Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-09-20
RIVER PARLEY
NEAR BREAKUP
WITHIN HOUR.
Oil Poured on Troubled
Waters by Governors of
Upper Basin.
HUNT EXPIODES
Profanity Included in Ar
gument Submitted by
Arizona Governor.

DENVER, Colo, Sept. 49,, R-
An hour old. the Colorado river con-
ference came today pernously near to
breaking up with out even having
broached the multitudinous problems
before it.
An even hour consumed in pour
ing oil upon the waters, however,
averted sudden adjournment of the
parley, and tonight the governors OF
the four upper basin states were.
met in an endeavor to bring peace
out of the reconvened meeting. On
motion put by State Senator Mulford
of Yuma, Ariz., the conference asked
the upper basin to draw up a plan
of procedure which would lead it
"out of the woods"
The argument which jeopardized
the success of the parley started
when w. r. Wallace Of the Utah
river delegation moved Governor
George H. Dern, Chairman, 20 request
Arizona to put her position in writ
ing. H. S. McCluskey of the Arizona
commission was on his feet Instant
ly.
mo" he retorted "That would, in
effect, bind Arizona and not Cali
fornia. Why not ask California to
put her position in writing?"
Tom Maddox, colleague of Nc
Cluskey's seconded him, and Winsor
paraphrased the pair. Gaining the,
floor, John L. Bacon, chairman OF
the California commission, told the
conference in even tones that Cali
fornia was only too willing to state
her position. He proceeded then to
elaborate on the attempts California
had made to arbitrate the water-div-
ision with Arizona, unsuccessfulIy.
Under the latest proposal, he pointed
out, Arizona receives two-thirds of
the water in the lower basin and
California only one-third.
81 would call to the attention OF
the conference" he said "the fact
that California has only to take ner
perfected rights up to the year 1906
to establish claim to 100000 acre feet
of water annually"
California" replied Governor
George W. p. Hunt, of Arizona, sis
playing a waiting game, and believe
me, they are going to wait hell Of
a long time When this matter gets
to Congress, California will come to
terms They call us the baby state
we'll, we're going to squall until we
get our rights in the Colorado river
George w. Maloney, Nevada State
Engineer, at this point presented the
conferees with two alternate plans
for settlement of the water contro
versy. 1--WE can rest on our sovereign
rights" he explained, "and each oil
the three lower basin states take one
third of the water allocated to us by :
the Santa Fe compact; or we can
submit the question to a board which
would divide the water on the basis
of feasible development, eraSing state
lines and giving those lands suscept-
ible to reclamation the water in direct
proportion to the feasibility OF de-
liverance."
Governor Frank G. Emerson OF
Wyoming struck up a fresh gust OF
wind to trouble the waters Of the al
ready turbulent sea. eve heard" he
said with some heat, "a lot of hon
eyed words two weeks ago when this
conference recessed about a near
agreement.
''Mr. Bacon questions the mental
ablllCy OF the upper paSln TO SetCle
this question. (Bacon had referred to
the seeming inability of the upper
basin to effect settlement).
so far as am concerned, there's
a train leaving here at $50 o'clock
tonight for Cheyenne; and unless
these two states California and Ari-
zona) stop glaring at each other and
get down to business I am going
home.
"Furthermore, if they keep talking
about "irreduciable minimums', I, for
one, will withdraw my support OF
the Swing johnson Boulder Canyon
Dam bill"
Winsor, Maddox, Charles L. Chill
ders of Imperial Valley, McCluskey
Continued on Page Ten)