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JOINT MEMORIAL 2.

TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES PROTESTING AGAINST THE CREATION OF THE RIO DE JEMEZ FOREST RESERVE.

C. J. M. No. 2; Approved February 4, 1905.

Be it resolved, That the following joint memorial be adopted by the 36th legislative assembly of the Territory of New Mexico: To the President of the United States:

Your memorialists, of the 36th legislative assembly of the Territory of New Mexico, submit for your consideration this, its protest, on behalf of the people of the Territory of New Mexico, against the establishing of the Rio de Jemez forest reserve, which if established, would take in a large portion of the County of Rio Arriba and part of the County of Taos in said territory, and in that behalf respectfully represent.

That the said reserve has been established and set apart without the several thousands of people who live within the boundaries thereof and are mostly affected thereby, ever having any notice of the intent to establish it, and without being given any opportunity to protest against the same.

That the said reserve embraces a section of country almost as large or larger in area than the state of New Jersey, being ninety miles long and thirty miles wide, and including within its outer boundaries large tracts of land that are absolutely non-forest in character, and valuable only for mining, agricultural and grazing purposes, besides fifteen or more towns and villages and a large number of farms and stock ranches, as well as one of the most prominent mineral sections in the south-west, that is to say: The Bromide mining district, and also the Good Hope mining district. That embraces within its boundaries nearly two million acres of private land confirmed by the congress of the United States and the court of private land claims.

Your memorialists further represent that it fully appreciates the national economic value of proper forest reserves, but insists that in this particular case, because of the character of a large portion of the land embraced within it, the same does more injury than it can do good to the nation or to the Territory of New Mexico.

Your memorialists further represent that because of the rules and regulations governing forest reserves and the procurement of timber therefrom for mining purposes, that practically all of the mines in question will become greatly depreciated in value or worth

less, because of the inability of their owners to work them under the restrictions governing the procurement of timber from this forest reserve.

Your memorialists further represent that New Mexico's chief industry is that of sheep raising and that the territory has within the last four years, advanced from the fourth to the first place in the nation as a wool producer, and that a large portion of the country so included in this forest reserve has been for nearly a half a century last past the principal grazing ground for a large number on flocks of the territory and from which grazing ground all sheep will be thereby excluded, thus irreparably injuring the owners thereof as well as the territory at large.

That the establishing of this reserve practically amounts to the confiscation of all the ranches and homes of the people living within the boundaries thereof, and although they established themselves there more than fifty years ago and endured the great hardships and risks in the accumulation of the property they possess, they are to be driven out to begin life anew. Moreover, the practical wiping out of the taxable value of this large amount of property will work irreparable injury to the counties of Taos and Rio. Arriba, and the Territory of New Mexico.

Wherefore, your memorialists respectfully and earnestly pray that all that portion of the Rio de Jemez reserve that lies within Taos and Rio Arriba counties, may be restored to the public domain. and consequent location and entry, relieving the people who will suffer thereby so much in consequence of the establishment of said reserve over such a large area of land of non-forest country: And

Be it Further Resolved, That the honorable secretary of the Territory of New Mexico transmit a certified copy of this joint memorial to the president of the United States.

JOINT MEMORIAL 3.

PROTESTING AGAINST THE PASSAGE, IN ITS PRESENT FORM, BY THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES, OF H. R. 17939, RELATING TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF A DAM AND RESERVOIR ON THE RIO GRANDE IN NEW MEXICO, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. C. J. M. No. 3; Approved February 10, 1905. Whereas, it appears that there is now pending in the senate of the United States congress a bill designated as H. R. 17939, passed by the house of representatives of said congress, relating to the con

struction of a dam and reservoir on the Rio Grande in New Mexico, and for other purposes; and,

Whereas, it appears from the provisions of said bill that same establishes the priority of lands in New Mexico and Texas which have heretofore been actually irrigated for a considerable number of years in succession over lands in New Mexico (as well as in Texas) not so heretofore actually irrigated; and,

Whereas, the establishment of such a distinction by reason of such declared priorities would be detrimental to the development of that section of New Mexico referred to in said bill, and tend to retard settlement upon the public lands of the United States in said. section, and is inimical to the best interests of the Territory of New Mexico; and,

Whereas, the bill in its present form is vague, ambiguous and uncertain as to the method provided therein for ascertaining the prior and vested water-rights therein mentioned.

Therefore your memorialist, the thirty-sixth legislative assembly of the Territory of New Mexico, believing and realizing that the said bill, in its present form, is subversive of the vested prior rights of the land owners within the section in New Mexico in said bill mentioned, and will cause great and interminable litigation, earnestly prays that said bill be not acted upon by the said senate of the United States until the duly accredited representatives of the Elephant Butte Water Users' Association of New Mexico have been given an opportunity to be heard by the senate committee having charge of said bill; and, further, that in no event shall said bill be passed in its present form.

JOINT MEMORIAL 4.

URGING THE GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE OF ILLINOIS TO PETITION THEIR REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS TO CONCUR IN THE PASSAGE OF THE STATEHOOD BILL GIVING SEPARATE STATEHOOD TO NEW MEXICO. C. J. M. No. 4; Approved February 20, 1905.

Whereas, the United States senate on the 7th inst., passed a statehood bill, as amended, providing among other things for separate statehood for New Mexico, statehood in that form being what the people of New Mexico desire in preference to everything else and being for the welfare of New Mexico;

Therefore, the council and house of representatives of the legis

lative assembly of New Mexico, now in session, most earnestly and respectfully memorialize and request the governor and legislative assembly of the state of Illinois to urge and insist that the representatives in congress from their state should concur in the said amendments to said bill as made by the United States senate, giving to New Mexico separate statehood, as being a just measure and one in the best interest of the people of New Mexico, as well as placing them on equal footing, as to full citizenship, with the other people of the United States.

JOINT MEMORIAL 5.

PROTESTING TO THE COMMISSIONER OF THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE AGAINST THE WITHDRAWAL OF LANDS FROM PUB

LIC ENTRY IN SAN JUAN COUNTY. H. J. M. No. 5; Approved March 2, 1905.

Whereas, certain public lands in San Juan county, New Mexico, and within the Santa Fe land district have been by telegram of August 22, 1904, and by letter of September 12, A. D. 1904, by the commissioner of the general land office withdrawn from all forms of entry under the first class form of withdrawal and for irrigation works and purposes, which said lands so withdrawn include and embrace the following described lands, to-wit:

All of townships 31 and 32 north, range 10 west.

All of townships 30 and 31 north, range 11 west.

All of townships 29, 30, 31 and 32 north, range 12 west.

All of townships 29, 30, 31 and 32 north, range 13 west.

All of township 29 north, range 14 west, which is not included

in the Navajo Indian reservation.

All of township 30 north, range 14 west.

All of township 30 north of range 15 west.

And whereas the public lands lying and being situate upon the south and east sides of the Rio Las Animas river and within two miles of the said Rio Las Animas river on the north and west side of said river in the following townships and ranges, to-wit:

Townships 31 and 32 north, range 10 west.
Townships 30 and 31 north, range 11 west.
Townships 29 and 30 north, range 12 west, and

Townships 29 and 30 north, of range 13 west, can be reclaimed and brought under irrigation without the means of storage reservoirs by canals and ditches from the Rio Las Animas and Rio San

Juan rivers, and that these lands do not require storage reservoirs to be built to irrigate and reclaim the same.

That it is that portion of the public lands withdrawn lying and being in the following townships and ranges which can only be reclaimed by storage reservoirs, to-wit:

All of townships 31 and 32 north of range 12 west.
All of townships 31 and 32 north, range west.
All of township 29 north of range 14 west.

All of township 30 north, range 14 west, and

All of township 30 north, range 15 west, and all that portion of the following townships and ranges lying on the north and the west side of the Rio Las Animas river and that portion commencing two miles west and north of said Rio Las Animas river in said townships, to-wit:

Township 29 north, range 13 west.
Township 30 north, range 12 west.
Township 31 north, range 11 west, and
Township 32 north, range 10 west.

That the townships and ranges of land herein described as lying west and north of the Rio Las Animas river and those portions of townships lying two miles west and north of the Rio Las Animas river through which Rio Las Animas runs are proper lands to be withdrawn from entry for agricultural purposes under the homestead and desert land entry acts but that these lands are underlaid with coal or a portion of these lands are underlaid with coal and that coal land entries should not be discriminated against or disallowed upon these lands; and that all that portion those lands herein above described as lying west and north of the Rio Las Animas. river is under and subject to the recent surveys made by the government for storage reservoirs and can only be reclaimed and irrigated by a system of storage reservoirs and it is the proper thing for these lands to be withdrawn from entry for agricultural purposes that all that portion of the lands herein described as lying east and south of the Rio Las Animas river and in those townships and ranges through which said Las Animas river runs including the lands within two miles of said Las Animas river on the north and east side thereof do not need storage reservoirs to reclaim and irrigate them and that they can be reclaimed and irrigated from canals and ditches taken from the Rio Las Animas and Rio San Juan rivers where there is an abundance of water for irrigation purposes.

That the County of San Juan is one of the undeveloped counties

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