El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-07-10
COUNTY PAYS LAWYERS $4,000
To DEFEND STATE BOUNDARY SUIT;
GOVERNOR VE1OES STATE MONEY
On Petition Of Land Owners in the Upper Valley Who
Assert that the County Collects $4,000 Yearly in
Taxes From Land in Dispute, County Pays
Attorneys For Defending the Title.

n ECAUsE there was danger, they
n say, Of losing $1,000 acres Of rich
land in the upper valley on &C
count Of the lack Of representation, the
county commissioners at a special ses-
SION appropriated S12, 200 towards en-
pIoylng attorneys TO defend the land
suit brought by the state OF New Mex
&c against Texas the suit involves
some OF the most fertile land in the up
PEI valley. Whether the land is 10 go
10 New Mexico or is to remain in e.
PasO county is dependent upon a ques-
ZION OF boundary lines The case is
now before the supreme court Of the
United States.
The state legislature appropriated
$4,000 towards defending the land suit,
but governor Colquitt vetoed the meas
ure, thus leaving the burden Of pro-
Iecung the land on the property owners
OF the land in dispute. Both New Mex
leo and DOna Ana county have made
appropriations towards the prosecution
OF the suit It was on the application
OF l. I. White, mayor c. z. Kelly, J. b
Brady, Horace B. Stevens and Charles
q stevens and others that the county
made the appropriation Turney and
Burgess are the attorneys employed 70
defend the suit The amount the
county appropriated. il is stated, is
about one-third Of the amount that will
pc needed in the defence Of the suit
however, the property owners have
agreed TO bear the rest Of the expense
cent special session Of the commission
ers-
The petition Of the land owners and
the orders OF the court are self ex-
planatoTy, was the comment made by
Judge A s J. Eylar, when asked about
the matter.
The Petition.
Following is the petition as entered
on the minutes Of the commissioners:
We, the undersigned, who are prop
erty owners N that territory that New
Mexico IS endeavoring to take from FL
Raso county and the state Of Texas, Pc
ution your honorable body TO appropri-
ate the sum Of $4,000 to pay part Of
the expenses Of the defence Of this suit.
and among many reasons for this ap-
preparation, We state the following:
New Mexico has appropriated So
600 to prosecute this suit, and, in addi-
ton, Dona Ana county has apprOpri-
ated $500 for this purpose. The legis-
lature Of Texas appropriated $4,000 for
the defence Of this suit, but the appro-
priation was vetoed. by governor Col
quit, leaving the whole burden OF the
defence 70 the property owners.
Involves 1900 Acres.
There is involved in this suit ap-
Proximately 1900 acres Of land; Fl
Paso county and the state of Texas
have been collecting taxes on this
property for more than so years. FL
Paso county is now collecting approx
land It comprises some Of the richest I
land in the valley and in time the !
taxes collected viii be much more than 4
now.
Attorneys Fee $4,000. !
THE value of the property involved !
IS now s1,5OO,OOO. The attorneys fees [
for defending this suit will be $4,000. 4
A copy Of transcript Of the evidence ]
will cost US $4,000. It is a case involv- I
ing old boundary lines and the services !
Of engineers in checking over this I
ground from old maps and descriptions i
IS tedious and expensive, and their bill 1
viii amount to not less than $4,000.
There are many other incidental eX-
penses not enumerated here
Landowners to Pay TUO-thirds.
should the county appropriate the i
sum Of $4,000 for defence Of this suit,
It will be approximately one-third Of
the cost OF the suit and the other two I
thirds viii be borne by the land own
ers, and as in such case all are not /
able to contribute their pro rata part, /
the main burden will fail upon a few, I
and they feel that IL is more than is
Just for them to stand alone As a
matter Of justice, In reco gnition Of the
taxes that this land has paid FL PasO
county in the past, and as a matter Of
buslneSS-fOr the taxes the county will
lose in the future. should New Mexico
take the land from Fl Paso county-we /
ask for this appropriation. confident /
your favorable action on this petition |
VIII meet the approval Of all our citi-
zens who have the welfare Of the coun-
y at heart tSigned:)
Chas- E Bryan, Ross E. Bryan. John
4 Happer, G. l. Hawks. ". r Schultz, /
Chas- B. and Horace B. Stevens, James