The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1914-05-29
AT NATIONAL CAPITAL
Paragraphs on Important Gov
ernment Affairs.
GREAT IRRIGATION SCHEME
Grand Canyon Project. Lost Con-
stitution. Politics in Congress.

The Tribune Bureau.
By J. e. JONES
Washington, d. C.-Ralph H.
Cameron. OF Phoenix, Arizona, Is in
Washington, and he has unfolded the
greatest plan ever proposed to reclaim
any section OF the country-for
Cameron Is going to do nothing less
than harness the power of the Grand
Caoyon OF the Colorado, and he has
hydro electric Development project
which in comparison makes the
Niagara Falls and Keokuk Dam
developments look like children's
ships 10 q mud puddle. The Grand
Canyon hydro-electric development
project has been Ralph Cameron's
dream for seventeen years. It means
that nearly $50, 100000 will be ex-
pended, aud that 200. 900 horse power
will be secured. This wondrons
power will be distributed over $780,
600 acres OF land. and will reclaim
most Of It, as 1t has been establised
that there is an abundance OF under
lying water. and this will be pumped
for irrigation purposes aud for
mining projects, whose difficulties
have been 10 the lack Of power and
water. The Roosevelt Dam reclaims
$50, 1000 acres-one. tenth of the Grand
Canyon project. The best engineers
10 the United States have O. KID the
new project, and it seems assured.
Wisconsin has just discovered the
fact that It has lost its constitution
that Is to say, the original constitu-
tion was sent to Washington when 1t
was adopted IN ls4S, and no one
discovered until recently that 1t was
missing. The Wisconsin and the
national capitals have been searched
with the result that only copy Of
the document, which is at Madison,
has been brought to light. Senator
La Toilette has pursued the search
through the state department at
Washington, the congressional library
and the senate and house dies, but
has been unsuccessful; and it is now
believed that the document found Its
way into the flles of one of the con-
Rressional committees and probably
was destroyed more than half q
century ago. Perhaps after all. the
constitution is not important among
Badgers.
The administration leaders have
not weakened in their demand for
adjournment Of congress shortly after
the tlrst OF July. The conviction In
the United States senate, that the
only direct track to legislation is
through long drawn out discussions
before committees and the senate
itself, has been shocked, and some
OF the s0lOns are rather resentful of a
plan which boiled down simply means
that the senate must be rushed. The
theory OF the administration men is
that with the carrying out OF the
proposed legislative program the case
ofthe democratic party can be put
up to the people Of the country in
midsummer. According to 1.-The Will
son idea, the voters will be obliged to
do justice to the administration and
therefore return q democratic con-
gress. OF course the republicans and
progressives figure 1t out altogether
differently.
As great as Is the power OF Niagara
Falls as water power proposition,
the scenic greatness of Niagara sur
passes Its commercial value. For
years there has been battle between
the government and those who would
caary Oh the .'whole works. II they
were permitted to do so, 10 order to
run electro chemical interests. One
OF the best authorities In the country
has declared that the water now
laundering over Niagara represents
the equivalent Of 1000, 900 tons OF
coal week, and In years time one
tenth Of the entire coal consumption
OF the United States. This authority
does not enthuse over the conserya-