The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1944-06-09
ONE RIvER-oNE PROBLEM

people of Montana.
ONE RIvER-ONE PROBLEM
The time has come to recogniz,
that the Missouri river is one biz
river presenting one big problem.
1t is not one thing in Montana an
Wyoming, another thing in the d..
kotas and Iowa, third thing in Ne
braska, Kansas and Colorado, and 6
fourth in Missouri. 1t is not primar
lily an instrument to the used for ir
rigation, or for navigation, or fol
power, nor is it primarily an evil force
to be controlled against its repeated
and disastrous flooding. 1t is syn
thesis of all of these. Where is the
plan that will solve the one big prob
lem of the one big river?
The Missouri valley must find that
plan. The place to begin is with the
newspaper editors up and down the
2470 miles of valley itself. In this
editorial, we address them.
What Editors Are For
We address the editor of the Miles
the Bismarck Tribune of North Da-
kota, the editor of the Pierre Capital
Journal of South Dakota, the editors
of the Sioux City Journal, the Omaha
World-Herald, the Emporia Gazette
the st. Joseph News-Press. We adj
dress the editors of the Kansas City
Star, the Jefferson City Post-Tribune,
and all the other editors up and down
the valley.
We address them because finding
the plan is job for all of us, working
together; because time is precious if
we are to master the river instead of
permitting it longer to enslave us.
The floods of this spring are the final
and convincing proof that we have got
to accept the rivers challenge now
We address them because the plan
that will rule the river is one that
must be chosen and formulated
through public education, understand
ing and popular acceptance Through
such a plan, all jewellers in the long
valley can be made neighbors, pulling
together in their common task This
is the creative function of journalism.
This is what editors are for
This Springs Flood
What happened this spring? While |
lands thirsted in Montana, water that
might have made them fertile spilled |
ruin over the lower valley. They had |
too little water; we had too much
Water that might have fed the soil,
hot ioI,f
bines, water that might have been
saved to steady the channel for nayi
gation-all this was wasted. In the
wasting, a million acres of life-giving
land were despoiled. Fine topsoil
from Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri
was stolen from the farms as the river
usefessly pushed it's golden burden to-
ward the Gulf of Mexico
In it's wake were homelessness and
paralysis and ruin. Whole villages
were swallowed by dark water. Trans
portation stopped. Food production
stopped. Unfattened livestock was
evacuated to the cities to glut pack
ing houses. The federal government
had to start the machinery for relief
lihood, through no fault of their own,
had been sacrificed to our neglect of
the river.
What would the un-irrigated lands
of Montana have given for the water
the same water-that has starved
and destroyed so much of the lower
valley? What would the rivers navi-
W. oiu q hiab
at once would prevent the hazards of
flood navigation and at the same time
keep their channels deep and free in
all seasons?
Tanning of the Tennessee !,
This can be done. 1t has been done.
lily visionary about plan that could d,
accomplish all these things and give !,
the valley new wealth and power as ,
well. 1t has been done in the Ten :
nessee valley. This year, despite
merciless rainfall that for February
was the heaviest in 81 years, the val
ley of the Tennessee presents Sc
rene, an untroubled picture The
water is within its banks. Great d
barges ply their placid course. Power Z.
is generated in a steady flow that the
vital works of war - aluminium, ex-
plosives and the like-may be pro- 8
1uced without interruption. The peo-
pie of the valley are made prosperous
by the river and are free from fear
Of it.
How has this been done? 1t has
been done by building a great and
system of dams and reser-
voirs which hold back the water in
lime of heavy rainfall and which re-
ease it when and where it is needed.
It has been done by improved agricul-
,ural and forestry methods to hold
water in the land. 1t has been done
building and it's operation is con-
rolled by one regional, unhampered
authority. 1t understands the valley.
T. does not have to run to Washing
on, or beg permission of half dozen
bureaus, to make vital decisions at
he precise time they must be made. o
Big Region, Big Plan II
Under the Tennessee Valley Author g
ty there has been no division of re- 81
There has been no con- d
lict between the Reclamation Bureau
md the Engineer Corps, between the =
people who are interested in power II
md those interested in flood control 81
IT navigation This is because the N
Tol1 he NJ