Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-08-24
FAIR DEAL FOR
WATER|.USERS
PROMISED
GARFIELD REASSURES
PEOPLE OF COLORADO
Irrigation Projects on Upper
Rio Grande Will Be ConSid-
cred Subject Only to Legiti-
mate Prior Rights,

lBy Morning journal Special Leased WIrel
Washington, ID. c., Aug. 2S.-That
the federal government has the right
and will interfere in the interest Of
a fair dear in the matter of ap-
propriations of waters of Interstate
streams for irrigation purposes is the
position taken by Secretary Garfield
i'm regard to a number of irrigation
projects on the headwaters of the Rio
Grande which stream rises in Colorado
and flows through New Mexico The
projects which are responsible for the
secretary's action are located in the
San Luis valley a large tract of in
termountain irrigable land in southern
Colorado. and his opinion is the re.
suit of a personal inspection.
81 told the people Interested" he
said, that all their applications for
reservoir sites would be favorably con
sidered whenever | should be con
vinced that they did not fall outside
the regulations of the department. a
number of those applications were
held up for a time on account of our
treaty obligations to Mexico which are
also involved in the Rio Grande prob
lem. but | showed them that, having
arrived at a decision as to the policy
to be followed toward Mexico, there
would no longer be any delay. | told
them, however, that not only the in
terests of Mexico. but also those of
New Mexico, must be protected. | at
tempted to make it clear that prior
rights in that territory must be con-
sidered just as they would be If they
had been acquired in Colorado and |
am pleased to say there Is no longer
a general disposition TO claim all the
waters of the stream for the people of
Colorado simply because the river
heads in that state.
| 81 also took pains to have them un-
/ derstand another rule of the depart
ment and that Is Is, whilo the depart
ment will recognize priority Of water
| rights. II will do so only to the eX-
tent that such rights have been bene
! ncially used, and this statement had
! the effect of assuring them that nc
rights in New Mexico which had been
acquired for more speculative pur-
poses Wuulu Dt H'l lllllNth w 'ul thA
any legitimate applications made by
Colorado people. told them also that
I should not approve applications
made in Colorado in the interest Of
speculation only. In short, ] tried to
make them understand that the de-
partment would do all that It could to
encourage the settlement and recla-
nation of the arid country, but that
whatever it did must be in the inter-
est of the bona flde settlers. and It
would do nothing even in that inter
est to interfere with previously ac-
uuired rights Of bona fde settlers,
even though they lived across the
state line. / therefore assured them
that all applications which did not in
tcrfere with acquired rights in New
Meyco and with our treaty agreement
to supply Mexico with water for forty
thousand acres on the Mexican side
of the lower Rio Grande and for 25,-
600 acres on the American side would
be approved IL otherwise in proper
/ shape"
While Mr.. Garheld's action in this
case applies only to Colorado. 1t will
no doubt be used as a precedent In
settling the rights of all other head
water states when similar questions
/ arise.