Evening star., 1937-07-25
arbitrarily and Statehood conferred
when the population reached a certain


when the population reached a certain
figure
The result. the committe points
out. is that mo State Is actually q
unit socially, economically or physi-
cauy. +" Broad combinations of
resources may extend over several
States, but in few instances DO they
include the whole of any one State
Thus any given State may fall into two
or more regional units There is
almost nothing which can be said
about an entire State. and almost no
recommendation can be made which
is applicable to the entire State.
Even in the few instances where
a State is relatively homogeneous
throughout. that homogeneity usually
extends for beyond State boundaries. :"
States Will Lose.
In view Of this disorderly geogra phi
ical relationship between the States
and the natural resources, it is not
strange that these political entities
show poor record for effective
outstanding of the resources.
That such failure more than over
balances the loud contentious Of the
Jealous guardians Of States rights"
who fight their best against central
ization of power in the Federal Gov
ernment is noted by many observers
Editorial Research Reports quotes one
OF the most astute of these, w. B.
Munro. professor of history and gov
ernment at California Institute of
Technology.
Reminding the State 's-righters that
extension of Federal authority cannot
be impeded "by merely raising a cry
against Federal GENERALIZATION, so long
as it is apparent to everybody that
the ends which majority of the peo-
pie desire cannot be attained by
letting each State use or misuse its
power as it sees fit" Munro continues: :
People will not starve or suffer
continued injustice or forever tolerate
economic inequities in the name of
checks and balances. States rights,
or reserved powers. Something
more constructive will have to be
planned and presented. And region
alism seems to be the only prac-
ticable compromise between un-
hampered State individualism and
virtually complete Federal central
lization. For it is quite certain, on
the one hand, that the national gov
ernment will not cease its endeavor
to extend Federal control over the
agricultural, industrial, and CONNER
cial life Of the entire country. On the
other hand, if the States stand
doggedly against any changes what
ever in the present ALLEGATION OF
powers. they are virtually certain to
lose-slowly, perhaps, but surely.
That is what they have been doing for
a generation or more They will be
the intrepid rearguards Of a retreating
cause"
States See Need,
That the States already recognize
the need for regional cooperation is
evident in the formation of the Coun-
Gil OF oCate Governments IN 1885 and
the creation Of 80 State commissions
on interstate cooperation. Under
sponsorship of the council, an inter-
state commission on the Delaware
River Basin was created in 1886 and
early this year there was established
similar cooperative agency for the
Ohio River Basin.
The States also have made in
creasing use OF the compact system
in arriving at some program o1
cooperative action. most notable
examples being the Port of New York
Authority under joint operation OF
New York and New Jersey, and the
Colorado River commission with Ari-
sona. California. Colorado, Nevada
New Mexico. Utah and Wyoming
parttcipatin0.