The Winslow mail., 1923-11-09

It's vast resources OF power may be
entrusted, still it is essentially and
primarily a national matter. 1t is
generally felt that at the very least
the duty and responsibility of flood
tontrOl--the protection of life and
property from destruction-the most
urge Mt item of river development,
rests rLon the Federal government,
and !! is not too much to say that
Congress appreciates that responsible
lity; while to me it is perfectly clear,
it is morally certain that the rivers
huge reclamation projects will never
be undertaken except by the Federal
government, or with it's financial sup
port and under its supervision. Be-
sides, the international aspects of the
case, the colossal magnitude of the
enterprise, the economic necessity for
unified development, and the general
demand that the rivers resources be
conserved for the benfit of the peo
pie, all these considerations and
others support the belief that in the
final analysis the Colorado's develop
ment must be classed as a national
undertaking. National undertakings
require egislation-Iegislation and
huge ppropriations-by Congress.
Such a program calls for the united
support of every Western Senator
and Representative, and that may be
secured only on the basis of a treaty
agreeable to the States they repres-
ent. The members from the upper
basin states have frankly said so.
Furthermore, the interests OF the
Federal government are direct and
ACSd Svrtn
tional aspects of the case, and ignor-
ing the legal status of the Colorado
as a navigable stream, the Federal
governments interests are those of
an owner, as we'll as the custodian
of great national policy which is
directly affected, and which l since
rely trust will never be reversed nor
violated-the policy of conservation
of the nations natural resources. The
United States owns every site in The
lower basin of the Colorado river
adapted to tho harnessing of floods.
the storage of water for reclamation
and the development Of hydro-electri(
power. Theorists to the contrary,
this phase OF the situation is absolu-
tely controlling. 1t may neither by
ignored nor avoided. Forgetting the
legal distractions which might be
interposed by States jealous of their
rights; forgetting the political OBJ
structions which it is possible for the
Congressional representatives of such
States to put in the way, there can be
no development of the river'sresour-
ces in the absence of an agreement
with the Federal government and the
consent thereof Such an agreement
is embraced in the Colorado River
Compact Consent must be secured
from the Federal Power Commission,
which under the law represents the
United States in all such matters.
And the full force of all the six states
which have ratified the Compact, and
l Nigh add, the undoubted sentiment
Of Congress, demands that the Fed
eral Power Commission adhere to the
policy which it has heretofore an
nounced, that development of the
river shall be deferred pending an
agreement between the States with
respect to the rivers waters
1t is not therefore clear that it is
a waste of tremendously valuable
time for objectors, conscientious or
otherwise, to advance contrary theor-
ies-to advance any theories whatso-
ever, which fail to recognize the ne
cessity for an agreement between the
States? And should it not be salts
fving to the most insistent champion
of the rights of a State that with he
Federal government at the head of
this great movement, that with the
Federal government at the head of
this agreement, the rights of all states
will be carefully observed and even
handed justice meeted out to ALL
Now, what are the terms of this
essential treaty Expressed in every
day language, the Compact prinnari-
ly, is merely an agreement whereby
the major portion of the waters OF
the COlorado-sufficient thereof to
relieve the fears and provide for the
reasonable, probable needs of all sec
tions, and to insure ample water for
the reclamation Of their arid lands
are amicably allotted, or allocated.
without resort to the courts, without
the destructive delays Of interminable
litigation. This division of water is
made, not as between the individual
States, but as between two groups of
States-the upper basin group, or
States lying above the Grand Can
yon, consisting Of Wyoming, Colorado
Utah and New Mexico, and the lower
basin group, or States lying below
the Grand Canyon, consisting of
California, Nevada and Arizona
groups naturally suggested by their
outstanding differences OF climate
geography, and economic conditions,
or requirements of water for the ir-
rigation of land. Secondarily and
incidentally, the Compact contains
simply machinery to render it effec-
tive; establishes the order of import
ance of the uses to which the rivers
waters may be put; recognizes and
protects existing rights, both OF
States and of individuals; authorizes
a further allotment in forty years
should occasion therefor arise, and
establishes a purely precautionary
and equitable rule for the delivery OF
any water to which the United States
might hereafter, as matter of in
national comfy, recognize Mexicos
right.
So muoh confusion Of minds u,o11 n