Arizona republican., 1906-02-01
A Pleasing Prospect.


 River valley and necessarily of Phoe- nix was never so bulging with hope as it is now at the opening of the sec Ond month of the new year. We may engage in pleasing conjecture as to what the remaining months will un- fold as they roll by. The prospect Is the brighter by contrast with the raSher gloomy surroundings of the past years.
 There is a qualification in the com parison of conditions this morning with those of so late period as year ago. We had then. it is true. the al- most certain prospect of the compile tion of the Tonto reservoir. Beyond that all was confusion. We felt sure that it would "solve the water ques- tion," but we could not understand the process of solution.
 On February 1. 1905, the sun rose and set on a gaunt iron skeleton near Glendale. which we were inclined n regard as a costly monument to the folly of the Eastern Sugar company All else that remained of that pro-
 
 law suits for wages and material which had disappeared to no apparent purpose.
 Worse than all the pickering which mad rent the valley for years seemed unabated The progress which had been made toward water storage had created new factions without eliminat- iD1 any Of tha old oneS r Titi1a+iOD yr,ora extensive than ever over new ques- tions was promised. It appeared that there could be no improvement of conditions before the completion of the dam and We could then only nope that something better would come with plenty of water "out of the wash"
 But better times came rapidly and noiselessly. The improved temper Of the people was partly responsible and conditions which We did not pretend to influence were partly responsible.
 The beet sugar industry became fact long before those who remember ed the failure of the former enterprise could be made to believe it. It is now a visible fact to the least believ- ms lAc AelNAOAy Ao NOlAAp4tAGus lIlc beets are planted and the sun and water of the valley will do the rest
 The Arizona dam went out about a year ago. There was little hope that the disaster would be permanently re- paired within the succeeding four or five years It seemed that only make shifts would stand between the farm CTS and ruin and these makeshifts would necessarily be uncertain and fail.
 It may be that in the broader sense that disaster was a masked blessing. A common peril had a tendency to bring an end to pickering and a be- ginning of compromise.
 What followed is the history of yes terday, the accomplishment of the Committee of Sixteen in bringing to- gether all the quarrels of the valley and making a bonfire of them. It is not to be understood that the organi- zation of the committee was an even indirect result of the going out of the dam, nor was the still greater event in the history of the valley the project of government requirement of the north side canals, in any way related to the work of the committee, but the success of it was greatly forward ed by the good feeling which resulted directly from the labors of the com mittee
 We are now assured that the gov ernment will control the distribution oF the water ,rbicb if i- ,,raDa ripo r., conserve and we are further assured that the government will anticipate the completion of the storage dam. It Is certain that it will either secure. possession of the canals of the Arizo- ma Water company, or so much of them as may be necessary, or 1t will secure a new system. We would, of course. much prefer the former ar engagement for it would involve the least loss of time and production to the valley
 There is reason to believe that the arrangement will be made, though so far there is no indication from the side of the water company that 1t will be made. Delay in this matter on the part of the company is not unnatural, when it Is recalled that the present company as late as five years ago, invested nearly $4OO,OOO in an enter prise for which it is offered less than two-thirds as much, and when it is further considered that this invest ment was made on top of expenditures amounting fO more than a million IT