The Winslow mail., 1923-05-11

Senate in the last State Legislature.
did not accept Governor Hunts invi-
tation to attend he conference called
by the Governor to discuss plans for
an Arizona plan" to take the place
of the Colorado Compact which Ari-
zona, the only one of the seven sta
tes interested directly, did not ratify.
In his letter covering some ten pages
Mr.. Winsor says: You will credit
me, l know, out of your own know
ledge, with an earnest desire to be
helpful to the State of Arizona, and
to you, either personally or as chief
executive, and by the same token
am sure you will not misunderstood
me when l express the feeling-that
in the present situation, and under
the circumstances thereof, 1 could
contribute nothing to conference
such as you propose"
Mr.. WinsOr continues: II believe
that Arizona's highest interest lies
in the ratification, as speedily as
possible, of the Colorado River Com
pact My belief amounts to a con-
viction. 1t is based upon familiar
knowledge of the river; upon an
understanding OF the prevailing views
of the States claiming and having
rights in the resources of the river;
upon acquaintance with the spirit
and history of the movement which
eliminated in the passage of the
Act of Congress of August 19, 1921,
authorizing treaty: upon con-
scientious and unbiased study of the
resulting agreement; and upon a
more or less comprehensive know
nf rnCcihf1JtinC n1 dc
of Arizona as they relate to the Co
affected by the proposed covenant
between the States"
He goes on to state that his be-
lief is supported by the sanguine ex-
pectation that upon the ratification
Of the Compact by the several states
that Congress will approve it promp-
tly and set in motion the necessary
machinery to start the development
work on the river. Il am fully per-
suaded," he says, that these objects
may be secured, these ends achieved,
in our time, only joining in the ap-
proval which has already been ac-
corded by every other State to the
Colorado River Compact. Any other
course, 1 am convinced, will prove
obstructive, and in literal sense
destructive"
Mr. Winsor thinks, that holding
these views as he does, and has from
the beginning, he would be out of
joint in such a conference as the
Governor proposes and suggests that
such a conference should be limit
ed to representatives of the various
factions which for one reason or an
other are opposed to ratification;
and the first objective of such con-
ference should frankly be, rejection
of the Compact. For if it should
fail OF accomplishing that, it would
accomplish nothing"
Mr. Winsor holds that-"The Com
pact, as agreed upon at Santa Fe,
and as ratified by every State save
Arizona, must stand or fall" In
support of this contention he calls
Constitution of the United States
which forbids the States of the Fed
eral Union from entering into treat
les with the consent and approval
Of Congress did give it's consent and
approval to the formulation of a
treaty between the seven States of
the Colorado River Basin, and in pro-
viding the machinery therefor fixed
life OF a commission created for that
purpose, and that when the work of
that Commission was completed at
Santa Fe, by operation of law the
Commission ceased to exist. AS a
result there is no place or change
for referring the matter back to the
Commission for there is no longer
any Commission, and hence there
is no provision for amendments, re-
servations or interpretations by any
State, for that would make Of the
instrument something different from
the treaty. There is no consent of
Congress to the formulation of
treaty in any other way or by any
other agency than through the Com
mission, which is now dead The
only question is ratification or re-
lection.
Then Mr. Winsor calls attention to
the difficulties that lie in the way
of getting Congress to give its con-
sent and approval to the formulation
Of another treaty on the petition of
the single State of Arizona, since all
the other States to the treaty have
ratified the one already formulated.
He points out that even if it were
possible to get the consent and ap-
proyaI of Congress, which is very
unlikely for long time to come, the
other States feeling aggrieved at
action at this time, would
follow her lead in wanting some
plan of their own so that there would
be as many ''plans" as there are
States which would result in endless
confusion and the failure of any
other treaty or compact The same
thing would prevail, in his belief,
if Arizona insists on attaching re-
servations and interpretations to the
Compact.
Look at the matter from any an
GLE" he says "the prospect for a
compact, other than the one await
ing action by the Arizona Legisla-
ture, is very dim. There are just
two roads, at this time, for Arizona
to travel-ratifcatio or rejection.
But I hope-I earnestly hOpe-that
the course of rejection may not be
followed that the Legislatures good
b.. fCrLiJ. +ba+ tho Com