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Show Cal Rowlings Outlines Aims Of Western Demo Conference -' . ' v " ' very important part in the Democratic convention in Los Angeles in 1960; in the elections in November of 1960, and in the new Democratic national administration admin-istration which will take over in January, 1961. "We realize that to bring our aims and objectives to successful fruition we must get them incorporated in-corporated in the Democratic National Platform. We have been working to this end for some time and have set up task forces to draft planks covering these aims and objectives. "I have called a meeting of the Western States Conference to be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Feb. 5, 6 and 7, at which time our task forces that have been working on the various vari-ous platform planks beneficial to the west will make their reports. re-ports. The statement follows: In the days when eastern capital-first drove the railroads to the Pacific, when the principal products of the west were cattle and gold, Americans properly considered the west as a source of raw materials and a consumer of manufactured goods; indeed, as an exploitable colony dependent depend-ent on the "Mother Country" of the east. Today, by every test modern civilization makes, by population, popula-tion, productivity, climate, raw materials and power potential, the West has earned its right to industrial, commercial and cultural cul-tural equality. Through our (Continued on Page 10) CALVIN W. RAWLINGS Utah's Democratic National Committeeman, Calvin W. Rawl-ings, Rawl-ings, this week released the "Aims and Objectives" of the Western States Democratic Conference Con-ference of which he is chairman. Mr. Rawlings, in releasing the ' statement, said: "When we organized this conference con-ference in 1940, it was our aim to make the voice of the West more audible. We have now become be-come of age and are making our influence felt nationally. The Solid West has now replaced the ' so-called Solid South and we beginning to receive the recog- '. nition in which we are justly entitled. The West will play a I Cal Rawlings Outlines Aims Of Western Demo Conference hope that our party will provide the leadership that the millions of citizens in the West are seeking seek-ing and which this nation and our available resources. The time has come to initiate a program for the West which will benefit not only our nation but the world. In so doing, we must consider, among others, the following problem swhich may be. the subject of study and action ac-tion without delay: 1. Revision of our federal tax policy to encourage small business. busi-ness. 2. A program for freight rate revision. 3. An overall program for the expansion of hydroelectric energy. en-ergy. 4. A regional plan for the development de-velopment of our natural resources re-sources and in particular reclamation recla-mation projects providing for the conservation of water in this area. 5. Programs for the conservation conserva-tion of our forests, grazing lands and national parks. 6. Integration of the tremendous tremen-dous potential of Hawaii and Alaska into the Western area. . . 7. Development of a western approach to Pacific relations in order to promote international trade among the nations of the Pacific basin. 8. Diversification. - 9. Elimination of the present multiplicity of agencies through which all western problems are carried piecemeal to the east for solution. This nine point program ought to be just the beginning. We (Continued from Page 1) proximity to the great potential markets of the Pacific and Asia, the West is destined to mercantile mercan-tile leadership. The great future market for American industrial and agricultural products more than one half of the world's population, lies across the Pacific Paci-fic and across Alaska from our air and sea terminals. In the air age, the Old World lies not across the Atlantic but across the Pole. In many ways just as the Age - - i of Grand Coulee. This is but one area in which we are challenged and the challenge remains unmet. un-met. There are others. The Soviet, working with the speed and thoroughness of any totalitarian state, has carefully catalogued its resources. In the Kremlin is the most thorough study or inventory of natural resources the world has known. These merchants of dictatorship know what they have to sell and use while we, as a democracy, have not bothered to even assess of the Mediterranean is passed, the Age of the Atlantic is now passing. The great new period in the history of civilization is the Age of the Pacific. I The Western States should and J will lead this nation into thisl New Age, but in order to do so I they must develop a regional! consciousness to match their I fortunate position and potential. They must learn that that which I divides them is less important! than that which joins them. I They need to rely upon one of our great political parties to assist them in taking appropriate political action as citizens of the j homogenous area. J The Democratic Party by tradition tra-dition and experience is best equipped to develop an effective program for new New West. Indeed, In-deed, from time to time we began be-gan studies along this line. But the time has come when we must act by setting up without further delay an organization to develop a comprehensive and constructive program of economic eco-nomic and political action by I whatever means might be most! effective. I We must convince the Westl that regional consciousness isl. neither new nor improper in the history of our country. The South has been and is articulately articu-lately and powerfully represented represent-ed as a region, and is the industrial indus-trial Northeast and the Middle West. - The New West is what Franklin Frank-lin Roosevelt called "Promised Land." It is a region blessed by plentiful resources, a region free from crippling class and caste system, a spacious and hospitable hospit-able region where people canl live and grow and enjoy life. The achievement of our poten-tion poten-tion has been seriously impaired by the "do-nothing" Eisenhower administration's record in resource re-source development. (Perhaps it should be called the do-nothing-for-the-good of the people administration.) ad-ministration.) Fortunately, the term of this tired administration will expire soon. It is our obligation obli-gation to begin now the hard thinking needed to give direction direc-tion to the resumption of adequate ade-quate resource development in the United States. It is the responsibility re-sponsibility of those of us who have seen the benefits of comprehensive com-prehensive development to complete com-plete the building of the New West and the New America that Adlai Stevenson described. America needs to resume in full stride its economic progress. No potential can remain undeveloped unde-veloped in our march forward. Piecemeal, inadequate, penny-pinching penny-pinching efforts are not proper response of a great nation to the challenge of a ruthless competitor. competi-tor. The Soviet Union has five big dams completed or under construction, con-struction, any one of which is larger than Grand Coulee, the greatest of all our dams. These Soviet dams will produce a total of 18.2 million kilowatts over nine times the total production |