The San Francisco call., 1910-08-30


common with all the people of this city
I had. from the information given, felt
satisfied that San Francisco was pos
sessed Of all the right and title neces-
sary for the damming Of Hetch Hetchy
valley Cor the purpose of impounding
the flood waters of that great water
shed. 1t IS true that 1 had some doubts,
based upon the manner in which, as
well IS the channels through which,
those who were promoting this great
project were conducting themselves re-
garding this great project and these
doubts, during the special election
called for the voting of bonds for the
said project. were made clear 10 the
people Of this city.
Fear Concerning Title
However, assurances We're given that
the people We're perfectly safe in pro-
ceedlng with the work necessary to
secure the water from Hetch Hetchy
valley, which called for the issue Of
bonds TO the extent OF $4,000. 600. The
meeting Of your representative with
the president of the United States.
however, put to rest for all time any
such belief tending 10 convey the idea
that San Francisco's title to Hetch
Hetchy valley was secure.
On the contrary, President Taft
showed your representative quite
clearly that the permit issued by Sec
retary Garfield was not worth the paper
on which it was written. providing his
successor in Office. whether immediate
or remote. desired to revoke the same
before use vested a right In other
words, what one secretary may grant
in that regard may by another succeed
ing secretary be revoked, and that
absolutely within the law.
This placed your representatives in
2 remarkably peculiar position. What
was to be done? was the question that
Immediately presented Itself to, I be
leve. each and every one. and after
considerable skirmishing the president,
largely through the able assistance
rendered by United States Senator
Flint, suggested that a commission of
army engineers be appointed to make
q thorough and impartial investigat ton
Of the entire situation, giving them
one year within which to thus -4nvesti-
gate both the claims of San Francisco
and those opposed to San Francisco's
securing a water supply from the Hetch
Hetchy valley.
DEPLORED BY PRESIDENT
This, indeed. seemed to be a splendid
idea, particularly so since we seemed
TO be on the very threshold of eXpul-
sion from Hetch Hetchy and that, as
we were given to understand by the
president, within the law. The presi-
dent deeply deplo~ed the manner in
which the people of San Francisco were
led to believe that they had the right
under the Garfield act to proceed with
the building Of water works. necessi-
tatfng the damming OF the Hetch
Hetchy valley for the hereinbefore
mentioned purposes, but he was no
more surprised than was the under
signed, because I, in common with all
Others interested in this project have
been made to believe that we had all
the right and title 10 proceed within
the law and complete the Hetch Hetchy
system without delay.
So confident was I that this was the
position the city occupied that during
the campaign for the bonds stated on
more than one occasion that we would
have water from the Hetch Hetchy in
san Francisco within a period of five
years. Indeed, 1 felt confident that the
promoters of this scheme were abso-
lutely on the square with the people of
this city and county, recalling as I
have many times the fact that my
predecessor in Office, who was a lawyer
and as such presumed to know the law.
on February %, 1909, expressed himself
as follows:
The city can go right ahead. and I
action at Washington pOstponing until
the next session Of congress the au-
thoriZation to exchange lands need not
delay the Hetch Hetchy project in the
least. We have a permanent easement,
which is as good for practical purposes
as fee simple title, to all of the land
In any case the exchange of the city S
purchases outside of the valley for the
federal land in the valley would not
have given US title to all of the in
closing walls. The city is in good con-
dition to go right ahead"
NOT LIKE Los ANGELES
1t has been argued that San Fran
cisco had the same right and title to
Hetch Hetchy as Los Angeles had to
the water supply she is now engaged in
constructing. Nothing in the world
could be further from the truth. Los
Angeles has a right through act of con-
gress and not through a permit given
TO her by the secretary of the interior
and in this regard / wish to call to the
attention Of your honorable board that
President Taft stated to your repre-
sentatives while in the White House
that If San Francisco could show that
she must acquire the Hetch Hetchy val
ley rights in order to secure a water
supply sufficient to meet ali her needs
then he would support such bill and
have il put through congress. insuring
TO San Francisco all the title needed in
regard 10 the water supply from Hetch
Hetchy valley.
His suggestion was adopted by the
secretary of the interior and COM
mission made up of three army en-