Arizona republican., 1903-05-31
TEMPE ULTIMATUM Stockholders of Tempe
 Canal Company
Petition Secretary of the Interior-At the Same Time They hake Plain What the Government Will Have to do if It Gets Any Standing in That Community or Does Any Business There.

mat Communlty or Does Any
 Business There.
 By their negative and all but unani- nous action yesterday afternoon. the stockholders of the Tempe Canal com pany affirmed and placed themselves on record as affirming their opposition to the construction of the Tonto reservoir by the government. The plan upon which the government will proceed with this enterprise has been outlined repeatedly and in detail. It is fair to assume the Tempe canal stockholders are as familiar with it as anybody. Yet by their action yesterday they an nounced without equivocation that it is not what they want.
 Emphatically stating, however, that they want a reservoir as much as any class of people can want one, they re- affirm their implicit confidence in the government and it's intentions, an nounce an equal confidence in them selves and their own intentions and proceed to parade their distrust of ev- cry official representing the govern ment and on whom devolves the re-
 
 voir under the provisions of law en- acted by that beneficent government for the guidance of the said unreliable agents. They did not place the matter before the world in that language, but no other inference can be drawn from the text of the document to which they subscribed. Having discarded the plan of the Water Users association, which fc na sc r1ll n proceeded to state to the secretary of the interior the terms upon which they would consent to become ''particeps criminis" with the government in the construction of a reservoir. If the gov ernment doesn't like the terms it doesn't have to build and that's all there is to it. The manner in which they arrived at this point was in the adoption by every stockholder of the Tempe canal present, save one. of the following
 PETITION.
 To the Honorable Secretary of the Tn-
 ter!or:
 Whereas. We, the undersigned, are greatly in need and strongly in favor of the construction of the TOnto Basin reservoir by the United States govern ment at the earliest possible moment, and whereas we are owners of land in the Salt River valley, in the county ot Maricopa territory Of Arizona. within the area susceptible of irrigation by means of such reservoir, We Go hereby apply for a right to the use of water from such reservoir when constructed, for the irrigation of cur several tracts of land as hereinafter described and designated: and should such reservoir rights be issued to us we do hereby covenant and agree with the govern ment of the United States and the sec retary of the interior, that, in consider ation of the issuance to us of such res erVoir rights, we severally obligate and pledge said lands to the government of the United States under such rules and regulations as may be imposed by yourself or other proper authorities of the government, to meet the charges apportioned against our said tracts of land in annual installments as provided by the act Of congress governing the same. And We agree and covenant that that United States government shall have and is hereby granted lien upon our lands until such installments have been paid in full. should the govern ment require such lien.
 And We further covenant and agrec to be governed and to abide by any and all regulations imposed by the gov Crnment of the United States or by the secretary of the interior for the ac- quisition, holding and using of any and all such reservoir rights.
 We definitely agree 10 the above obli- gations upon the following conditions:
 First. That in accordance with the HansboroughN law our pres ent vested rights to the natural appro- priCted flow of the Salt and Verde rivers shall not be affected nor inter- fered With. And that the distribution of said natural appropriated flow water to which our present vested rights en- title us shall be regulated through the use of the reservoir. thus greatly in creasing the duty of water and the beneficial use of such reservoir.
 Second. That the total acreage to be irrigated within the reservoir district from all available sources of water supply shall not exceed POO, 900 acres, in view of the known water supply of the Salt and Verde rivers, as shown by the records of the United States geological survey and the court water commis- sioner of Maricopa county; subject. however, to an increase of such acre age should the secretary of the interior at any time determine that such in- creased acreage was warranted through an increase shown in the water supply.
 Third. That the water users under each canal system shall have the right to maintain, operate and control such canal system and distribute the water Ito the lands under the canal system en- titled to it's use, under such rules and regulations as may be approved by the secretary of the interior.
 Fourth. That all annual installments due the government shall be paid by the owners of said lands upon an equal basis, should the secretary of the in- terior so construe the Hansborough- Newlands law. All payments for the maintenance, operation and control of the several canal systems under which we are located, as well as all payments for the purpose of constructing, acquir- ing. bettering, improving. renewing, re- placing or preserving any works used