The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1944-11-10
"Did you soy you knew the woy?"

into new ventures. l think no one
can dispute those conclusions.
This is the report l bring to you
of the Missouri Valley of the results
of new way of resource development
in another American valley. These
are the results of what transpired
under new methods wherein an
agency of the federal government was
empowered to make its decisions in
the region, not in Washington, and
was directed to see a valley as a
whole, as a unity.
AS you consider and debate plans
for the further development of this
great river valley, you have an adj
vantage which the citizens of the Ten
nessee. Valley did not have. YOU
can judge by WORKS. They-the
people in the Tennessee Valley =
eleven years ago necessarily took
these new methods and took the IVA
on faith.
The people of the Tennessee Valley
heard virtually every argument
against the IVA and every fear ex-
pressed that you will hear urged
against an MVA.
They heard that TWAS establish
ment meant an invasion of states
rights.
In eleven years IVA has taken not
one single power of the states. The
record is that the states are more
active than at the time IVA was
created.
The creation of an MVA is not
question of state versus federal ac-
tivity; it is simply a question of what
kind of federal agency you choose to
the acknowledged federal
functions you desire to go forward
in your valley.
On one hand you can have dozen
federal agencies, each one working
under different laws, responsible to
different sources for decisions; or on
the other hand, as in the Tennessee
Valley, you can have one agency with
a single unified responsibility, to be
judged by the total result, and as is
true of IVA, able to decide things
in the region.
agencies are federal, and the func-
lions of the states are quite unaf-
'ected by the kind of federal agency |
acting for the federal government.
Citizens of the Tennessee Valley |
heard eleven years ago, as you will
hear, that the creation of resource
development agency would mean the
IMPOSITION of 'super-state."
What have they discovered? They
lave discovered that the IVA has no
to compel anyone to do any
hing, state or local governments, or
ITO this there is one
minor exception, the power to con-
lemn land needed in the building of
| dam or reservoir, power exer-
Used, as you know, even by privately
,wned utilities.)
They heard in that distant valley,
IS you will doubtless hear, that the
,reation of an authority would dry
lp local initiative and Illustrate local
government, that the federal govern
nent would do the job alone.
That was the fear expressed. But
he people found out that the iva
dopted deliberate policy designed
0 strengthen local institutions. They
earned that TWAS decentralization
rom Washington made it possible to
ave such a policy and to make it
york.
More than a hundred contracts be-
ween IVA and state and local units
f government reflect our firm policy
D engage the cooperation of exist
lg agencies in our common purpose.
he people found, for example, that :
ne power system created by the dams {
hitch IVA has built is a peoples 5
ystem, partnership of local and fed |
raj agencies. IVA sells power at {
-holesale. That power is distributed {
t retail through 129 municipal sys- {
ems and farm co-operatiyes, every &
ne owned and managed by the peo- {
lie of the localities themselves, not I
y IVA. +
There is no question but that local t
nd state governments are stronger
nd the people in the Tennessee Val '
" are participating more actively in 4
cal government today than they did b
N years ago. We challenge any a
)ntest of that assertion. /
The people in the Tennessee Valley s
card, as you will hear. that the IVA t
ould be irresponsible, that it would s
} its way without the Congressional /
,ntrols applied to old line govern
ent departments. The fact is, how C
yer, that it is Congress that wrote s
to law TWAS detectives; it is Con- S
'ess that indicated the methods avail |;
Die to the IVA. Congress can re-
sal IVA or amend its law tomorrow II
it chooses. Annually the IVA APP o
ears before committees of the Con- I
'ess and is subjected to searching n
We present detailed re- f
)rts. Twas financial accounts are n