Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1927-10-13
The Question of Water Rights

From the days when the Pharaohs ruled Egypt
down to the present day, wherever irrigation has been
practiced, the question Of water rights has been one Of
paramount Importance. Ancient as well as modern
law makers have almost invariably recognized the
right Of prior usage. Great developments have been
founded upon this principle, but from time immemorial
selfish interest has promoted people and even nations
to attempt to destroy this principle and seize for them
selves the benefits which accrued to those who had SUI
ficient energy and initiative to utilize the waters Of
streams for irrigation.
West Texas, which, to use the parlance Of the
streets, "has been asleep at the switch" has sud-
denly awakened 10 the fact that the people Of that
part OF the state want irrigation water. For genera
tions the small streams of West Texas have been
meandering down their winding courses and West Tex
ans gave them no thought. They were considered very
useful for watering cattle, but there their utility ended.
When a power company received a permit to utilize
the waters Of one Of the West Texas streams, West
Texans were suddenly imbued with a desire to irri-
gate. The city Of Brownwood became somewhat fran
tie over what it considered a menace to the eitys
water supply, and the state board Of water engineers
was petitioned to allocate 100000 acre feet Of water to
81 pply a proposed irrigation district Of $4,000 acres,
which Is understood to contain approximately 10000
acres of irrigable land. West Texas is a regioh of
sudden impulses and broad views. They wanted to he
very generous with themselves. but how they could
use Is acre feet Of irrigation water to TN acre Of land
evidently was beyond the comprehension Of the state
board Of water engineers, which promptly proposed %
cut the ALLEGATION down to a reasonable figure, and
also assure Brentwood, a city Of 10000 population, suf-
fieient water to supply n city Of 100000 population.
West Texas, however, refused to be Modified. The
West Texas Chamber Of Commerce took a hand in the
controversy, and after mature elaboration a meeting
of West Texans proposed that the legislature Of the
state of Texas should pass a law granting prior rights
to lands near the source of a stream. According to the
West Texas theory the owner of land has a right not
only to all the water that falls thereon but also to all
that drains t~herefrom, regardless of what rights may
have been established by owners of land down the
stream by reason Of prior usage Of the streams flow.
A committee Of % was appointed to recommend legis-
lation of this character to the next session. The West
Texas Chamber Of Commerce announced that this was
q conservative movement, designed to benefit the ir-
rigation interests of the entire state, but appointed
only one member of the the committee from the Lower
Rio Grande Valley which has two-thirds Of the irri-
gated area within the state Of Texas.
The failure Of the West Texas organizations in
the Austin meeting to put over this program is now
q matter Of history. The conference, which will be
held in Dallas next week, in which all sections of the
state that are interested in the question Of water
rights will be represented, will doubtless apply the
death blow TO the ambitions Of West Texas to control
the major water rights Of the state by revoking a prin-
eiple which has endured since the earliest dawn of
civilization.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley and the South Texas
Chamber Of Commerce are not greatly interested in
the controversy between the power and irrigation in
terests which preeipitated the action by the West
Texas organizations, but they are interested in the
maintenance Of a principle upon which the entire de-
velopment Of the Lower Rio Grande Valley is founded
and which must be recognized in any recommendation
that may be made by the conference for changes in the
present laws.