Arizona republican., 1909-04-19
A STATEMENT FROM TEMPE.

So much Is being said about the people at Tempe not having bought the piers of the old M. & P. bridge and about the r. & E. bridge that it is only fair that We should answer some of these insinuations The M. & r. railroad would not sell the piers of the old bridge even if we had wanted to buy this old structure. The P. & E.. bridge has a 20O0 foot approach on the end of the bridge. This in itself was enough reason for not wanting bridge at this place. It seems that the people that, are advocating a bridge at Heards ranch think that Tempe should be satisfied with anything. just so it could be called a bridge. That is just the difference. We want substantial highway bridge that will be suitable for the traffic that it will have to stand as a part of the terri torial system of roads. bridge that is above flood waters and that can be crossed at any time.
 Many of the things said by Judge Ainsworth in his talk before the meet ing Saturday were at least misleading. He tried to give the idea that Tempe Is working for a bridge at Tempe for Tempe. This is not so. We are work ing for q bridge as a part of the sys- tenn of roads about to be built in this territory. A bridge on the territorial road that will pass by the Insane asy- mm and the Normal school, the only territorial institutions in this country with the exception of the Capitol building. which is on the road to n. hi at about the damage that might be done to Tempe by the water backing up from a bridge and dam at a point south of Phoenix. If Judge Ainsworth's statement were true that Tempe would be drowned out and the bodies of its citizens picked up at Center street. we would need no further argument against the construction of such menace to the lives of the taxpayers of this county. The facts of the matter are that Phoenix stands 27 feet above low water in the Salt river and that Tempe is eighty feet higher. Does any one believe that the water will reach Tempe?
 There is another misstatement that is being continually made and that is that there are 35.OO0 acres of land south of the river that would be bene- fitted by a bridge at Heard's ranch. The advocates of this site might just as well include all the southern part of the territory if it will help their argument any. Drawing a line two miles west of Tempe to the mountains. following along the base of the mountains to the reservation line and thence back to the Salt river you will find you have enclosed about 23.- 900 acres and all of this can not be cultivated. If you are interested In these arguments try it yourself.
 Again we want, to call attention to the fact that there is about one boni- fide settler to q thousand acres of land on the south side of the river at the present time. When this land is set tied as thickly as the land around Tempe and Mesa there will be a req son for building a good bridge at some point below Phoenix where it will ac- commodate the people who live in that district Even at that time you will not be able to bridge the whole stream for less than S150.000 and possibly by that time the county may have graded and graveled the roa2 thfough Heard's ranch at cost of S75.O0O or $SO.OOO. Whether this bridge would be built at Heard's ranch for the benefit of few land owners south of Phoenix or not the fact remains that the bridge would never have been thought of at such a location if these same persons did not own practically all the irrigated land on the south side of the river from a point two miles west of Tempe,
 Of course there was no legislation enacted by which the county could have purchased the piers of the old M. & P bridge at Tempe. it may be that the merchants of Phoenix do not be-