Evening star., 1945-10-10
Kentucky Dam
(CnnfinnIad E,.n,,a Hiret De- \

sources of other valleys into Jobs
and better living"
Mr.. Truman said that the people
In each region where development
is undertaken must decide for them
selves what sort of an administra-
tive plan Is to be followed, but he
argued that "the underlying COM
nonsense principles" of the iva
Will furnish an adequate guide for
whatever is done.
Text of Address.
The text of President Truman's
address at the dedication follows:
Ladies and gentlemen
Nine years ago the first dam of
the Tennessee Valley Authority
the Norris Dam on the Clnch River
was dedicated by my illustrious
predecessor-Franklin D. Roosevelt.
At the very start of his presidency,
he had the great vision and fore
sight to recommend and encourage
the comprehensive development of
this entire great valley.
1t is now a matter of great pride
to me to dedicate the sixteenth
great structure built by the IVA
the Kentucky Dam. The system of
dams across the Tennessee now puts
under the control of man a whole
vast river-and harnesses it to do
his work. This has not yet hap
pened on any other river. The
completion of this dam marks a new
high point in modern pioneering In
America.
Project Now Is Demonstration.
Nine years ago iva was a highly
controversial subject. Today it is
no longer an experiment, but DEM
onstration. BY all except small
minority 1t is now regarded as a
great American accomplishment, of
which all of us are proud.
Here in this great valley American
enterprise and courage and skill
have come through again with a
genuine achievement. The iva
does not belong to the people of the
Tennessee Valley alone. 1t belongs
to all the United States. And in
deed, 1t has inspired regional re-
source development all over the
world. Distinguished observers from
more than fifty countries have come
to this historic American valley.
They came here to study what has
been done. They went away to try
to adapt to their own regions the
lessons that have been learned here
from actual experience.
AS Senator I was always a strong
supporter of the IVA. And can
say to you that I have never had
occasion to regret my support of
the iva and of the idea it repre-
sents. It's record has fully justi-
fed the hopes and the confidence of
Its old friends.
Experiment in Democracy.
But it is more than dams and
locks and chemical plants and power
lines. 1t is an important expert
ment in democracy. In it, admins
trative methods have been devised
which bring the people and their
Federal Government closer to-
gether-not in Washington, but
llBllG WHERE Cne people i've. Here
in this valley there has been firmly
established the basic principle of
development of resources on an au-
tonomous regional basis.
Why has TVA succeeded so we'll?
Why does it have the esteem of the
people of this valley, and attract
the attention of other regions of
America, and of the entire world? ?
To me the answer is clear-TVA is
just plain common sense. 1t is COM
mon sense hitched up to modern
science and good management. And
that's about all there is to it.
Instead of going at the river
piecemeal with a dam here and q
dam there, the river was treated
as whole. The dams were all de-
signed so that they would fit to-
gether as a unit and In that way
get the most service out of the
river for mankind.
Consider Kentucky Dam itself