Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-19
ASK Los ANGELES
J TO HELP DEFEAT
IRRIGATION BILL
San franciscan Wires
Mayor Harper
James D. PheIsn Suggests That Tele-
grams Be Sent to Governor Gil
lett, as owens Measure
Is Endangered

James d. Phelan Of San francisco
wired Mayor Harper yesterday asking
him to use his influence in urging Gov
ernor Gillett TO veto the irrigation bill
now in his hands.
The message was as follows:
SAN FRANCISCO, March 49, 1907.
Mayor Harper: l believe irrigation
bill now before governor could be used
to embarrass seriously the use OF
Owens river water.
'fWill you telegraph governor to veto
1t and interest chamber of commerce
JAMES d. PHELAN."
The law department of the city inn
mediately got busy and further steps
will be taken in the interest of the
Owens river aqueduct.
Slips in a "Joker"
Mr.. Phelans telegram called atten-
tion to an editorial in q San Francisco
newspaper on the subject which pointed
out some of the Objectionable features
of the bill.
The editorial is as follows:
1.-THE assemblyman from Stanislaus
county succeeded in sending to the
governor a bill that on it's face pur-
ports to regulate the method of con-
Quoting irrigation districts. Under
cover of these provisions a Joker has
been slipped in with the purpose of de-
priving San Francisco of it's rights in
the waters of the Tuolumne.
THE Joker is an addition to the
second section Of the bill, of which the
material part is as follows:
"'There is hereby granted. dedicated
and set apart from any stream, lake
or other body of water, which is a
source of supply for any district
formed or existing under the provi-
sions of this act, ALL WATER,
whether the same be storm or flood
water or constitutes the normal flow
of said stream, not appropriated, neces-
sary for the beneficial irrigation of all
lands included in the boundaries of
such district
For Modesto and TurIock
"This is undoubtedly an attempt to
reserve all of the waters of the Tuo-
lumne for the Modesto-Turlock dis
trict, whether it is able to store and
use them or not 1t is another mani
festation of the dog-in-the-manger
Spirit that was stirred up in the dis
tricts by the agents of the Spring VAL
ley company.
1--WE trust that Governor Gillett will
withhold his approval from any such
attempt to block the way to use the
Sierra waters.
3 1--WE do not know whether San Fran
cisco viii decide to adopt the Tuolumne
source or another for it's Sierra water
works. But if the people decide that
this source will serve them best they
Should have the right to get it. The
use of the Tuolumne supply will not
interfere with any rights acquired in
the irrigation districts.
= 1.-The obstacles that have heretofore
prevented the city from getting the
federal governments consent to use
the Hetch- Hetchy reservoir sites have
been removed with the retirement of
Hitchcock from the interior depart
Inent, and it is unjust that the state
should put up other artificial bar
riers.
Cites Owens Ruling
= "As the ruling in the Owens river
case in favor of Los Angeles declared,
supplying cities is the highest use to
which water can be put. There is no
question here, however, of taking water
from it's present uses and transferring
It to the city.
y "As was shown by the testimony in
the Spring Valley suit in the federal
court, the wants of San Francisco for
many years to come can be supplied
by the storage of but 6 per cent of the
waters that now run uselessly to the
sea or swell the floods that are the ter
ror of the lower San Joaquin.
"Give San Francisco a fair chance
to say whether she wants this water
or not