Evening star., 1941-03-18
Ellis Urges Arkansas
Valley Authority as
Postwar Project
Representative Outlines
Benefits to Area and to
Nation in Forum Speech

Representative Ellis, Democrat. O
Arkansas, House sponsor of the Ar.
kansas Valley Authority bill, spok,
on the measure in an address las
night in the National Radio Forum
arranged by The Star.
The speech was broadcast ovel
. national hookup of the Nationa
Broadcasting Co. and was heare
locally over Station WMAL.
The text of the address follows:
To build now our defense agains
enemies and potential enemies from
without the United States and tt
build now our defense against ene'
mics and potential postwar enemie.
from within, whether they be in.
divtduals or conditions-that is the
twofold task supreme in the minC
of every true American.
We are sacrificing our resources
today to aid other people in saving
their democracieS-and ours. Surely
we can afford to prepare now, also
for a sufficient utilization of those
resources to cushion the shock OF
the inevitable chaos that shall ac-
company peace.
This second World War is only
the immediate pain of the present
Behind it all is world revolution
a revolution of hopeless poverty
stricken masses inspired by dema-
goging maniacs-against the capi-
talistic system and democracy.
Democracy Must Grow.
Democracy is not static thing"
It must live and grow. 1t must give
hope and inspiration. 1t must work.
AS a contribution toward these
ends-defense now and later, and
as a tool for aiding the masses to
enjoy the rich dormant resources of
four great river basins-the Arkan-
sas Valley Authority is proposed.
To give you an idea of its broad
purposes, I quote the first para
graph of identical bills pending in
both Houses of Congress. Section
l. The drainage basins of the
Arkansas, st. Francis, Red and
White Rivers contain natural re-
sources capable of providing prod
ucts useful for the general welfare
during times of peace and for the
national defense during times of war
or emergency. 1t is the purpose
and policy of this act to provide
for the fuller development and
utilization of these resources through
plans, projects and activities for or
incidental to the promotion of navi-
cation, the control and prevention
OF floods, the safeguarding of navig-
able waters, and the reclamation of
public lands, in order to aid and
protect commerce among the several
States, strengthen the national de-
fense, conserve the water, soil and
forest resources of the Nation, and
promote the general welfare of the
United States.
1t is called the Arkansas Valley
Authority only because the Arkansas
happens to be the largest of the
four rivers.
Averaging 400 miles in width and
extending from the Mississippi
more than 1000 miles westward to
tie crest of the Rocky Mountains,
covering 100000 square miles with
a population Of 5000, 900 people, the
Authority would embrace all or part
OF eight States: Arkansas, Louisiana,
Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas,
New Mexico and Colorado-seven
times larger than the Tennessee
Valleye Authority.
Rich In Resources.
Nowhere Is there a domain richer
In all the basic elements essential
to a prosperous economic life. It's
fertile soils have produced much of
the Nations wheat, corn, cotton, rice,
sugar, fruits and other agricultural
products. Its lands have produced
much of our cattle, hogs, sheep and
poultry. A large portion of the
country's oil, gas, coal, all the world s
supply of helium, and s5 per cent of
our bauXite ore, raw material for
aluminium, are there. Many other
minerals are there, and in CONNER
cial quantities, including lead, zinc,
mercury, manganese, antimony,
phosphate and even silver, gold and
diamonds. From this area comes
annually a large per cent Of the
Nations forest products.
But we may as well face the facts.
With all these, our people are poor
very poor. The latest census figures,
for example, show the per capita
income of Arkansas at only $244, or
less than half the $536 per capital
average for the Nation as a whole.
All the other seven States are COM
paratively low.
Low income takes its toll in living
standards, in education, in health,
in migration victims and in count
less other ways. AS long as such low
incomes persist, this region will
never provide it's proper market for
their automobiles of Michigan, the
farm machinery of Illinois, the
shoes, hats, electrical appliances and
other products Of the North and
East.
Any Why these conditions? There
are many and varied reasons dating
back into our historical development
along the lines of an agricultural
and raw materials economy. But
that is history. The conditions fac
ing us now-the problems with which
the Authority is designed to deal
are those of waste-waste of natural
resources and particularly those Of
soil, water and manpower.
Warning of Disaster Trend.
The waters of these basins are
bleeding white the lands of the great
Southwest. We've seen only the
beginning of the plague of the
"Grapes of Wrath" The loss of a
seat in the House of Representatives
for each Oklahoma and Kansas, and
possibly Arkansas, is only one of the
many warnings of trends that spell
disaster. To ignore these trends is
to admit defeat; to conquer them
and they can be conquered-is to
open new frontiers and a new era
Of hope and prosperity for approx
mately one-tenth of the United
States.
Rivers are tools to either build or
deStr0V the democracy Tat Ns tiI,.y,