The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1946-04-19
eva Program
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| INoW a&N oASp
represents the United States army
engineers on the federal interagency
committee. He became so disguised
with the fact that he and the bureau
of reclamation can't get together on
future planning that he said the other
| day, according to the St Louis Post
Dispatch, that HEREAFTER the inter
agency committee WOULD NOT AT
TEMPT to make any future plans con
corning the Missouri River.
This situation, | understand, has
your Governor Ford so worried that
he is appealing to congress to pass
some law that will give the inter-
agency committee legal status" and
some authority" to do something.
So to summarize, / should like to
make this clear: You err when you
refer to the proposed Paradise dam
as a "CVA proposal" The eva is
not in existence, so can't propose any
thing yet. The Investigations going
on at Paradise, according to Col. C.
P. Hardy of this city, is a United
States engineers matter If eva were
in existence, it is more than likely
that the Paradise dam site would be
investigated and that the army engi-
neers would be doing the investigat-
ing. BUT they would be doing so I'M
der the direction of the eva direc-
tors who in turn would be working
closely with your county and your
state, seeing that you were fully in
formed of all the facts and had your
say in any plans finally made. That's
the way IVA works in the Tennessee
Valley and that's the way eva will
work in the Northwest
Northumberland of Sterile
Minds
Now to the second matter to which
you refer: | shall pass over the accu-
sation that eva supporters are radi-
cal. Ever since Jesus of Nazareth
tried to improve the lot of mankind,
every one who has suggested that
there be better way of doing some
thing is called a radical-Benjamin
Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew
Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore
Woodrow Wilson, and Ed.
R. all were dangerous radicals" to
those who were opposed to the Ameri-
can Revolution, who favored African
slavery and who see no harm in trusts
and monopolies.
So far as | know, the Spokesman.
Review has never said a word in ia
vor of Columbia Valley Authority, in
spite of the fact that eva is designed
to give to this Northwest many of the
benefits which the Spokesman-Review |
says 1t wants.
The Spokesman-Review wants econ |
1my In federal government. Yet 1t |
the present situation of hav-
ng 30 different federal agencies buck
ng one another-often canceling out |
)ne another's efforts and at a ire
nendous expense to the taxpayer
'ather than have ONE agency with the |
to compel coordination |
md indignation of federal government |
activity as it relates to all our re-
,ource development
The Spokesman-Review wants to
,reate more jobs and more homes for
he returning veterans through the de-
'elopment of the Columbia Basin. Yet
t fails to see that the present pro.
grams of the bureau of reclamation
md the United States army engineers
ire piecemeal at best. Congress never |
las approved long-range program for
he Columbia Basins resource devel-
'pment, and any year could fail to
appropriate funds and leave our piece
neal reclamation, flood control, navi-
,ation development plans high and
Try.
A Long-Range Unified Program
Under eva, long-range UNIFIED
rogram would be developed, and
ghen approved by congress, 1t would
e carried forward steadily, year after
ear, with appropriations more or less
because the longrange plans
ad been agreed to by congress. 1t
gould not be necessary for the bu-
eau of reclamation, the army engi-
eers, and their lobbyists-the rail
DAD companies, contractors, and So
allied reclamation" associations-to
light for an appropriation each year.
1t has been fairly well established
hat there are certain industrial in
erests in the east and in California
yho don't want to see the Northwest
eveloped industrially. They have
cen working through the private pow
r lobby and the national reclamation
ssociation in congress to force raising
lie wholesale rate on Grand
'oulee power. They have tried to get
he Bonneville Power administration
preparation cut down. They have
ried to slow up the starting of the
obstruction of Hungry Horse dam.
hey tried to get the McNary dam
reduced. Working in an
Their direction, they have tried to
eep Henry Kaiser from leasing the
pokane aluminium plants. They have
threatened to keep Kaiser from get
We can no longer afford such things