Evening star., 1944-11-28

PlOPA IA GAAl6 AiolC
than a billion Lowell Mellett.
dollars.) 1t affects river develop.
ments in all parts of the country
including the Missouri Valley. Ap'
parently it is the inclusion OF thai
long and troublesome stream that
has touched off the discussion now
rejecting credit on the Upper Cham
Der of Congress.
Having rolled through the Lower
House after the manner of any ON
nibus pork barrel bill, containing
something to please enough con-
gressional districts to give it vot-
ing majority, the bill has run head
on into a new and growing move
ment based on broader political
philosophy-a movement for the
creation of more regional authorities
modelled on the highly successful
Tennessee Valley Authority.
"Shot- Gun Wedding"
The bill as it stands is the crea-
ture of the United States Army en-
gineers and the United States Bu-
reau of Reclamation. Those who
have been promoting a Missouri
Valley Authority call the bill hasty
Improvisation designed to forestall
the creation of such an authority
"a shameful, loveless shotgun we'd
ding" in the language of the Ma
tional Farmers Union.
However that may be, the debate
Is bringing out about the best there
is in the Senate. 1t is revealing that
many Senators have been giving
very serious thought to our national
resources and that the lesson of the
iva has not been lost on them. This
was definitely shown when an
amendment designed to curtail the
sale of power developed at dams TO
be built under the bill, was offered
and defeated. The amount of we'll
informed opposition aroused by the
amendment probably surprised its
author, Senator Bailey.
Caught unhappily in the middle
of the battle is the Interior Depart
ment, of which the Bureau of Rec
lamation is part. Interior has
been responsible for such immense
projects as Boulder, Grand Coulee
Bonneville and many other power
developments that are coupled with
irrigation and conservation. In
terror is pretty proud of its record
in this field. Now, however, Secre-
tary Ickes finds himself under at
tack from the sort of folks with
whom he always has worked in the
past. He is getting the blame for
the wedding of the Army engineers
and the Reclamation Bureau, on the
theory that he gave it his consent
If not his blessing.
Whether he did or not, he seems
to be opposing it now. In a memo
randum, read by Majority Leader
Barkley during the present debate,
the Secretary says the provisions
Of the bill run counter to the
Presidents proposal for Missouri
Valley Authority" And further,
"hasty passage of the bill might
seriously hamper and delay every
effort to adopt sound program of
unified development in the great
river basins of the country"
Would Coordinate Them.
The truth seems to be that Sec
retary 1ckes is very much in favor
of a Missouri Valley Authority but
believes that all such regional bodies
should be brought within and CO.
ordinated by his department.
At the Interior Department the
Murray bill to establish Missouri
Valley Authority, ready to be offered
as an amendment to the present
bill, Is regarded as an excellent bill
so far as power development is con-
cerned. 1t is considered even bet
ter than the legislation creating
TVA, which was its model. But it
Is not considered adequate as to
irrigation and other public land use,
problems with which the States of
the Tennessee Valley have less con-
Germ than the Western States.
Emerging from the present sit
uation Is the possibility, If not
probability, that the whole issue
will go over into the next Congress,
meeting In January. If so it is a
fair guess that a Missouri Valley
Authority will come into being. If