Arizona republican., 1903-04-26
water in abundance.


 Mir. Woolf Of Tempe, in his talk be fore the director of the geological sur vey a week ago. grounded on the lien his objections to the government 8 plan Of organization. He stated that he and his associates would willingly
 give security to the government for
 the money expended by the govern
 ment, but they were net inclined to
 sign articles which made the security
 run to the association. His explana-
 tion was that there might be unfair assessments for maintenance and SC
 forth, and it was brought cut in the
 meeting that the rancfers under the
 older canals like the Tempe, feared
 that they might be called upon to pay more than their share of maintenance charges.
 All ranchers in that state of mind should read the communication in to- days Republican.
 The ranchers under the Tempe and Salt canals should remember, more over, that after the reservoir is con- structed they will get the best of it" in the proportionate cost Of mainten ance. That is to say, it will cost more approximately to maintain the older and smaller canals with their urscien- tific laterals than it will cost to main tain the Arizona when it's 50,O00 acres are under cultivation. Ranchers who are disposed to be frightened by the cost Of maintaining the big Arizona canal should not forget that this cost would be very small ger acre if ap- portioned among the 5o,00O irrigated acres covered by that canal and it would really be money in the pockets of the Arizona ranchers if they were to pay only their proportionate cost of maintaining their own c;illal instead Of their proportionate cost Of maintaining all the canals-as they will have to do should the association ever acquire all the canals.
 The lien and assessment features are both directly protective Of the priority right ranchers.
 We think it advisable to say here, that after a careful examination of all the amendments submitted by Mr Dwight E. Heard fer the consideration of the director of the geological slIrvey-and which Mir. Walcott said could not be considered unless they were presented by the association ltseIf-we are unable to find single reason for defeating the reservoir proposition because Of their rejection. We do not desire to SC to t'ie lngth of asserting tl:at there may not be merit in some of the amend ments. But, assuredly, not one of them is vital or even necessary tc the successful and entirely satisfactory op- eration of the association, and from practical standpoint they are out of the question at this time. because the government has turned them down and will not pay attention to them again unless the association requests their adoption.
 Bearing all these things in mind, ! what can Mir. Heard, MT. Woolf and i Mr. Wilbur hope to gain by contin- uing their opposition to the present plan of organization? On the other i hand, if they were active members Of l the association, does anybody doubt ! that their remarkable vigilance and i ability to see trouble afar off would be ! Of great protective value to the asso- ciation? In the first place. no man or | set of men can corner the shares Of ! the corporation. because they are in rom tl.e land. Any time an 1 assessment is voted. it falls upon every | shareholder alike. No man can evade | paying his proportionate share Thus | the opportunities for wrongdoing are reduced to a minimum, and the share holders having these gentlemen as sen i tinels on the watch-towcrs of public i interest could never fail to be warned i of any danger.
 The opposition to the adopted plan is melting away fast, and We hope to see the valley unanimously supporting it i within another week. Then, after ! everybody is a shareholder, Mir Heard, 1 Mr. Woolf and AIr Wilbur need not fear to run the gauntlet of common sense. If they have amendments which should be incorporated into the system of operation, surely the valley will adopt them in due season.
 But the first thing to do is to get the