Imperial Valley press., 1923-01-17
RATIFICATION WITH STRINGS

strong aggressive people are evidently destined
to hold sharp differences OF opinion. Imperial Valley
is peopled with ctizenry having strong opinions and
in times past there has often been occasion question
whether this is to be counted blessing a misfor
tune. As in all things, it is probably neither the
the other but when opinion is valued above the
substance of the thing for which contendng it
becomes difficult thing to deal with.
Just at present it would appear that the valley
is in danger of splitting apparently
monpace, but really fundamental phase of the Color
ado river project The Farm Bureau has adopted
outions which appear in another part of the Press
wherein that organization record to the effect
that in ratfyng the Santa Fe pact the state of Cafor
should make its acceptance contingent upon the
actment of the SwngJ OhnsOn bill, its equivalent
When the resolutions laid before directors o the
Irrigation District yesterday they dissented from that
view, and there again. divided between two
opinions
The Farm Bureau position is that in the Santa Fe
pact the northern tier of states have obtained every
thing for which they contendng when they
agreement defining the division of waters, whereas
Arizona and California not fully taken of un-
til there is agreement upon storage program In the
opinion of the Farm Bureau the enterprise is
pete and the settlement really made until there
is agreement upon the thing which renders that share
of the Colorado river waters which is apportoned to
actually available On the other hand the directors
of the Irrigation District contend that to inject this
into the Santa Fe pact would be to endanger the
whole enterprise.
The Farm Bureau point of view is supported by
the unquesoned fact that flood control is essential
part of the settlement far California and Arizona
Concerned. Without it nothing is settled and
confronted with the same old problems. Lets
wind up the whole thing at one time, says the Farm
Bureau On the other hand directors of the Irrigation
District point that settlement of the Colorado river
question diplomatic matter of the utmost delicacy,
involving seven states and the government of the
United States. Agreement upon the question en-
bodied in the so-called Santa Fe pact made posi-
BILE only by holding the discussion strictly funda
mentals. The Boulder Dam matter proposed at
Santa Fe and repeatedly rejected not because of
position to the project i'll principle but because it
ed up the question of sectional interests and sectional
problems
from the negotiations. The Santa Fe agreement
would not have been possible it is claimed if an at
tempt had been made to include than funda-
mentals.
And so the question to be decided is whether the
present offers opportunity for Imperial Valley
drive hard bargain and obtain all its desires, hopes
and ambitions at time when the main issue is in
process of settlement, shall we pool interests
with all the others and to decision of the matter
point at time. Shall we endeavor to get
now willing to put our dependence in the
good faith of all parties to the agreement and rely
upon the merit of to bring it to in its
proper turn
the theory of negotiation Men Of broadest vision,
having in their keeping the determination of world
problems, have in the past few years declared their
opinion that the old diplomacy was and IS failure.
Issues must be decided upon basis of the funda-
mentals involved 1t is not possible to bring selfish in
terests to adjustment by barter or traffic or COM
promise At the root of such settlement still lies
sefshness which is the substance of dscord and not
of agreement. So long parties feel consciously
unconscously, that selfish interest is the thing at
stake it is not possible to satisfy everyone People
agree upon principles but never upon spols
If this be true they not right who declare for
ratification of the Santa Fe pact on its merits Is there
not very grave danger to the whole enterprise if
attempt at the last moment, at critical stage of the
negotiations, to insist upon JOINT, merorous though
it be, which applies to ourselves in particular to the
possible exclusion of any other party to the agreement
1t is something which should give very serious
sideration before make any which, if unwise
might spell disaster.