68 



THE FORESTER. 



March, 



sands of prosperous farms that would market 

 their product in this city and purchase their 

 supplies here. 



According to information, certain commercial 

 points in northern New Mexico are dissatisfied 

 because this wealthy section of the Territory 

 has been made tributary to El Paso, and like 

 the dog in the manger, they propose to try to 

 keep from El Paso's lips that luxury which they 

 cannot get to their own. But the people of this 

 city will make a fight for their own and will call 

 upon the solid Texas delegation in Congress to 

 stand by El Paso. 



There is now pending in Congress a bill pro- 

 viding for the opening of the Mescalero reser- 

 vation to homesteaders, but the Forestry Union 

 will fight that bill, and if it carries pressure 

 will be brought to bear on the Land Depart- 

 ment to recommend the setting aside of this 

 vast territory as a forest preserve. The forest 

 fanatics will not be satisfied with the Mescalero 

 reservation, but as already stated, they want 

 in their preserve a territory ioo x 30 miles in 

 area, extending in length from the Capitan 

 Mountain due south to the Texas line. 



The foregoing is not reprinted in The 

 Forester because it is in itself worthy 

 of special consideration. With sensa- 

 tional phraseology and appeals to local 

 prejudice The Forester has nothing 

 whatever to do. This does, however, 

 open for discussion a matter to which 

 public attention should be drawn, so that 

 it is pertinent to make some observations 

 in this connection. During the past two 

 years several petitions have been made 

 and suggestions offered, having for their 

 purpose the segregation of the timbered 

 areas of the Sacramento mountain region 

 in southern New Mexico as a permanent 

 forest reserve. These petitions and sug- 

 gestions have emanated from citizens of 

 New Mexico who were prompted by mo- 

 tives of public interest. Each time the 

 matter has been agitated it has raised a 

 storm of protest on the part of certain 

 citizens of the town of El Paso, Texas, 

 who assert that such a course would pre- 

 vent the industrial and commercial de- 

 velopment of the region in question. It 

 is safe to say that the people of New 

 Mexico would be the last to throw any 

 obstacles in the way of the development 

 of any part of their own Territory. 

 When New Mexico was annexed to the 

 United States her people were promised 

 statehood at an early day. For fifty years 



this boon has been withheld. To-day 

 her people, both the descendants of the 

 original Spanish-American stock and the 

 immigrants from the eastern States, are 

 at one in their enthusiasm for the admis- 

 sion of New Mexico into the Union as a 

 State. Under such circumstances it is 

 highly improbable that even a small part 

 of the citizens of the Territory would 

 jeopardize their political interests merely 

 to spite a rival commercial community. 

 The Sacramento mountains are of con- 

 siderable altitude, that of Sierra Bianca 

 being 11,982 feet, and as the rainfall is 

 abundant, many of the slopes are covered 

 with a heavy growth of fine timber. The 

 streams issuing from these mountains are 

 of some local importance, as they make 

 possible the development of agriculture 

 in the and valleys below. The climate 

 is mild, the productions are varied, and 

 these valleys, when properly developed, 

 will undoubtedly support a thriving popu- 

 lation. With this desired end in view it 

 certainly cannot be said that the estab- 

 lishment of a forest reserve, to include 

 all the lands not suited for agriculture, 

 would work injury to the interests of any 

 one now concerned. On the contrary, 

 such a course would insure the most 

 equable distribution of the water supply 

 throughout the growing season, and it 

 would at the same time provide for the 

 perpetuation of the forests in a produc- 

 tive state, with an assurance of an ample 

 supply of timber for local needs for all 

 coming time. For these reasons it would 

 also be for the best interests of the city 

 of El Paso itself if, as is claimed, this 

 region is to become permanently tribu- 

 tary to that growing commercial center. 

 It is true that El Paso might be the 

 gainer temporarily if those splendid for- 

 ests were to be stripped to meet a demand 

 for export, but the profits thus achieved 

 would not compensate for the reaction 

 that would surely follow when the forests 

 were exhausted and the highest agricul- 

 tural development seriously, if not per- 

 manently impaired. The new railroad 

 which has been built from El Paso into 

 the Sacramento mountain country may 



