The Ordway new era., 1921-03-18
WATER SCRAPS
COULD CEASE

HedSuTeS LOOKING TO Ine IOrmdClOn OF
joint high commission from seven
states in the United States to deal
with the irrigation question in these
states and unite upon a broad policy
for the disposition and development
of water and lands in the states sub
ject to irrigation, says the Denver
News.
II will be easier to bring the states
under league than to bring nations
Of different races and aspirations to-
Sether for defensive and offensive
purpose.
Instead of litigation that settles
nothing, why not undertake media
tion? Leave the lawyers out of con-
sideration and call in legal counsel,
engineers and citizens interested in
iand development
The states are interested individ-
ually, SO is the United States as a
centralized body. Until the main is
sue involved is disposed cf the feder-
al reclamation service is held in
check.
Colorado is the key state. From
irs watersheds the bulk of the water
that has been SO long in dispute is
drawn. Colorado has an abiding in
terest in national adjudication ON
account of the acreage within the
state. dependent upon water original;
ing in this state and adjoining sta.ea.
End to the credit of the attorneys
who have been engaged for years in
litigation in defense of Colorado's
water rights, they are now in the lead
TO 20 away with further litigation
ana a5judge the rights of the several
states to the waters in an equitable
and scientific manner
Water Is Wasting
| IN the meantime the water is run
ming INFO the Gulf of Mexico and mil
lions OF acres are lying idle.
| This state has spent a great deal
/ OF money i'll defense litigation and
it il down to spend more if anorher
ard hetter way out is not found very
soon. Nothing has been settled from
all the litigation; very little can re
! gained from the mode of warfare as
ii great war, victor and deafeated
are losers.
| The ..estion itself is of such a pecu-
liar nature that the courts can give
no relief. With all due respect to the
! United State Supreme court, whose
| decisions in the past have cemented
Lhe republic, that body is "at sea"
when II has to deal with Western
states wafer rights. In the out
standing case of Kansas versus Colo
RADIO, in<which were engaged leading
attorneys of the states and the very
best engineering talent in all of the
West, with library of briefs and tes-
timoI1y, the court decided very little
OF Importance. In effect it told Kan
sas to return when it could prove in
jury and it would get relief. The
oretically the decision was gain for
Colorado. The doctrine of priority
of appropriation regardless of state
| lines was denied. In the Colorado
wyoming suit, begun ten years ago
| no decision has been handed down,
altho the case was re-argued before
the appellate court some years ago.
A number of other suits are pending
and more are promised il another
method of procedure is not devised
very soon. New Mexico was about to
proceed in court over rights in the
LaPlata river, but thru the friendly
Intervention OF a noted irrigation
lawyer of northern Colorado the au-
thorities agreed to postpone action to
await the outcome of the proposed
| joint high commission.
| Sever States Affected
The seven states to be represented
| in the new league would be Colorado,
Wyoming. Utah. New Mexico, Arizo-
pa. Nevada. and California The u
hited States, thru one of the federal
departments, would join and what
ever action might be taken by the
commission would require ratifica-
| tion by congress.
Colorado's position in the matter
is set out clearly by r. I. Meeker, ir-
| rigation engineer, connected with the
| federal service, in an article in the
Engineering News. Water eddaliza-
! tion must come before Water utiliza-
ton. At the last meeting of the
| League of the Southwest in Denver
.he question OF an Interstate COM
mission to adjust the situation was
introduced by Colorado,s representa-
tives and accepted. The plan involves
the pooling of water supply of the
seven interested states thru engi-
neering investigation and study and
the formation Of a program that will
provide flood control for the lower
Colorado river and the widest use of
irrigation and power in beth upper
and lower basins.
Sixteen million acre-feet of water
annually and more than five million
acres of land, of which two millions
are now irrigated, are included in the
plan.
The Colorado river is the dominat-
ing factor, necessarily BY reason of
its high and extensive mountain
chains,- Colorado is the radiating
source of this system and three other
major systems: The Platte, Arkansas
and Rio Grande rivers.
0Lucl1y Tiger
Tbs Nsasssss No. n