Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-09-16
CONCERNING THE CANYON.

company expects 70 condemn Two
more miles Of the GalIinas canyon.
Whether # Will be successful pr
not ID not easy p say. As this il 2
maftor which should gitally interest
NC public. It would be wzil 20 consiies
the question and the attitude Of lie
public toward Ii. The people are d.
yidcd into four classes with reference
70 the subject.
First, there are those who thlnl, 1t
utterly wrong for the Aqua Plra com,
pany 10 gobbie up the remainder 81
the beautiful and r%esourceful caugo.i
and put Ii forever out of the control
Of the people: who abior the indiIfer.
ence Of the people IN offering no pro
test when they see n OF their rlost
priceless possessions being taken
from them and placed In the hands OF
. sonllesa corporation; who say that
the company should not ask for more
facilities until they have made the
most Of those already in their pos
session: who say that II they want
more land they should be content
with taking, at the outside, one moro
mile Or about up TO the tollgate and
not ask for the whole thing clear to
Trout Springs, who see In this piece
Of canyon opportunities for developing
valuable water power as well as for
storing immense and priceless quanti-
ties of water. All OF this they believe
the public should hold on TO like grim
death.
Most or this class feel deeply and
sincerely their convictions In the mat
ter.
II also contains those who knock"
at this and every other proposition
because they have lost, through dis
use. the power TO do anything else.
There is a second class, who approve
heartily OF the Aqua Pura company's
Intentions; who say, What Is Of more
Importance to this town or any other
town than its water suppiy?" AS our
town grows, the company which Is en-.
titled to supply us With winter will
need greatly enlarged sies--they
will derive from ttta ditional
ground Increased storaa J3m. purer
water and higher pressure-three VI
tai essentials Of an efficient system.
They will prevent the canyon from
becoming contaminated by the health.
seekers who come TO this section In
increased numhers every year. They
believe that the water supply Of n
town Ii its very life blood and should
be protected and improved ani con.
served at the expense OF every other
consideration They consider the
Agia Pura company to be composed
Of men who are generous. who contrib
ute largely 10 all public objects, WAC
are spending money every year to i'm
prove their service and who, upon
payment OF q reasonable sum, are well
entitled to the enlarged facilities
which the canyon In question Will
AFFORD. Az to keeping this for a I'll.
ture time when tho town can own its
water supply, they say the charter
Of the Aqua Pura company runs for
over thirty years, and II the town
grows, as we all hope and expect,
they will have to have increased facil-
tiles long before that time expires,
Tho time to have obtained municipal
control was when that was possible
several years ago. Now tho corpora
tIon has the thing In It's hands.
This brings us to the third class
those who may have some opinions
on the subject. but who don't like To
express them for fear they will offend
some one or possibly lose n dollar
thereby. The opinions OF this class
remind one Of the seed which fell on
stony ground-the birds Of ayarice
came and carried them away. They
are TO be found getting out of the
road OF every question of public In
terest or moral significance which
comes up In Las Vegas.
The. fourth class are those who
don't know anything about this MAJ
who don't care 10 know
who are utterly Indifferent to this ard
all other questions OF public moment.
They are found in very large numbers
in Las Vegas and are probably a mai
ural result OF u more Or less shifting
As n matter OF fact. this mroposi.
ton resolves itself into a purely legal
question. The laws Of New
Mexico give the Aqua Pura company
and all similar companies the same
right Of eminent domain which It
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