The border vidette., 1926-06-26
HAYDEN MAIN.
TAlNS HIS POSITION

Hayden with references to the
Colorado River Compact and the
Swing Johnson Boulder Canyon
Bill, which he so ably maintain
ed on the floor of the House of
Representatives. and before the
House Committee on Irrigation
and Reclamation. is made plain
in a recent statemento of Arizona's
representative as follows:
/ speak as one who has con
sistently advocated the settle
ment of all disputes over the
waters of the Colorado River by
friendly agreements rather than
by appeals either to the courts
or to Congress. [ have done so
from the conviction that the best
way to avoid the naturalization
of the river was TO proceed by
compacts which acknowledge
and confirm to the States their
right over appropriation Of wat
err. | have long insisted. and
still contend, that the Colorado
River compact should be adopt
ed as the best available means
or promoting development and
preventing ligitation between the
seven states having an interest
in that stream. / have urged it's
approval many times IS an agree
ment under which the people of
Arizona could live and prosper.
MY position has always been
that whenever the Colorado Rlv
er compact is approved by my
State, Arizona should insist that
there be no development on that
river in the lower basin until a
supplemental compact had been
agreed to by the States of Ari
zopa, California, and Nevada.
The compact contemplates aud
provides means for the negotia
ton of such agreements. Ari
zona stands in even greater need
for protection against prior ap
preparations in California than
do the States of the upper basin
and has the same reasons for
blocking development until her
future is provided for and pro
tected.
THE negotiation of such a tri
State agreement is now under
way. Commissions have been
appointed to arrange for an
equitable apportionment of the
waters of the Colorado River
among the States of the lower
basin. Meetings have been held
and prop osals have been submit.
ted, which are now under con
side: atior. Cearinly it is better
to try and do justice by mutual
accord than to await the long de
lays which are always includent
to interstate lawsuits.
There are those whose i'm
patience prompts them to seek a
short cut to accomplish the ends
they seek, but where the future
welfare of entire Commonwealths
are involved, we must allow time
for the people concerned to
understand the plan proposed
and to reach a sane and sensible
decision which will be fair to
themselves and to their neigh
bors. It will be impossible to
gain any time by waving aside
the necessity for an agreement
among the three States of the
lower basin or by refusing to
acknowledge the rights of any
one State of the seven.
Arizona has a we'll establish
ed tradition of resistance to coer
cion. Two presidents have tried
intimidation and both failed.
Theodore Roosevelt sought to
club US with his big stick into
joint statehood with New Mex
leo, but, powerful and aggressive
as be was, his command was
vehemently repudiated. Presi.
dent Taft endeavored to tell Us
what kind of a constitution we
should adopt, but all his efforts
came to naught. And so it will
be with every other outside at
tempt to interfere with the will
of a free and courageous people.
The only way to accomplish any
thing with Arizona is to first &C
knowledge it's equality with
every other State in the Colo
RADIO River Basin, and, with that
as a basis, to deal fairly and
| justly in q spirit of helpfulness
and co operation. I know that
I speak for my people when |
say that they will resist compul-
sion, such as is proposed in this
bill, every inch OF the way"