The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1962-10-12
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said as by what was said.
Perhaps the program should have
included some CONSUMERS" a little
further removed from the position in
which hard-pressed national leaders
find themselves.
Top organizational leaders in the
natural resource field must necessar-
lily maintain rapport with Con-
gress and the White House if they
are to accomplish anything for the
people they represent; this calls for
certain caution in their public state
ments :. discretion being the better
part of getting any kind of a recep-
ton either place.
NO SCATTERING VICTORIES
They viewed with approval certain
signs of progress compared with the
previous stagnant eight years; they
recognized the barriers presented by
Congress; they gazed with approval
on the splendid administrative lead
ers appointed by the President; but
few people were not cognizant of
facts that belied attempts at public
optimism by some speakers.
Resource leaders could point to
specific areas of progress; obvious to
everyone who follows national re-
source development is the life and
death wrestling with balky Con-
gress; but what about Gripping if
not fatal administrative decisions
that must be laid at the door of the
White House?
While the disappointment of re-
source leaders was minimized by a
theme that accumulated the positive,
it was Michael Stratus, longtime U. S.
Commissioner of Reclamation, who
bluntly said what others avoided say
ing.
Referring to the promise of
Billings, Straus said, Perform
ance still has long way to go to
catch up with promise, and added,
eve don't say we have been be-
trayed. And we don't say there
has been no progress or nothing
has happened :. just next to moth
ing, or too little too late. Also
some things recently, represent no
SCATTERING victory or even salts
factory progress
However they said it, speakers
stressed the theme of urgency for
greater effort to energize the chariot.
NO TIME FOR COMPLACENCY
Montana's beloved Anna Dahl, one
of the banquet speakers, reminded
everyone that the gains of the past
had not come without battles and no
one should be so complacent as to
think the war is over. She urged
training of youth to carry on the
battles that constitute the everlast-
ing war to keep what has been gained
by "those who are now looking into
the sunset.
500 it yourself didn't come in
little kits in the good old days." $
Anna said, cit came in overwhelm-
ing jobs ~. the water pail was /
always empty and the slop pail was {
always full'. /
She deplored the trend toward l
and called it the worst
enemy" today. 6
'You will never understand what I
it meant to begin from scratch and I
every board meeting was a new +
hurdle. Anna recalled.
'To the people who are young we I
are going to hand this unfinished r
business when we were young r
we made mistakes, but we made them s
with the welfare of mankind in t
mind, she said, and ''now we don't
want to see all we have accomplished It
sold to the power companies. a
NEED STRONGER CONGRESS z
The need for stronger Con- 3
gress'' was expressed by all speakers.
Assistant Secretary of Interior Ken 4
meth Holum said what progress has v
been made came about because eff :