Imperial Valley press., 1919-01-20
SPEECHES
AT WATER MEET
ASSIST CONTRACT

Information of value to voters in
determining their suffrage for tomor-
rows water election may be obtained
from the strong speeches made at the
High School meeting of Saturday by
Walter Packard, assistant state lead
or of farm advisers, and Phil D..
Swing.
AS only limited number of per-
sons heard these splendid talks, ow-
ing to the lack of seating accommo-
dations, The Press herewith repro
duces them in full:
The subject that was given to me
was the general phases of this water
problem l don't think it was neces-
sary to limit me on the program, be-
cause | think the five preceding
speakers have done that quite sufilcl-
emily, and all phases of the question
have been thoroughly discussed ,out IL
seems to me as l go around the state
in other counties, that we don't real
ize in Imperial the absolute necessity
of uniting on one plan for the solving
of the water problems down here 1t
seems to me the first essential for a
unified Colorado River project, IS
unified Imperial Valley at the end OF
the project. | don't think we can
carry on unified Colorado River pro-
ject if we don't unite in Imperial on
one plan that is proposed and caano'.
be carried through We are all united
first on the fact that things are not
rs we would like to have them, and
that there is a problem in the Colo
RADIO River, and that we wan the Fed
eral government to help us t. finance
the problem, and in carrying through
storage, and works in Mexico in con-
troll of the flood protection. 1t seems
10 me, however, that the contract that
has been proposed is contract that
can be followed out, and that wilt
mately lead to the very thing we want
to have, and that is the 'unificaton OF
the Colorado River and government
control of that project.
In order that you may get my per-
sonal viewpoint on this matter, will
just review the history OF it. In 1915
the Farm Bureau asked Mr.. Mead to
come to Imperial Valley to confer
with the directors fthe, Farm Bureau
regarding the water problem. They
came down here, and he recommended
eral government for aid, because he
said there, was no other way unaer
heaven that we could get anything
done, and that afternoon we sent
strong telegram to Secretary Lane and
President Weaver, asking for their
cooperation in studying this problem,
and getting a survey and making re-
port that would point a way to the So
l., He hot nd 6n1n
ton was sent to Ell Paso 10 meet al
TIE Irrigation Congress. They went
there with maps and plans of the pro-
ject here, and presented the Thing to
Mr.. Davis, and three or four days later
the entire delegation came to Yuma,
and came down the Colorado River.
and down into the Imperial Valley, and
we discussed the problem, and told
them we needed their aid, and as re-
suit of that meeting money was ap-
propriated both by the Federal gov
ernment and the University of Califor-
mia, and that report, generally known
as the Mead Report, came out soma
time later. Just about the time that
report came out happened to be in
washington when they were discuss
ing with Secretary Lane the problem
of ratifying a certain private contract
for the irrigation of the mesa lands.
1t seemed to me as we were just go
ing into the plan for larger project
of the Colorado River, that ii was q
mistake to have the mesa lands irrl-
gated by any private concern, and
opposed the signing of the contract,
but it was signed. l was in Washing
ton eight months later as member OF
one of your delegations, and at that
time we talked to Mr.. Lane regarding
a temporary connection with Laguna
Dam so that we could have at least
the temporary diversion with The Colo
RADIO River and get away from the sand
bar, and Mr.. Lane said Eyes, | will
grant a contract Of that kind II 1t is
your wish, but you have done too
many temporary things in Imperial
Valley already, and personally will
not favor it if you expect TO come
to Congress 10 ask for money to as
sist you in carrying through that tenn
porary connection with Laguna Dam,
but if you will do anything that will
support a unified project on the Colo
RADIO River, will support you. In SIX
mouths time he had reversed his atti-
tudc and given up the idea OF private
dcvc lopment instead of public deyel-
| opment 1t was as result or the
Mead report, and Mr.. Lane has very
definitely adopted that project for the
entire Colorado River, and now when
we have a contract that MI Lane has
signed, and since we know that 'Mr.
Lam is favorable to unified Colorado
River project, it seems to me that we
can rest assured that Mr.. Lane is
right and just in his idea regarding
THAT contract, and that he would moi
/ ask us to go into contract Oh lhat
kind if it did not fit in with the whole
plan of the Colorado River The con
trac Nseems to me to be a very fair
one. u represents a division of the
waters af the Colorado River that is
far better than we have at the present
time. This contract gives US con
/ tract with tie United States govern
ment instead Of the Mexican govern
ment, in which we get three-fourths
OF the water instead of one-half, ana
It stipulates very definitely what ar,
rangements shall be made about inc
power and the possibilities, ana the
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