Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-05-04

NEWELL HEARS
I rom RODEY
Delegates Dissents From Find.
ings Of photographer Re-
garding New Mexico
NO PRIOR . CLAI M S
A Touch Of The Blarney For The
Geological Survey Man and
Praise For Reclamation
Service
Prof. f. H. Newell.
Chief photographer, Geolog. Survey
April 80, 1904

i CnleI Hydrographer Geoiog. survey
/ April 80, 1904
My Dear Mr. Newell
] have been losing my patience con-
Isiderably with the survey lately, as
You know. and see that you have
caused to be published over New Mex.
leo, In several of our newspapers, an
article, Of which the enclosed clip
ping is a copy. am very thankful
for your having done that. because 1t
! puts the matter In proper light be.
fore the people Of New Mexico
do not admit, though. that there
/ is anything near the scarcity Of pro-
jects that the article intimates there
lis On the contrary, ! firmly believe
that there are many places In New
Mexico where the flood waters could
be impounded with profit to the lands
below them
There is one paragraph Of the en-.
closed clipping to which most re-.
lspectfully dissent. and that is where
you say, "the question OF prior claims
OF irrigated lands in Texas and Old
Mexico must also be given weight,
since no enterprise undertaken by the
government can properly neglect the
rights Of other people," deny most
lemphatically that Texas or Mexico
j, has any prior claim to water rights
over the Territory or N.o Mexico al
Ito waters within New Mexico's own
catchment area. The people OF the
Territory are prepared to substantiate
this claim by proofs, and history is
with their contention deny, also.
that there Is any such thing as an
international prior appropriation of
water that Is binding upon anyone nor
choosing 70 respect II; and deny that
there is anything in the comfy OF
nations, or in the treaties between
| this country and Mexico, which oh.
lliges this nation to burden its catch,
ment areas with any seryitude iii fa.
por of foreign nation. II might be
polite 70 do II. did II moi injure our
own people, but when water Is a1
scare as II Is in New Mexico, we con.
tend that with the nation, as well al
with individuals, charity begins at
homo.
You, OF course, are aware, that |
have argued this question at great
length before the committe on foreign
relations of the house OF representa-.
tives, before the attorney general Of
the United States, and before the sec.
retary OF state OF the United States.
However, New Mexico has nothing
against the state OF Texas or the Re.
public OF Mexico, and we feel that the
reclamation service, Of which you are
competent and honored Official, viii
solve all possible dispute that may ar.
ise in that regard by building dams
in northern New Mexico and other
dams down through the Territory, so
that the people Of Texas and Mexico
will have more water for ,ise, caught
below the lowest Of the New Mexico
dams, than they have heretofore ever
enjoyed the use of. We consider Il
folly to build the down stream dam
frst, and prohibit the people above
from any use Of the water. We con.
slider that sort Of a proposition as be.
ginning at the wrong end. and that Is
what We believe the claims Of Mexico
and Texas amount to.
With assurances Of my high regard. !.
am, Sincerely yours,
d. s. RoDEY,
Delegate In Congress from New