Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1921-07-01
DISTRIBUTION COLO-
 RAD0 RIVER WATERS
 PROJECT DISCUSSED

InVJLVI DlUVUUULD
 For years the Mohave County Miner has battled for the development of the waters of the Colorado river and it was through the agency of the editors of the Miner that the Boulder Can yon damsite was placed before Secre- tary Lane. It has been the opinion of this paper that the federal govern ment should exercise complete control of this great waterway and the distri- button of the water; and developed power, without regard to the claims of any state or the republic of Mex ico. The project is too big for few states to quarrel over, which quarrel would retard for years its develop ment. Today there is before con- gress an act to give power to com mission of certain states to distribute the waters of the river among the states, in which council we will have one vote. California is asking for the lions share of the waters and the power to be derived from the great dam that is to be placed in Boulder Canyon. But, twill be realized, when the states have agreed on what they are entitled to, if they can agree, which is problematical, they must re- port to congress and congress must ratify the agreement before it can be- come effective. And even before the matter goes to congress it must also be ratified by the state legislatures, which is also not within reason that the legislatures will do, as each and every one will not get what their rep resentatives believe they ought to get, and the war is on. It is foolish, mis- leading and not to be thought of. It is the only time in the history of ir- rigation or power development that the federal government has had to do this thing and we are opposed to it on the ground that the men in charge of reclamation in the Interior De- partment know their business and will give to the states that need water the amount necessary and can distribute the power to the best advantage with out the restraining influence of an agreement with the states. That our objection has been considered of some importance we quote from the Con- gressional Record of June 20, the sub- feet being the bill creating commis- sion of the states for the distribution of water and power from the Boulder Dam project:
 "MR. HAYDEN. MT. Speaker, this matter was recently considered at Denver, Colo, at conference of the governors of the Western States af- fected by this bill, at which time reso- lutions were passed requesting Con gross to pass legislation of this char acter. The legislatures of all the States concerned have passed the nee essary laws authorizing the appoint ment of commissioners on behalf ot the States, and to complete the organ } ization there should be commission CT appointed by the President to rep resent the United States, because the Colorado River is navigable stream, interstate and international in char acter, and Federal interests are there fore involved.
 My first impression was that no ac- tion by Congress was necessary, put that the irrigation development along the Colorado River might proceed as had been done on other streams, and inasmuch as the principal use of its waters must of necessity be along the lower reaches of the river in Arizona and California l could see no part- cular need of an agreement with the upstream States. But the more l studied the question the more certain I became that this legislation should be passed. I found that there had been serious controversies between other States similarly situated; for ln- stance, the famous case between Kan sas and Colorado, which went to the Supreme Court of the United States, to settle a dispute over the waters ot the Arkansas River, and a like agree ment between the States of Wyoming and Nebraska over the waters ot the North Platte.
 I recently conferred with the Di- rector of the United States Reclama-l tion Service relative to this matter and left with him a newspaper article which expressed some opposition to this bill. MT. Davis has written to me as follows:
 Department of the Interior,
 United States Reclamation Service.
 Washington, D. C., June IA, 1921. Hon. Carl Hayden,
 House of Representatives. My Dear MT. Hayden:
 I have examined the clipping from the Mohave County Miner which you