Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-09-18

valley to drench the bottoms and get
lost in the sand flats below.
Why?
Because the government of the
United States has forbidden the ctti-
zens of the United States to use the
waters belonging to a sovereign state
OF the United States-the state OF
Colorado. Because for fourteen years
thu bands of red tape at Washington
have tied the hands of capital and
enterprise. Because the department
of the interior, in the face Of the
most positive enactment of congress,
has for fourier years refused to
grant rights of way over public lands
for bitches and reservoirs used to
store and distribute the waters of
the Rio Grande. There have been
exceptions to this absolute prohibit
ton, but, as Secretary Ballinser re-
Gently stated, they are so unimport-
ant as to be almost negligible.
Is not this a remarkable state Of
affairs2
Why does the federal government
take such a remarkable action?
That Is a long story. but 1t must be
told. 1t is the story of a conspiracy;
and the conspiracy whose story adj
mitted of quick telling would be too
simple a conspiracy to succeed. Bear
with me, therefore, and take this as
foreword to show that the tale is
worth while:
The state of Colorado has an in
terest of not less than 500, 600, 600, in
smashing that conspiracy.
For so many years that the MEM
DRY of man runneth not to the con
trary, the Mexicans had been accus-
toned to irrigate some of the bottom
lands near Juarez, across the Rio
Grande from El Paso, Texas. 1t was
not a very scientific irrigation, and 1t
certainly was not a very extensive
one. The highest claim ever made
was that 10000 acres were thus
brought under cultivation. This has
since been officially cut to 10000
acres. and such evidence as / can get
hold of makes me think that the
smaller figure Is still considerably
too high. The Mexicans ran a dam a
little way out into the river, diverted
the current into their "acequia
madre." or mother ditch" and
from that carried the water over the
bottoms. The dam, based on the
sandy bed of the river, had to be
filled in each year.
There was no provision for storage,
and consequently, there were seasons
of shortage. Oftentimes the bed of
the river was dry for long distances.
Major Emory tells OF a herd of mules
being driven over 200 miles along
the bed Of the river in 1851. The bed
was so dry hat it was hard to find
enough pools Of water to supply the
mules.
In 1850. the American secretary of
state complained to the Mexican min
lister that the Mexicans were taking
all the water there was in the Rio
Grande at FL Paso, and leaving the
American farmers with nothing. The
complaint came 10 nothing, although
the substance Of II was undoubtedly
true.
Both Sides Suffered.
The situation. therefore. was this:
There was a small moun o. irriga-
ton near FL Paso on the Mexican
side; and a still smaller amount on
the American side. The water in
both cases was taken direct from the
Rio Grande. a %torrential stream.
whose flow varies from nothing to
/. 200 cubic feet per second. Both
n Mexican cuitivators
suffered from seasons Of short water:
and at such times. the Mexicans seem
have ~cornered all the water there
OF injury to Mexican farmers
by American action. not a word has
been said. This was the situation in
iSso, IL was the situation for a gen