Arizona republican., 1912-05-03
Congressman Says Reclama- tion Service Has Been Guilty of Damnable
 Outrage
WILL ASK FOR
 TIME EXTENSION
Committee Has Finished Its Work of Investiga- tion and Has Left
 the City

What Congressman Galloway, one of the congressional investigators who finished their work here yesterday, thinks of the relations of the reclama- ton service to this valley was ably expressed by that gentleman himself yesterday just as the committee was about to adjourn. His language. in speaking of the work of the reclama ton service, was not precisely elegant, but it left nothing to be desired in the way of eXpressiveness. He called it a "damnable outrage" Any standard dictionary will give the meaning of these words
 All three of the committee delivered brief addresses. They spoke of the hardships the farmers had endured and Of the wrongs they had suffered. They spoke of the kindness that had been shown them since their arrival here and they said the hospitality of the people of Arizona was not to be eXcelled. But when they came to talk about the reclamation service they used another kind of language. For instance here is @ summary of MT. Calloway's speech:
 Following every bouquet and halo that accompany experiences in life comes the stern reality. I admire flowers and love haloes, but at the same time I try not allow my ap- preciatiOn of them to swerVe me from an enduring sense of the stern reality of things. You have had, l take it, the flowers and halOeS of a most won derfnl project painted for you by the many who have assisted in bringing you here or causing you to choose to make this place your home. and now you are face to face with the stern reality of it all An immense irriga ton project has been put in costing millions of dollars; the delight of liv- ing here is doubtless continuous with you; your prospects as an agricultural community are magnificent; but now you are called upon to meet a contin- gency the like of which you never be- lieved possible. and which will, if pressed to a conclusion under 4he terms of the existing agreement with the United states, be a great hard ship upon you all.
 The impression I have gathered oc the way you have been worked dur i ing the years this project has been l in course of construction is not a nice 1 one and could be expressed in stronger
 language than I am going to use.
 T find from the figures that have 1 been submitted here in testimony that 1 you all have paid for water rights, | during the years prior to the reclam- 1 atiOn service taking over the means 1 of collecting and distributing water l some $3.471,512, and with that money 1 you have bought and paid for ditch i system which was sold for you to the i government for greatly in excess of 1 it's value, and now the reclamation ] service is seeking to have you buy the whole thing back again.
 This I consider to be a JamnabIe | outrage, and q little piece of high l finance that I never saw nor expect l to see equalled. As far as the Opin- | ions or estimates of government en- ! gineers upon the value of work or the ! cost of projects are concerner, I am frank to state that I don't consider such an opinion worth a cent. These men have all along proved too varia- | ble, and no two of them seem capa- l ble of reaching the same conclusion 1 Now, by this same service your rights i to receive water from the Salt river 1 have been taken away from you by ! purchasing the system that had here
 tofore been purchased with your mon- ! ey. I am frank to say I can scarcely | find language strong enough to eX- press myself of what I think of sucl i an action.
 T think you have a complaint tha- is just You have been the innocent victims of the reclamation service an( | the water users, and as a result vii have to pay three times as much fol | your irrigation system as you bar 1 gained to pay at the time such prop Osition was made to you, but because
 of this hardship I do not think any attempt should be made to avoid pay ment. I have no sympathy for thu dodgers, and from what I have seen O
 you I do not believe that you would be satisfied to have anything that vol have not paid for. You ought not t'
 want to get one dollar without ren
 dering a dollars worth of service fo
 it. neither ought you to render a dol
 lars worth of service without beini
 paid for it in 100 cents.
 q shall favor an extension of tim
 in the payment of this project on tn
 condition that on the deferred pay
 ments you pay a reasonable amour of interest, and I think you ought t want to pay a reasonable interest NOW, in closing, let me advise yo 7 10 stay awake, don't make any excuse |
 Continued on Page D.