Show I t. t Coolidge on Boulder Dam Darn r PRESIDENT COOLIDGE touched the sore i A spot of Boulder dam darn legislation in iii his I 1 an annual ual message to congress when he said It W is unfortunate that the states interested in iii inthis this water have been unable to agree am among ng the themselves Nevertheless any legislation lf should give every possible safeguard to pres pres- end and prospective rights of each of them been the thc contention of Utah rep rep- ies This This' lack of understanding h has s be been n one of the tile principal stumbling blocks locks of the Swing-Johnson Swing bill bilI For years the C Colorado C lorado river basin states have been at log logs logs' i s' s with present prospects little better for a mutual understanding e The most discouraging factor about the whole Boulder dam question is that politicians and the exigencies exigencies' of politics will likely inthe in inthe inthe the end determine the action congress ss tak takes s. s For For instance in the presidents president's message he lie le speaks of the detailed report made to congress congress con con- greSs gress by bya a sp special cial board appointed to consid consider consider con con- sid sider r the engineering and economic feasibility of the project saying From the short summary summary summary sum sum- mary I have seen of this report I judge they the investigators cO consider the engineering problems can be met at somewhat increased co cost t over previous estimates tes 51 oo more more They prefer the Black canyon site On the economic features they are not so clear and app appear r to base their conclusions on many conditions conditio which cannot be established with cert certainty President Coolidge says em em- that tha t he does not favor the government govern govern- n merit ment nt going into the power business at Boulder dam daul All AIl of which again makes it plain that t the m. m Boulder ulder dam question is still muddled muddied by conflicting claims unproven assumptions state prejudices and personal politics The fhe president considered a staunch advocate advocate cate cat of the Swing Johnson bill now weakens in his stand He brings up so many ifs I about this piece of California legislation that i ii it looks as though he might oppose it if he lie went ent more deeply into all the conflicts If private enterprise were considering sinking for a Colorado river dam it would settle all these troublesome points raised by the president and the special cial ocial before trying to take final J action But unfortunately politics doesn't w work rK that way The forces supporting the Swing Johnson bill apparently have the whip hand the bill till has preferred position as the senates senate's first order of business and already has pas passed the house hoise Common sense is strongly against rushing into this vast project w without ironing out all the difficulties diff and giving thorough attention to the report by the experts Yet its it's a bad jumble and it w would uld be next to impossible to solve all the ramified problems if th the California congressional l delegation insists on rushing the bill through to action at this short sessi session n I v There has has' not been enough give and arid take in-fhe in matter It is difficult to agree unreservedly unreservedly with either the stands of California or r of tf f Arizona Arizon and arid Utah It is high time that liat th the basin asin states got down to a better working agre agreement ment if indeed it is is' not fiot already too late to r reach ach a decision n satisfying all the interested interested interested inter inter- ested states before action on the bill Politics has lias dominated the problem when the question should be made strictly one of sound economics economics econom econom- ics and engineering It would be disastrous shou should d blind blundering politics dictate the final action If the r representatives of all the basin states will show a more g genuine cooperative cooperative cooperative co co- co- co operative spirit and get down to more sensible sensible sen sen- sible negotiations there is yet hope that the Colorado river legislation may be worked out along s scientific workable lines instead of repeating the folly of Muscle Shoals |