The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1915-01-21


r. mrArcHEs under santa r.
III date lines. IN a number o.
southwestern newspapers last
week. rave the Impression tha, = de-
clsion Of the in,erlos department had
removed an rcsirictlons from the use
Of waters Of tho Rio Grande water
shed. Including ehose placed thereon
az the time Of the approval Of the
Eiephant Butte project By The Fecla-
nation service This impression
caused premature hope to sprlne full
grown IN the breasts Of a consider
able numbsr OF le~ndhoIders. whose
only necessity for successful develop
meHt D. the right 70 use the water
flowing past their boundaries
Unfortunately the news from Santa
Re was Incorrect. A single decision
upon a single application was given
by the Interior department. which
permits a santa Fe man to use a GER
tain appropriation from the Re
.creek--it goes no further. The res
~ervations Of water under the Ele-
phant Butte Withdrawals are as strict
and as far reaching ms eve
Definite development in the Rio
Grande valley north Of Engle is going
TO be held up until the embargo on
the Rio Grande IS taken on. No n
wants Co interfere with the Elephant
Butte project. its completion means
a very great deal 20 the statc: and
likewise 20 the state OF Texas. Ia
which we are not 20 much Interested
and also 10 the alleged republic Of
Mexico. In which we are not interest
ed al ali. As We understand Il. the
Withholding OF permission 10 ali
would-be users OF water In the Rio
Grande watershed was originally to
protect Mexico's right 4 lts share Of
the irrigation supply from the Ele-
plant Butte project. II was a sort of
~ A''N mum aHh lHI w
livery OF the goods. II this II cor
rect u Gems a foolish thing to fur
.thsr delay development 'in New Mex
leo by continuing this embargo.
There is no one In northern Mexico
along the Rio Grande who il pre-
pared TO use irrigation winter. There
are no titles 10 lands or 10 water
rights worth the paper on which they
are written. why should Mexlco's
claims be permitted TO interfere with
us any further?
To repeat; No person nor,h OF
Englc wants 20 Interfere with the
speedy completion OF the Elephant
Butte project. But Il does seem as o.
after the project actually passes into
service mex spring. hat the time viii
have come TO take of his fool en-
barge against the use Of water which
never gets anywhere near the reser-
voir which the embargo II supposed
TO protest. on the Rio Puerco hair
a dozen efforts at development Of an
important nature ave been held up
because the interior department.
backing up the reclamation service.
would not permit The use o. flood
water OF hat uncertain stream. II
was shown time and again that the
RIO Puerco water got to the
Rio Grande at all. save In periods Of
great flood when storage was lmpos-
aible and when "A little diversion
would NOT matter. But the em5arRa
stuck; and development on h Rio
Puerco. as II BernalHlo. sandoval,
Taos and Rio Arriba counties, has
been stuck also.
II we must wait -four or five year.
more. while the reclamation servic,
cSperimenters experiment with theii
now reservoir. storing water IN II
and spunng Il out again, Oh. yer,
wei' There seems 10 be nothing W,
can DO about Il. But Il does seem al
Il we might be permitted 10 use th'
surplus waters Of our muddy Oh,
stream. now going utterly and com
pietely TO waste. without any furthe.
unnecessary and Improbable inter
ference.
TEACHERS At STATE EXPENSE,