Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-05-07
PROMISES GOVERNMENT AID
Quantity and Quality OF Children
Knock Race Suicide Theory
In These Parts.
LIKES THE WtST AND B[llfytS IN IT

delivered by President Roosevelt At
Albuquerque
My Fellow Americans:
II has been the greatest pleasure
for me to travel through this great
territory today and to meet its citi-
zens. know you we'll. for half OF
my regiment came from New Mexi-
co.
! was greeted here by those whose
greeting always touches me peculiar
ly---the men Of the Grand Army the
men to whom we owe 1t that there Is
country, or a president to travel
through 1t, and ! am sure that need
not say any word to them in the way
Of explanation Of the fact that the
closest of all ties are the ties that knit
together men who face some hardship
and certain risk in campaigns and
on fought fields. and naturally. there
can he no other body Of men To whom
reel SO tightly bound as do TO the
men of nay own regiment.
have not only enjoyed to the fun
my trip today. but have been greatly
pleased and impressed by all that
have seen. Now ! come into this thriv-
ing city and for miles since have
struck the Rio Grande, have been
immensely impressed by what you are
doing with irrigation, and when we
have been able 10 get on little more
With II, there won't be the slightest
difficulty with my poor little friend on
the out side of the fence (Refcrring
10 tableau of 45 little girls, repre-
senting states and little New Mexico
outside
One Of the best acts that in my
judgment has ever been made by
law by congress, was that which pro
vldee that hereafter the national
government should aid the western
states, the Rocky Mountain states and
the territories in securing and utiliz.
ing the water supply until We can get
the agricultural resources of this reg
ion developed 10 the extraordinary
degree that is only possible with ir-
rigation, for do not have to tell you
that when you get irrigation proper
~ started we then find that rain is
mighty insufficient substitute for IT,
National Government viii Help.
The national government will aid
you, you yourselves will have done
and will do much and | have no ques-
tion that in the life time Of thnse
am now addressing, we shall see
practically all the water that now
goes to waste at times, stored and
utilized, and see this whole region
blooming as only the most favored
regions OF the earth can bloom.
Already beginning has been made,
but that Is only beginning. and while
much good will come In the immediate
future, II is impossible to estimate
how great will be that good in time
not In the immediate future. and yet
not far distant.
believe that irrigation will do far
more for these states and territories
than what has been accomplished by
any one factor In the development OF
the humid regions to the east and the
west.
u has been great pleasure To see
your country II has been great
pleasure to see the cities. To see the
land growing fertile as the waters are
brought over IL, 10 see your flocks
and herds. the products Of your mines.
but the one thing that has pleased me
most has been 10 see the men and
women. The best product Of any
region Is the product Of It's citizen.
ship. believe in you. know you.
! had some SIX hundred samples Of you
under my immediate charge, and they
panned out well.
The Children O. X.
was glad at Santa Fe, and am
glad here, TO be greeted by the child.
ren. The two classes that | think |
am most pleased TO he greeted with