Arizona republican., 1911-11-09
A Practical Project for a Seaport.

adelphia Press makes the following
comment:
Arizona is not so much absorbed
with the idea of becoming a state at
an early day as to be inaccessible to
other ambitions. Its people are be-
ginning to think that the southern
boundary of the territory is incon-
veniently and unnaturally located and
that it ought to be transposed to the
southwark SO as to give Arizona a
seaport on the Gulf of California.
When by the Gadsden purchase of
1853 strip of territory was obtained
from Mexico and added to the south
ern boundary of what is now New
Mexico and Arizona, the boundary
line, which started at latitude 81 de-
grees 20 minutes, was run obliquely
northwest instead of directly west, so
that it left the mouth of the Colorado
river in Mexican territory. Probably
the American negotiators did not
know clearly just what they were
doing, but it was contrary TO Ameri-
can traditions to yield voluntarily to
another power the mouth of a great
river which had almost its entire
course in American territory. 1t is
true that the swift, turbulent and
fluctuating Colorado is not very valu-
able for navigation purposes, but its
lower course is navigable and a har-
Dor at the head of the Gulf of Cali
fornia, from which we are entirely
cut off, would be a valuable posses
sion for the United States as well as
for Arizona.
The Mexican boundary, crossing
the Colorado river a few miles above
the mouth of the latter, divides the
rich lands of its delta, so that part of
them are in Mexico and part in Ari-
IONA and California. While the Col
orado overflows its banks near its
mouth and sends a destroying current
through the Imperial valley flooding
California farms, the permission of
Mexico must be sought and obtained
before the escape of the Colorado 5
water can be checked. The shifting
ward would cure these inconvenience
add a narrow but desirable strip to
Arizona and California and allow
Arizona to have a seaport on the
Gulf of California and not be a
wholly inland state.
Such a port would have special
value after the opening of the Pan
anna canal. and would develop an i'm
portant Mexican coast trade from Ari-
IONA. Mexico needs money more than
il needs this strip of land. which is of
vol 70 Nic1 af
some time be induced TO make a
trade
With the American government the
main reason for purchasing from
Mexico the strip mentioned is sug-
gested in the complications surround
ing the water question on the lower
Colorado. In order to protect the in
terests of the ranchers in the I'M
perial valley it is necessary to con-
fine the river to a selected channel
and much of the work heretofore
done for this purpose was necessarily
on Mexican soil The water delivered
to the Imperial country must at al
times be conveyed through Mexican
territory; and, as the Philadelphia
paper points out, it is desirable that
the whole canal system on the lower
Colorado shall be in American terri
tory
The proposed purchase of the striI
in question would furnish the sim
plest solution of the difficulties which
confront the two governments. AS q
purely incidental feature of this plan
Arizona would acquire a seaport on
the Gulf of California, but the value
of the port to this state would be
just as great as if that were the
primary object of the negotiations
Indeed. the value of a seaport within
Arizona. reached by rail from Phoenix
and Tucson. would be inestimable
Nothing would so effectually and sat-
isfactorily settle the question of trans
continental freight rates for Arizona.
Probably the only serious difficulty
to be overcome in negotiations with
Mexico for our requirement of the
territory mentioned is the provision in
the Mexican constitution which de-
clares that it shall be treason for
any citizen OF Mexico to propose the
alienation of any portion Of Mexican
territory But the Mexican constitu-
ton can be easily amended, as Presi-
dent Diaz demonstrated on more than
one occasion.
Mr. Cameron's idea is entirely prac-
teal, and regardless of the results of
the coming election the plan should
be pressed upon the attention Of the
government at Washington by the
people of this state.