Imperial Valley press., 1921-12-20
A N. LEGION
PL A \ s AS
7 D | D 7 D
F A | |
World War Veterans Or
ganizatiOn Wants Govern
ment Control of Boulder
Canyon Project; Prefer
entail Rights to Lands

Joseph Timmons, World War cor
respondent and staff writer of the In
ternational News Service papers, in
a story just printed. writes entertain
ingly of the aims and desires of the
American Legion in the carrying out
of the great Boulder canyon water
conservation and power project, as
presented at the hearing in San Diego
before Secretary of the Interior Fall.
He says:
Farms for eX-service men" is the
slogan of the American Legion. That
purpose has drawn the Legion by
force of logic into the public owner
ship camp.
The Legion demands. therefore,
that the government build the Boulder
canyon flood control dam; that it su-
pervise distribution of power rights
and privileges; that it give ex-servlce
men preferential rights of entry on
the government lands to be irrigated
uHueG tIe SIedl pIoJeNl'
While the legionnaires have not
gone so far as to take a stand direct
ly in the controversy between public
and private development of the power,
they have lined up with all public
ownership forces as squarely insistent
upon Federal construction of the
flood control dam at Boulder can
yon. They have done this in spite
of the fact that the private power
companies are still saving, LET us
build the dam; we will do it quicker
and better than any one else can do
it; we are ready to go and can spend
S40,000,000 a year on the project
The American Legion posts of I'M
perial Valley have taken the lead for
Federal construction of the dam and
the settling of soldiers of the World
War on the lands to be reclaimed from
desert wastes. They have the support
of the department of California, and
the influence of the national organZa-
ton will be employed to help get the
appropriation bill through Congress.
President Harding has pointed out
graphically the fact that after all
previous wars, the United States had
! fertile and watered lands for entry
/ for homes for her soldiers.
No such lands are remaining now,
and arid and swamp lands must be
reclaimed if our soldiers and sailors
of the World War are to be rewarded
by opportunity to make homes upon
their own farms. The President and
his cabinet are committed to policy
! of settling eX-service men on lands
still to be reclaimed from swamps and
! deserts.
There is a reason why the Repuhi-
can administration, including the Re-
publican Congress, must put this pro-
gram through. They have not done
very well so far by the World War
veterans. They turned the bonus bill
down. for reasons advanced by Sccrc-
tary of the Treasury Mellon, and at
the Kansas CITY convention of the
American Legion Mellon was de-
nounced as the "world's greatest
profitecr" 1t is up to the admin
Iistration-that is to say, the RepuDl-
can party-to demonstrate that 1T has
not forgotten the nations heroes
The showdown will come in the ac-
ton Of Congress on appropriation
bills for this pet Boulder dam project.
And every congressman is going to
know that the American Legion IS
watching him.
CAPTAIN Thomas J. Worthington Of
Calcxico and Walter Kibbey Of FL
Centre were at the San Diego confer
ence as representatives of the lmpcr-
ial County Inter-post Council OF the
American Legion. Captain Worth
ington made an able argument for
Federal DEVELOPMENT Of the Boulder
canyon project and presented to Sec
rotary Fall the following recommcn-
dations Of the council:
"First. The immediate construction
by the government of the Boulder
canyon dam and the All-American
canal at government expense, the
came to remain under government
control.
Second. That the government su-
pervise the distribution Of all power
rights and privileges.
Third. That ex-service men and