El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-03-21

TINE letter from Hon. Franklin X.
Lane. secretary of the interior,
published in another column of
this paper, viii bring joy to many farm
ers under the Rio Grande project, and
will meet with the approval OF all our
people who realize the purpose and spirit
Of the reclamation law.
The government is building the dams
and canals of these projects, and is Civ
ing them the full benefit OF It's imam
cial power, for the purpose OF reclaming
arid land, and with the spirit of assist
ing the bona fide farmer and home
builder.
We have never had law closer to the
cause of humanity than this reclamation
statute, whereby the valleys of the arid
west, rich in silt washed down from the
mountains, shall be converted from waste
spaces into the independent homes OF ac-
tual, not constructive, farmers-that best
type of American citizenship, the farmer
who owns the land he lives on and who
works the land he owns.
The law is all right. The secretary
has shown that he IS all right. A year
ago, while in Washington, l attended
many VI lllt 5G5olOuD VI 1AAC ~O--AS- CIV
between secretary Lane and the water
users, and others. from various projects
of the west. With the greatest patience
he sat day after day listening to all
sorts and kinds of deliverances. Every
body with a thing to say was heard.
Then for months afterwards Mr.. Lane
studied this mass of material, together,
perhaps, with much other information,
experimenting it with a personal visit
to the west, with the result that he
knows what he is doing.
Parenthetically, it may here be said
that the president, in the wonderful wis
dom displayed in the selection of his
cabinet. did not choose any man better
fitted for his particular duties, or more
thoroughly in harmony with the onward
and progressive march of our American
civilization than when he named Mr.
Lane to care for the great internal prob
lens of the interior department.
Now. to come down to home conditions
we have a letter of vast Importance to
this valley and to our people. When the
Elephant Butte dam was undertaken
land in the valley. say 10000 acres in
New Mexico and $4,000 acres in Texas
was signed up for water rights. In
Texas, and. perhaps, also in New Mexico
no particular care was exercised in Sc
lecting it. It was signed uD whether
good, bad or Indifferent, some in the bot
tom of the river, and some even beyond
a mountain range. The signed up por-
ton lying in the valley, when plated
would make an appearance more like a
crazy quilt than a compact, common
sense area, to be irrigated with a scieu-
tific system. Scattered throughout the
Texas valley are many other tracts that
did not happen to be signed up.
In retaining the valley. our farmers
have naturally chosen the best soil and
the land which they considered best To-
Gated, for their homes. In consequence,
there are well improved farms that are
not covered by those $4,000 acres that
were first signed up. To these farmers,
the following words from secretary Lane
will bring Joy: CAS- a matter of right
and Justice, my policy is that cultivated
areas are entitled to primary eonsidera-
ton in determining the areas to be IN
Guided in the project"
Nor does he limit recognition of cul-
tivated areas to such as were originally
signed up. He saws: "With respect to
the obligations of the service to the
owners of lands that are now or may
hereafter be placed under contract, 1t Is
not nv construction that such as were
first contracted to the service shall be
first served with water, but that as to
all lands under contract at the time