
that makes the socalled Rio Grande
navigable to few small river boats
away below the junction Of the Rio
7rande with the said Concho river.
All these facts can be readily estab-
ished by any person who will take