The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-07-08

The following address was delivered
by Judge G. A Richardson at the Ir-
rigation Celebration in Carlsbad last
Thursday:
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentle
men:
When the invitation came from the
Board of Control to me, asking me
to be present and say something with
reference to the work of the Recla-
nation Service in New Mexico or of
that work in tae Rio Grande and Pc
cos Valleys, l felt it my duty, as l
always feel when l receive a call from
Eddy county, to come here and con-
tribute in whatever way l might be
able, to the success of this splendid
celebration. l am under so many So
cial and political and other obliga-
tions to the people of this county and
of this city that l feel a compelling
and l should some time, not far dis
tant, in this and other means attempt
TO discharge both the principal and
the interest thereof.
l have been at many gatherings
where other liquid rather than water
was used, and as l look out upon this
splendid audience today and know
how little water this community mas
used at least in the two years last
past, | feel that the little verses of
Eliza Cook upon wine and water
would not come amiss in this con-
nection:
Have ever been echoed in minstrel
ways,
But water 1 deem hath mightier
claim
To fill up a niche in the Temple of
fame.
Traverse the desert and then ye can
What pleasures exist in the cold deep
well,
Sink in despair on the red parcned
earth
And then ye may reckon what water
is worth.
l reminded you that this Is a unique
and rather unusual celebration, its
purpose being the recognition of the
storage and diversion and use of wa
tiers for the irrigation and cultivation
of lands. In other words a recogni-
tion in the most noteworthy manner
ofe- ..f oh
rfcultural pursuit, and which in itself.
combines more good, and more con-
tentment and more happiness than
all of the industries in which men
and women engage. The occasion is
to commemorate il my Judgment one
of the most important happenings in
the history of New Mexico, a memo.
rial to progress, to development and
to growth.
1t shows here the opportunity for the
artificial application of water for ag-
ricultural purposes. and this is really
the only scientific method of soil cul-
ture. That is the meaning of irriga-
ton, better methods So strongly does
SA1S event IMPRESS upon my nlld Ine
Importance of what has been done
here to restore in the desert a water
system, that l feel that that splendid
"Ode to Irrigation written by a Col
orado' woman, should be sung by the
children of the public schools of the
arid region of America at least once
each year, and a splendid holiday oc
casion should be recognized at least
by the state. If not a national day
The subject assigned to me by the
committee or board of control seems
to be what the Reclamation Service
of the United States Government has
done for the Rio Grande and Pecos
Valleys in New Mexico. or in other
words, what the Reclamation Serv
ice" has done for New Mexico. Be
fore going into that subject 1t mighi
be well for me to briefly sketch whai
congress first did for the ''Reclama
tion Service" n 1902 the Congress
Of tae United States passed wnat has
become known as the Reclamation
Law providing that the proceeds O
the sale. less the expense OF handling