The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1905-09-09

u lew OuS, Ju0SSQ ny mOuSi AM~A
lean standards. The duty of making
it what it ought to be and what it is
capable of becoming is duty of
the active men Of today and, among
them, some OF the very men that are
standing here before me. Whatever
influence we possess and whatever ma
tural advantages we enjoy should be
used to the utmost for the benefit Of
all the people Of New Mexico. You
should take the lead in many things.
and, among them 1 think 1 may safely
designate as of first in importance,
respect for and obedience to, the
laws Of our country. We should all
use our utmost endeavors to see to
it that the liberal provisions of the
Homestead and Desert-Land laws are
obeyed in letter and in spirit. The
intention of those laws was to put
such public lands as are capable of
cultivation into the hands of THE
MAN WITH THE HOE, under liber-
al conditions and to keep them out
of the hands of spectators. Swapp-
ing land does little good to anyone
except the swappers. Everyone in
this community should do his utmost
to help the man who is trying to ere
ate a home for himself and his fami.
ly, and the more faithfully the laws
are observed the better chance the
| actual cultivator of the soil will have
to succeed
In his immediate vicinity, almost
upon this very spot, was begun the
irrigation system of the Pecos Val
ley. Here John Chisum, the pioneer
under great difficulties dug the ditch
es and built the Jams to utilize the
waters Of the South Spring River.
That vas the beginning. After him
came others. who, encouraged by mis-
example. extended the farming area
in this vicinity. First was the man
with the courage to begin, then the
men with the courage to follow. They
all deserve our admiration and re
spect. for it is hard for us to realize,
T.. o,- $3.50 I
ings, what difficulties they had to ov-
ercome. The next step was the en-
trance Of capital and business mana
ment to develop in a large way what
you pioneers had the courage t. mi.
tate. The developers came. it took
almost as much courage for them to
put in their money, their brains and
their energies. as it did for the pio-
neers to make the beginning. We of
the present generation regard them
all with the same respect. We know
what these men sacrificed for their
convictions. The Pioneers and all
their successors had faith in this
walton was to be worked out by put
ting the available water on n under
the ground to beneficial use, through
irrigation, and they were ready to,
and did sacrifice themselves, their en-
ergies n often their fortunes TO
prove their faith. Their faith is now
being justified, their dreams are be-
ing realized, the country is proving it
self worthy of the sacrifices made for
it.
And now comes the last scene in
this peaceful revolution. The United
States Government has not allowed
the heroic efforts of the pioneers O
the work of their successors to pass
unnoticed. 1t has kept a watchful
eye on the gradual and difficult res
cue work being carried on in the arid
west. the rescue of the desert by in
dividual initiative and private capital
1t has seen that, If this work were
properly consummated it wou1d re-
suit in vast good to the Republic and
make new homes for millions of citi-
But the government also saw
that this work could not be properly
probably continued by private
enterprises and therefore, when the