The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1944-08-25

MISSOURI valley nave not Dccu dbic |
guide the development of the Who'll
river Each state government has
primary concern with the problem
lying within its own boundaries. Blu
our river knows no state lines. |
flows where it will It's waters pas
| from one state to another. The task
dictated by the nature of the rive
itself, is too big and too complex fol
! single state or a group of states t.
undertake.
There are also those groups having
"a special interest in some special par
of the river valley development. Ma
turally they concern themselves only
with that part of valley development
which they believe will satisfy theil
particular interest, be it a navigable
channel for river commerce, dam
for hydroelectricitys a reservoir tc
control floods. or a reservoir to store
water to irrigate the arid lands. Each
special interest group seems bent or
satisfying its own needs first with
little regard for the effect their pro
posals, if adopted, may have upon
other groups.
Out of these circumstances of con-
fusion of purpose and conflict of in
terest one clear fact is beginning to
emerge the Missouri valley-its re-
sources of life-giving and life-destroy-
ing water its forests, it's minerals
and its soils-will not achieve its God
given destiny until we learn to see
and understand the river and the val
ley as a whole, as a working unit,
as a heritage of resources that can be
developed for many purposes within
the framework of general plan.
So long as we hack the river to
pieces and parcel it out to this agency
and that agency, to this interest and
that interest, stalemate, inaction, and
declining economy will be our re-
ward. We must find a new approach.
What can be done to permit us to
move ahead? How can we put our
conflicts behind us and turn our ener-
gies and our deep and abiding faith
| in the future of our great Missouri
valley to the task of developing the
resources of the valley for the great
est good of the many? What do we
need in the Missouri valley that we
do not now have?
Mr. President, | say we need a new
approach. We need to view the river
and it's valley as whole. We need
remedy for the arbitrary division
of interest and responsibility among
federal agencies to which the river
has been partitioned and assigned.
We need to recognize that the differ
ences which separate the interests of
the upper and lower valley must
somehow be reconciled But | fear
we cannot make much progress in
this reconciliation until we have an
acceptable and authoritative body of
facts and engineering judgments
drawn together for the river resources
AS A WHOLE.
At the present time those interested
in water for irrigation and reclama-
ton fear those interests on the lower
river who want floods controlled and
souri,. Each interest group seems to
assume that these detectives are in
conflict. Each seems to assume that
there cannot be enough water in the
Missouri basin to permit progress in
the achievement of all three objec-
tives, and each group is supported in
that assumption by the technical and
engineering judgments of agencies as
signed to further one use of the river
with little regard for the feasibility of
its use for other purposes.
| predict, Mr. President, that this
confusion of expert advise will con-
tinue unless we establish a single
agency with responsibility to ALL
interests and for ALL uses of the
river. This agency would be created
by congress. 1t would be located in
the Missouri valley region. 1t would
be independent of the existing federal
executive departments. 1t would be |
under a mandate to develop it's plans |
and recommendations and to carry |
them out in close cooperation with |
the agencies of the states and the |
federal government.
This new agency would be respon-
sible to the people of the Missouri
valley through the congress and the
President. 1t would be authorized to
develop and recommend to congress
and then carry out a UNIFIED plan
to achieve the full development and
of q rsiu
This new agency, equipped with the
best managers, engineers, and techni
clans the country can supply, would
set to work to examine
existing plans for river development.
Nothing of value and wisdom in our
past experience would be lost. 1t
would identify more precisely the en-
cheering issues now at the roots of
our current controversies. 1t would
quickly report its findings and recon-
mend a plan of river development and
Use which would recognize all legiti-
nate interests in our great water re-
sources.
Under this procedure we would have
IN end to the pickering and confus-
ng dispute among the experts. The
PEOPLE of the WHOLE Missouri valley
would know where they stand; they
would know what CAN be done to
meet the requirements of all areas of
he Missouri valley
The new agency, the Missouri Val
ey Authority, would present to the
President and to the congress an
and unified report on