The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1906-04-23

in spite of many difficulties into a
modern, up-to-date, progressive com
munity. If there are any of you who
believe that New Mexico is not ami
mated by the same ambitions, inspir-
ed by the same patriotism and upheld
by the same ideals as the citizens of
Missouri, Kansas and Illinois, | want
most emphatically to assure you that
you are in error.
w are one of the oldest and at the
same time n of the youngest com
munities in the United States. Our
history and traditions stretch back
to a time-when the area composing
the rich states over whose d~estinies
the gentlemen who have already spok
en- preside, were entirely unknown.
In the city of Santa Fe there still
stand buildings erected before the
pilgrim fathers landed in New Eng
land. The descendants of the brave
men who built them are living in New
Mexico today n are good American
citizens with the welfare of the union
near their hearts. We are one of the
youngest communities in that our
great resources, our vast areas of I'M
cultivated lands are just becoming
known to the investor, the Immigrant
and the homeseeker.
1T has been believed until recen
years that very little of our land could
be used for any purpose other than
for grazing our herds of cattle and
flocks of sheep; that our great depos-
its of coal were so remote as to make
them of little value. But now all this
is changed, and the makers of empire.
the homebuilders in their progress
westward no longer pass us by. I'm
der the improved methods of agricul.
ture great areas of land which have
hitherto been locke upon as mere
boundless prairies-are being eager.
ly taken up by those pushed out of
h rowde eastern states. AS in
Arizona, so too, in New Mexico is
being demonstrated the wonderful pos
sibilities of irrigation. Much has been
done by private capital, but the fu-
ture of irrigation which is still in it's
infancy, depends with us as it does
in many other states and territories.
upon one of the most b~eneicent and
f~ar-reaching laws ever enacted by any
nation at any time. | refer to the ma
tional reclamation law, which Gov
ernor Kibbey has already mentioned,
a law which will make it possible to
mt Ill H. -. -
fetal use, so hat twill produce the
greatest good to the greatest number
of people. The provisions of this law
which will prove of vast benefit to
our territory are being carried out
with deliberation and care by the off
icers of the federal government, who
hold the welfare of the people of the
territories very near their hearts. OF
10 one is this more true han of your
fellow townsman, of whom you are
so justly proud-the secretary of the
interior, Ethan A. Hitchcock, who is
accede to the reasonable desires of
the people of our territory.
Much has already been done with
us through irrigation. There are tens
of thousands of acres of prosperous
irrigated farms, and there will be tens |
of thousands more IN a few years.
There are racts of land five hundred |
acres in area, which fifteen years ago
could be bought for three dollars per
acre, which now produce over a hun
carloads of apples annually. |
The possibilities of irrigation have
long been recognized, but it is only
very recently that We have under
stood what can be done without irri-
cation. Now even the most skeptical
that our farming will by no
be confined to lands that can
be irrigated. 1t has been demonstrate
ed that in man portions of the terri
tory the best crops can be raised
the aid OF irrigation, and
of people are rushing into
these sections, the land offices are
and our railroads rushed
business. Our oal deposits are
no longer remote; they are being ca
yerly secured and rapidly exploited
millions of dollars are being spent in
building railroads to reach them.
We are the greatest producers of
WOO with one exception, of any