Arizona silver belt., 1904-04-07
CONCERNING THE TONTO ROD

with the government engineers Tn charge of the construction of irrigs- tion works on upper Salt river because they favor the building of road con meeting the damsite with the towns in the lower valley. We can appreciate the fact that such road would be a convenience to the engineers, would facilitate the transaction of business at the dsmsite, and, more important than all else, would be check upon the railroad system having a terminus here a, Globe, to discourage unreasonable freight charges on material and sup plies to be used in the construction of the works. These are reasons upon which the engineers could base an ar gument in favor of the so.called Tonto road without laying themselves liable to criticism.
 What we do object to Is the attitude of seeming hostility to Globe, the re. fusal to recognize that the people of this town and county of Gila have any interests or rights in the matter which deserve to be considered. The facts seem to be ignored that this county will lose valuable lands and improve ments which contribute in taxes to the support of the county government, and that the expenses of the county during the construction of the irrigation works will be largely increased through the addition of undesirable people to our population, who will contribute little if anything to the support of the county, but, to the contrary, will i'm pose a burden by increasing the court, jail and hospital expenses.
 Already we have one criminal case directly chsrgeable to this irrigation project that will in all probability cost dila county 5000 or more. We re- fer to the Prescott embezzleme nt case. We are also having sn influx of the hobo class, largely attracted by the Salt river irrigation project, and as consequence our jail is kept full of petty offenders These conditions promise to last and grow worse as the construction work at the reservoir site | increases. And yet the people of the lower Salt river valley assume that AS they are suppo sed to pay for the irri- gstion works, at some time in the dis tant future, they are entitled to rs. ceive all the benefits fIom the distri- button of money by the government on account of the project, and the en- ginneers of the geological survey in charge of the work encourage them in this stand.
 The position oi government engi- neer, in this connection, should be one of strict independence. He should be free from the faintest suspicion of par tislity between conflicting or rival in. terests He should be concerned only with the engineering features of the project and questions of how to expe- dite the work. Yet we find MT. Hill appealing to the selfish interests of the people of Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa, ;elling them not only that road from ;he valley to the dsmsite would divert 'll the business from Globe to the val. ey towns, but that they would be in position to invade more of Globes ierritory. At the mass meeting in Phoenix on March 29, MT. Hill is quoted by the Republican as having aid: "The advantage lay not in the nere building of the road to the dam ite. It would join other roads for the /, 'pening up of the country beyond the Sierra Ancha, Pleasant valley, the country along Tonto creek and the rich egion about Payson. Mir Hill be- /. ieved that the road could be finished within three months after the funds be- anne available.
 If MT. Hill made the above state- |, nent, he was, in our opinion, guilty 1, | a grave indiscretion. We hope that , 'e has been misquoted, as we would ate to believe that he woald so far orget his position as an engineer and
 government employe.
 It seems probable that bonds will !, @ voted in the election in Phoenix a ext Monday, and that the money bus raised will be expended for the :. ompletion of the road, on which the overnment has already expended : 'rge amount of money. The govern. !, lent will have to spend more money, .