The Winslow mail., 1923-11-09


it's guest of honor Wednesday, Senator
Mulford Winsor. There were about
fifty Rotarian's and their guests pres
ent. The entire time of the meeting
was given over to the Senator and he
Immediately entered into a discus
sion of the Colorado River Compact.
Senator Winsor is one of the best
posted men in Arizona on this great
question and is a most ardent advo-
cate of the Ratification of the Santa
Fe Compact In the course of his
remarks the Senator said:
'The Colorado River Compact is
the key to the unlocking of the vast
resources of one of this nation
Mightiest water ways. 1t is the ini-
tial and an essential feature Of an in
dustrial movement of the most gigan-
tic proportions, of the utmost signi-
f1cance not alone to Arizona, where
the chief development must inevitably
occur, but to the whole Southwest as
we'll, and indeed to the entire country.
This movement aims at nothing
less than the orderly, systematic, com
plete and unified development of the
entire Colorado River BaSin-the
translation of it's almost limitless po-
tentianties into wonderful actualities--
the harnessing of it's ruthless floods,
so that instead of being terrible for
ces for destruction they will become
agencies for the benefit of man; the
utilization of it's wasting waters for
the reclamation of the parched and
burning earth and it's conversion into
areas of productivity; the creation of
vast forces of hydro-electric energy
with which to turn the wheels of in
dustry and of progress.
"The Compact itself, to which
have referred as the initial feature of
this great movement, is the result of
a gradually awakened realization that
without an agreement which will quiet
the fears and protect the legitimate
aspirations of the several States hav-
ing interests in the river, remove the
legal and political Instructions to
development which they are in posi-
ton to interpose, and satisfy the Fed
eral government, there can be no
comprehensive development of the
rivers resources.
Contrary to an impression held by
some, contrary to misrepresentation
which carelessly have been made, the
Compact is not neither does 1t COM
template nor presage, a specific plan
for the rivers development. 1t is
just a clearing of the road, a cutting
out of the brush, a removal of the
obstacles to development, in order
that a sane, practical and feasible
plan may promtly be adopted and
promptly executed-in order that the
seeds of limitlesS wealth which are
borne on the rivers floods may ger
inmate and grow. The Compact does
not say, nor does it attempt to sug-
gest, by what agency these resources
shall be developed and the great
wealth created, whether by the Fed
eral government, by the State, by pri
vate interests or by any of the pos
sible combinations of these agencies.
Neither in it's terms, it's purpose or it's
effect is the Compact antagonistic to
any plan or to any agency by which
a feasible, comprehensive plan may
be carried out 1t is designed mere
iy to make it possible for some COM
petent agency, without unnecessary
delay, and with the cooperation and
support of all parties having legiti
mate interests in the river, to enter
upon the greatest constructive work
of the century, and as l have suggest
ed, so far as the Compact is concern
ed, that agency might be the United
States, or the State of Arizona, or
private interests, or combination OF
these. What the agency or agencies
may be is left, properly, logically and
necessarily, to be determined in the
ordinary and orderly way, by public
sentiment, as expressed in the States
through their Legislatures or by the
direct voice and vote of the people,
and through the Congress of the Unit
ed States.
1T is we'll however, to understand
that there exists a strong and we'll
defined willingness on the part of
Congress to undertake, either by the
Federal government independently or
in cooperation with interested
States, municipalities and districts,
the initiation of the rivers develop
ment, and particularly the control
of it's floods and the creation of pow
er incidental thereto.
1T is to me a strange and inexpli-
cable phenomenon that we find op-
ponents of the Compact who explain
their opposition on the theory that
they favor some particular plan or
enterprise for or relating to the
rivers development, as for instance
the suggestion which has been offered
for a great State-owned super-power
project, to be effected through bond
issues of the required magnitude, and
an irrigation enterprise the stupen-
dous magnitude and grandeur of
which words are simply inadequate
to describe, presumably to be simarly
financed. | have not the slightest
desire to criticise these plans, nor
any plans that anyone may have. The
time, in my opinion, has not arrived
for the discussion of plans. They
have nothing to do with the present
question, and can only succeed in
clouding the issue, though I sincerely