Imperial Valley press., 1945-03-07
KEEPING ISSUE CLOUDED
ON RIVER TREATY

If further evidence of the extent of the
state department and the administration
to keep the real issues in the proposed
Mexico water treaty submerged, the re-
port of Chairman Hewes of the Irrigation
district amply provides the truth. Like
wise his report of the hearing before the
senate foreign relations committee clear
ly reveals either the Grass ignorance, or
the settled determination of u. 5. otfl-
cials to hide factual matters behind
screen of a great waving of flags and
false appeal to the patriotic spirit of the
people.
The pro-treaty members of the COM
mittee accomplished one purpose which
dominated the entire hearing-making it
appear that it is California against the
nation and against Mexico and against
international solidarity. In this move
the committee had ample aid from some
of the upper basin states water associa~
tions, but not from individual citizens
and officials.
But it will be a different story when
the committees favorable report comes
on the floor for debate Then 1t can and
will be driven home to the entire country
that an alien commissioner, in case the
treaty is ratified, will have as much or
more to say on the distribution of water
and still more vital, that commissioner
will have the say on control of the river
bed
The treaty sponsors have too great
a degree kept these facts deeply buried,
so far. In these two phases of the treaty
most certainly California has only one
forty-eighth interest because they affect
directly the whole country. II California
has only selfish interest, then there Is
no honor or compensation for putting up
a lone fight to protect the inherent and
constitutional rights of the several
states. Again that is an issue the ultra
good neighbor protagonists have kept hid
den from the people. If the Federal gov
ernment can void a contract, and If it is
able to join hands with an alien country
to do that thing, what will become OF
these rights the states have been vested
with in the Constitution?
Still further the Californians disclosed
at the hearing that even Mexico, the sup
posedly beneficiary of the treaty, will be
cheated. AS the Hewes report points out,
the treaty does not stipulate as to quail
ty of water to be delivered. And the
treaty hackers had to admit they just
didn't know anything about that mat
ter
1t is going to be hard fight to defeat
this unfair, nefarious agreement. West
ern people may be brought to realize its
dangers, but not so easy will 1t be to con-
vince easterners. For instance, the attl-
tude on the whole matter among people
of the eastern states is reflected IN the
New York Times. 1t says:
"The technicalities of the question prob
ably are too involved for understanding
except by engineers This much seems
agreed: that the 100000 acre-feet that
would be allotted Mexico from the Color
ado under the treaty is less than she ac-
tually used in 1943 and 1914; that under
international law and in the absence of
treaty Mexico is entitled to divert as
much as she pleases, which carries the
germ of bitter future disputes; that only
California believes the treaty unfair to
her and inequtable as whole for the
United States"
Much has been done to uproot just
such immature, unreliable and unjustifi-
able statements and supplement them
with statements of fact. But there must
not be a single moment of relaxation by
those taking the brunt of the fight and
it is more important and vital than ever
now for the fight on the treaty to become
the main objective of every citizen.