Arizona state miner., 1924-08-23

| RlpdFIdu ownership from time I'M
memorial has always been held in
violate and supreme. In older Asiatic
countries, where they have irrigated
for thousands of years, there is no
such thing as special title to nor own
ership of water. The government or
state handles and distributes the wa
ter accumulated. 1t belongs to the
land and is distributed equally in pro-
portion to the quantity on hand and
the amount of land or area to be
| irrigated. No land owner can sell
his water certificates because there
are none. If he cannot use the water
on his land it must pass on to some
one below who can use it and whose
needs require it.. Thus, | claim the
| Colorado pact is unfair because it
seeks to discriminate and gives title
| to water which is here today and
there tomorrow and belongs to all
riparian owners alike who can use
| it, The motive for a pact is to tie
up the power potentiality of the Col
orado river that the Great Western
Power Combine may utilize it for per-
petual profits Ito hurt of the States
to which it belongs. land it is thru
politics and camouflage that politi-
clans are now endeavoring to becloud
the issue so that people may favor
signing of this menacing agreement
called a, pact. MY friends, ratffca-
tion of the pact by Arizona is like
a man giving away his right eye. 1t
is suspicious circumstance for any
body coming to you and asking you
to sign away your rights in oil, coal,
timber ior. to the waters of a stream
where you own home; for he can
not take> it without your signature.
Uncle Sam didn't sell you a home
stead, timber or mining claim and
give you a patent therefor but which
he is in duty bound to protect. The
big interests know this and the very
fact that Arizona is asked to sign a
pact is an overwhelming admission
that the resources. of the Colorado
in water or power belong to her and
cannot be rightfully taken from her
without she passive1y allows it. The
resources of the Colorado like those
of other streams are heritage to
Arizona as we'll as the upper basin
signed away. Power is the moneyed
resource that the Western Power
Combine, whose seat of operations is
in Los Angeles, are seeking. With
Herbert Hoover at head of the fed
eral power commission, they have an
other Teapot Dome in the making.
Don't sell it, lease it, nor sign away
to the everlasting hurt of your chill
dren's children. Western Power Com
bine money is even now in this state
playing politics., paying for brass
bands and political wire pulling. In
straight out election: just now the
people of Arizona are aroused and
the pact would be grossly defeated
10 to l. but great predatory inter
ests are here with more smoke
screens to fool the people into elect
ing passive officials that will surely
sell eut in ratification of the pact.
/ : Another matter that should be
pointed out before close is the fed
eral power commissions arbitrary
ruling that the State of Arizona's
Highline Canal project was without
merit. The. reason given was that.
this project was too expensive and
could benefit only 6 small area for
irrigation below the point of intake
on the Colorado. That was an anci-
cient idea emanating from ancient me-
thods. Under twentieth century. en-
gineering it is possible TO irrigate
the sides of San Francisco mountain
north of Flagstaff if necessary. Power
transmission from damsites createE
to hold water can now be effected:
across great distances so as to lift;
water from other streams high above.
the point of intake out Of their banks.
onto arabic table lands near Them
! But in the general condemnation to.
make point the engineers overlook
ed an important fact. g
= have had some experience in irt.
rigation enterprises and know some
of the drawbacks of--signing pacts or
agreements with private corporations
to provide power and water in Cali
.Efornia. The rights, Of Arizona to use
the Colorado river for development
are supreme and not even the fed
era'. power commission will deny her
authority to license. affirm or pass
upon all projects along that stream
within her boundaries. The federal
power commission knows this and
therein lies the real reason and nee
essity for a pact. Even the federal
power commission recognizes this. as
shown by the fact that navigation
of the Colorado has lately been sus
pended with recent abrogation of the
Custom House for ages maintained at
Yuma The Colorado compact. as
stated by Governor Hunt and backed
by the Arizona legislature which re
fused to ratify it. is a deadly menace