The Coconino sun., 1924-09-05


below the line in Mexico?" George
H. Maxwell-Letters of January IL,
1923, to the Arizona members of the
National Reclamation Association3
"The pact decided definitely only
two points. 1t makes clear Mexico's
ALLEGATION of water. But Mexico's al
location to millions of acres must be
maintained at the expense of both the
upper and lower basin states, even TO
the appropriation Of the water Of the
Gila for that purpose" printed state
ment of Fred T. Golfer, explaining
i Compact.)
/ The language of the Compact on
that subject is as follows
'tARTICLE III. (c) If, as matter
of international comfy, the United
States Of America shall hereafter re-
cognize in the United States Of Mex
ice any right to the use of any waters
of the Colorado River System, such
waters which are surplus eyer and
above the aggregate (a) and (b);
and if such surplus shall prove in
sufficient for this purpose, then, the
burden Of such deficiency. shall be
equally borne by the Upper Basin and
the Lower Iasin, and whenever neces-
sary the States of the Upper Division
shall deliver at Lees Ferry waters ito
supply one half of the deficiency so
recognized in addition to that provided
in paragraph (D."
As may be observed from the above
the Compact does not give one drop of
I faT. 70 n 1pon 10
any legal right to water in Mexico,
neither by the language expressed nor
I by any reasonable implication or in
uendo. Mexico obtains no rights
under the Compact.
If the time ever does come when it
will be deemed necessary or wise to
treat with Mexico concerning the use
of the waters of the Colorado, while
this country will no doubt be gener-
Gus we may rest assured that no
rights in the United States will be
injured in the slightest degree, and es-
pecially will this be true il all the
states of the basin are bound together
by the Colorado river compact.
That the dominant country will re-
main dominant and her lands develop
to the full extent of her needs and
water resources.
The surplus" referred to in the
above quotation is the difference be-
tween sixteen million acre feet per
annum allocated by the Compact and
the whole flow of thq reconstructed
river This difference is estimated
at approximately six million more feet
\ per annum. No such amount will
ever be conceded to Mexico in any
treaty, nor more than one sixth of that
amount under any consideration which
would be exceedingly generous. The
people of the seven states in the
Isbasin viii not be asleep, if bound to-
gether in a Compact. If they are not
there may be some difference except
in the border states which will have
/ to bear the brunt Of the burden. The
Senators cf these seven states viii
have control Of the ratification and
approval of any treaty, and no un-
satisfactory treaty will ever be made
and approved.
irresponsible and reckless speaking
persons have said and published that
under the Compact the gates Of the
Roosevelt dam would have to be open
/ ed and the waters turned down to
Mexico to make up the deficiency,and
that there would be such an IAsiatic
Colony" created at the head of the
Gulf of California as would be men
ace to the peace Of the United States;
/ that they would drop bombs from
aeroplanes on Roosevelt dam, on Phoe
nix and on Los Angeles. That is
such far cry; so far fetched; so un-
true and so ridiculous as to be scarce
ly worth mentioning or reverting to,
Lest some may have believed, We
pause to observe:
As against the citizens cf the Unit
ed States no rights will be obtained
in Mexico that we are bound to re
coglize except by treaty, and no
treaty will ever be drawn or approved
that viii admit Of such events a.
above stated. The water in Roosevelt
Lake, having been appropriated and
! impounded for beneficial use, a GER
tain property right attaches to it and
it becomes Immediately the propert5
of the appropriations and users of the
/ water, sacred and inviolate, and the
i Government of the United States can
not and will not undertake to give il
away. The Government does not take
| private property without paying for
it. The Government would not buy
the Roosevelt Lake, destroy the Salt
River Valley Project, nor harm it IL
the slightest degree, and give the
water to Mexico. The government
will not destroy any cultivated land
and homes in the United States to give
the water to Mexico. Do you thinl
for one moment that our government
will itnhorse itself and become SER
Went in order to place seryient
nation in the saddle as dominant?
( Never!
When one says that the Compact
surrenders or makes possible the Civ
ing Of water from the Roosevelt Lake,
or from the Verde, or the Gila River
system, to Mexico, the statement is
untrue, and is said through ignorance
! or with intent to deceive.
Will our Government surrender its
/ sovereignty over her resources that
1.~r osao,,fsoI and ooeoccar1y fo tho