Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-03-19
ARTES|A COUNTY
NOT DESIRABLE
Political and Econ
omical Reasons
Against it
GREAT IRRIGATION PROJECT
Nearly Completed By U. S.
Reclamation Service in
Eddy County.

'lhls talk that Artesia County i
created would be Republican in it!
| political complexion ON the face of /
4 " roo ridiculous for discussion. Their,
is no getting around the fact that |
would be Democratic by large ma
lority the same as the three presen
counties in the Pecos Valley. We
Republicans in the Pecos Valley have
! troubles enough in helping supper
about thirty Democratic county Office
holders at the present time withou
increasing the number to forty-ilye.'
The speaker was A. y. Pratt
prominent business man of Carlsbad
and chairman Of the Territorial Ir
| rIgatlon Commission, who is one of tn,
delegation protesting against the new
county now in the Capital. He I'm
Dosoned himself as quoted in thu
foregoing statement in an interview
Yesterday al the Palace Hotel where
ne is stopping while in Santa Fe. 9th
ers with him in the party are Harold
Hurd OF Roswell; c. II. McLenathir
OF Carlsbad, T. NJ Waller, of Lake
wood, and ]. ], Boyd, of Lake Arthur
| j, W. Stockard, of Roswell was alst
member of the delegation but ha.
since returned to his home.
Mr.. Pratt quoted figures taken from
the votes cast in the several pre
cincts incorporated in the proposed
new county at the last general elec
non and the one two years previou!
to show that the Democratic gain ha,
been larger there than that of the Re
publicans. Leaving politics entirel,
ont Of the proposition he ASSERTED
that the forming of a new county il
the Pecos Valley at the present tim,
as outlined in the bill pending befor,
the Legislative Assembly would be al
irreparable injustice to both the coun
ties OF Chaves and Eddy. Continu
ing he sad
Majority Opposed to New County.
Fully ninety per cent of the tax
1 payers outside Of the town Of Artesi
/ and within the limits of this muc]
talked of new county are opposed t,
a dlslnemberment Of Chaves and Edd
Counties. We came here at the solicI
'ation OF people of the two paren
counties to use every honorable el
fort in defeating the measure. LAX,
Arthur and Dayton which are the tw,
nearest towns to Artesla are oppose,
to it, and the former has led in th.
hight against the proposition. Daytol
people have up to a few days ago con
sldered the new county sort of
/ Joke and took little interest in the re
suit but they finally realized tha
there might be some danger of it be
ing created and began to bestir them
selves. Twenty of the principal bust
ness men and tax payers of Daytol
nave sent kilograms to Councilman
Cameron and to us strongly protestiny
against Artesa County. Even in tn
town of Artesia which would be mad
the county seat there are many pee
pie opposed to II.
AS matter of fact the bulk of tn
population of Chaves and Eddy Coun
ties is along the line of the Peco
Valley Railroad and making Roswell
and Carlsbad easily accessible a
their county seats. We had expecte
that the people of Hope and Monu
ment would be in favor of the ney
county but we have strong assurance
from both that they are opposed to /
almost to man. This is cspeciall
true of Monument where the sent
ment is almost unanimous. Hope an
Monument are both off the railroad
and Artesia is their nearest shippin,
4 point. With Lake Arthur, Lakewood
and Dayton also In disfavor with tn,
| proposition it shows conclusively tha
I the majority Of the people directly al
/ fected are arrayed in opposition MI
Boyd and Mr., Waller are members o
our delegation here fighting agains
/. the new county as accredited repres
entatiyes of their respective towns.
| Big irrigation Project Completed.
| Mr. Pratt stated that the reconstruc
/ tion of the Carlsbad irrigation Pre-
ject is having a beneficial effect upol
the surrounding counAsy and he be
lieves that water will be turned int
I the bitches on or about the first O
April. The farmers whose land is lc
Gated within the irrigabe area are en-
gagged in plowing ready for sprinl
planting with the assurance that the,
will be enabled to raise crops on |
i this year.
The Carlsbad irrigation project /
! one OF the greatest in the Unite,
States built by the us. Reclamation
Service. 1t will irrigate 10000 acre
and cost approximately 100000
{ There are three distinct engineerin,
features connected with 1t and each i
unique in itself, the dams, aqueduc
and inverted siphon. Reinforced con
crete plays an important part in th'
construction.
"The inverted siphon solved a ra
ther perplexing problem which was
responsible for putting the former sys
TEN out of business by the floods two
! years ago." said Mr. Pratt. 1T is con
structed Of reinforced concrete will
an inside measurement six feet in dl
ameter and a person Of average siz,
oa., klso,,s-i. -.