The copper era. (Clifton, Graham County, Ariz.) 1899-1911, 1907-01-24

THE citizens of the ella Valley last
week held a mass meeting at
Thatcher and formed a permanent or
ganization for the purpose of appeal
ing to Congress for aid in an effort to
control the flood waters of the ella
river. During the past few years the
ella river has played sad havoc with
the farming lands, and the farmers
find themselves unable to cope with
the difficulties presented. Hundreds,
perhaps thousands, of acres of
choice farming lands have been
washed away, together with many
improvements. Conditions have ar
rived at such a state that farmers
fear for the safety of the valley in
the event of the continuance of the
excessive rainy seasons. Our dele
gate in congress, the Hon. Mark
Smith, will now have an opportunity
to demonstrate what he can do for
Graham county. Hon. w. 7. Webb
was elected secretary of the COM
with the following memorial which
was passed by the legislature of Ari-
IONA:
A MEMORIAL.
To the Senate and House of Repre-
senta tives of the United States of
American Congress Assembled.
YOUR MEMORIALISTS, The Twenty
= II rse1., II s ~
Territory of Arizona, respectfully
represent that,
WHEREAS, What is known as the
CHA valley in Graham county, Ari-
IONA, embracing 100000 acres of fer
tile land, lies adjacent to and on
both sides of the ella river, and
WHEREAS, after twenty-five years
of toll and hardship incident to the
pioneering of the arid west, approxi-
mately $4,000 acres of said land has
been reclaimed and transformed from
a desert waste into fruitful fields, I'M
til now, under the almost magic
touch of the Industrious husbandman
it provides comfortable homes for
5000 people, and
WHEREAS, In the cultivation of the
said land the people are entirely de-
pendent upon the waters of the said
ella river for the purposes of irriga-
tion. Said waters being conveyed to
the land by means of canals, all of
which are owned and operated by
the farmers themselves, and,
WHEREAS, The frequent floods and
high water of the
past two years have swept away
dams and damsites, destroyed canals
and devasted hundreds of acres of
the most fertile land sweeping away
the Accommodations of d life time in
an hour. and
WHEREAS, This devastation and
ruin can only be checked, the per-
petuity of these homes and the con-
tinued cultivation OF all these fertile
acres be secured by the partial con-
troll of said flood waters, and
WHEREAS, The settlers of this said
ella valley are all people of very
moderate means and in no way capa-
bic of coping with a situation SO
serious,
THEREFORE, Your memorialists
most earnestly request that in order
to perpetuate these hundreds of
homes, to protect and preserve this:
one of the garden spots of the arid
west, the officers of the United
States geological survey be at once
instructed to make a careful exami-
nation of the situation to promptly
report thereon and that Congress
make an appropriation OF at least
100000 to be expended under the
direction of the secretary of the in
terror for the controlling of the said
flood waters of the ella river in Ora
ham county, Arizona.
The secretary of the territory is
hereby directed to Immediately
transmit one copy of this memorial
to the president of the United
States, one copy to the president of
the senate of the United States, one
copy to the speaker of the house of
representatives. OF the United States,
one copy to the Hon. Reed Smoot
of the United States senate
from the state of Utah, one copy to
the Hon. Geo. Sutherland member of
the house of representatives from
the state of Utah and one copy to
the Hon. Geo. Howell, member of the
house of representatives from the
state of Utah, and one copy to the
Hon. Marcus A. Smith, Arizona's |
delegate to congress.