Show f. f Jy y 0 0 r rL of 1 i Sure 1 enough Y i N f n I I WO I GO GOVERNOR sSi i f- f T yi Is-yi Dramatic Stor Story o of the e Gallant Fight Waged by Gov Governor r or Nellie Taylor Ross o of Wyoming ill illo to o Protect the e Waters o of Her He State in in the e Bitter r SHE HE is the woman who threw a wrench monkey-wrench into the Colorado dam project But Bui the first woman Governor of any r State of the United Sta States s had a prototype prototype prototype proto proto- type just before the Civil War When Abraham Lincoln looked down at the diminutive H Harriet Beecher Stowe author of Uncle Toms Tom's Cabin as he was introduced to her he said aid So you yoa are the little woman who caused the big war l Mrs Nellie Taylor Ross is the little woman who fought and argued until the Federal Power Commission agreed e to suspend all aU applications for power li licenses licenses lif li- li f censes on the Colorado River and its tributaries pending before the commission commission commis commis- sion until the States in the Colorado t I River basin could reach some agreement among themselves for the division of the waters of the system J She was fighting for water for the lands of Wyoming and t though ough the builders of the dam argue that the water supply of the State to which she f t has pledged her devotion and her energies energies enert ener ener- F gies is not endangered by the building of a dam at Boulder Canyon down in F Arizona she is taking no chances She has had the enthusiastic backing of the Governors of Colorado Utah and New Mexico but she is virtually the leader of the upper-basin upper States in t the e 7 water-rights water controversy now being waged between seven great States of the West West Nevada Nevada Utah Wyoming Colorado Colo Colo- Colorado rado New Mexico Arizona and California Cali Cali- fornia The men of the State dont don't mind admitting admitting admitting ad ad- her ability and they arc are delighted with her popularity they laughingly say h that Wyoming is a State where men are men and women are Governors One interesting thing about Mrs Ross is that she has had absolutely no political training from holding office her her- self Her sole claim to distinction before the death of her husband was that of homemaker Y I can scarcely tell you that a happy home atmosphere existed in the Ross home said one constant visitor to the Ross household and a close business associate associate associate asso asso- of her husband She created about her the happiest sort of environment environment environ environ- ment went for her husband and her children r She has three boys you know I Ishall Ishall Ishall shall never forget one thing she did the longest day of my life t i 1 One summer summer the Governor her husband husband hus hus- b band was away when a Russian wolfhound wolfhound wolf wolf- w hound belonging to her youngest son then 9 years old was run over by an n x automobile and killed The dog had been the pet of the family and the boy was brokenhearted It was decided that the dog should be buried so he was put ina in ina d a box and loaded i into to the the family car They drove to the outskirts of the city and dug a grave beneath one of the 1 few trees in that part of the country and buried the boys boy's close friend t Though Mrs Ross was at that time the wife of the Chief Executive of the State she insisted upon going along and took a spade for herself and helped dig the grave That may seem like a simple y thing for a woman to do but it is typical of the devotion she always showed She wanted her son to know how much she sympathized with him in his grief over the loss of his playmate It is little wonder that her home was wasa a happy one onel SHE HE has been doing the State housekeeping housekeeping house- house keeping and homemaking with the 1 same thoroughness and thoughtful at attention attention attention at- at to details that she always exhibited exhibited ex ex- in her private home the same virtues economies orderliness and h e efficiency y Much has been said recently about j women who receive official positions ms through sentiment or sympathy upon the death of their husbands but Mrs Ross had special training for her job which peculiarly fitted her to take up the reins 3 of the Government when they fell from his hands Whenever Governor Governor William Ross Ross wrote a proclamation he said to his secretary I want Mrs Ross to go go over that before I issue it She is my most severe critic Virtually everything he di did d first reI received re received re- re I J the stamp of her approval If he was to make a speech only once he sometimes did not show his draft of it to her hei but if he used the same speech more than once he insisted that she s hear It in spite of the fact that he had quite a reputation as asan an orator He valued her cri criticism Ism t r 0 Controversy Over the Proposed x Government Dam at Boulder the Colorado River Canyon on All big matters he thought over at atthe atthe atthe the office but he seldom made a decision decision decision deci deci- sion without seeking her advice She was therefore over a long period of years his understudy during his political career and was especially trained for forthe forthe forthe the governorship during his year in office office office of of- fice without any realization ion of course that she would be called upon to fill his biG shoes When he died there was an instantaneous instantaneous instantaneous demand from all over the State that she accept the nomination It arose from the people who knew how familiar she was with the duties of the theoffice theoffice theoffice office and the program which her husband husband hus band had been following She was unanimously unanimously nominated in the Democratic convention and became first woman Governor Governor Gov- Gov einor of any State in the Union because she was elected to fill her husbands husband's un- un expired te term thus taking office shortly after the election whereas Ma 1 Ferguson Ferguson Ferguson Fer Fer- guson of Texas Texa though elected on the same day had to await the regular inaugural inaugural inaugural in in- augural date some six weeks later She is an attractive woman with like cameo-like features and a face that lights up when she talks she wears feminine clothes and speaks with a soft Southern slur She was born in St. St Joseph Mo of old Southern stock from Virginia Tennessee and Missouri Missour and her culture culture culture cul cul- ture is that of the South She lifts her head a little when she speaks to yo you and is always gracious and sincere no matter how busy she may be T THE HE slogan during her campaign wa wag wad Beat Texas to it though personally personally personally person person- ally she did not like the slogan Wyoming Wyoming Wyoming Wy Wy- oming would not have given the governorship governorship governorship gover gover- to any woman who was qualified but the State felt that Mrs Ross wa was the woman for the particular job at that particular time There was a little bit of State pride in giving her the office of of- fice fice- fice Wyoming fice-Wyoming Wyoming was o only ly thirty-four thirty years old as a a. a State and had given women omen suffrage in its original tion During the campaign campaign campaign cam cam- she never left hon home she honie-she she she was in deep mourning They are saying of her now throughout the State that she is the most popular Governor Governor Governor Gov Gov- the State ever had Her administration administration adminis has been efficient efficient effi effi- effi and even her most a ardent r den tad admirers admirers ad ad- have b bee been e e n astounded by her thorough grasp of State problems Typical was the stand she took when the Legislature convened convened con con- in Cheyenne shortly after she came into nto office There was a movement movement movement move move- ment on foot to pass through the governing governing governing govern govern- ing body a banking law which she believed believed believed be be- would virtually virtually virtually virtu virtu- ally turn the appointment appointment appointment ap ap- of t the h e State bank examiners examiners exam exam- iners over to the bankers themselves She was against the bill It had passed one house of the Legislature and was pending before the theother theother theother other when one of the leaders came to her and said Governor Governor Governor Gov we would like to have your approval approval approval ap ap- ap- ap of this measure measure measure meas meas- ure we dont don't want to embarrass you by bypassing bypassing bypassing passing it over your veto Quick as a flash came h hr r answer That is most kind of you gentlemen I appreciate your splendid feeling I 1 dont don't want to embarrass you but I Il l i Q shall have to do it I I shall ha veto the bill x They changed the bill bilI It was one of the biggest of State issues at that time but she won But the chief thing she had done was to let them know that she would take her chances just as any honest man in the same position 0 would hr Jr ve Ye done AMONG A MONG her chief interests is the proper administration of f public lands belonging to the State State one one of the States State's most valuable assets She keeps a sharp eye to see that the State gets the royalties and bonuses from lom its oil lands bands and mines and that State t taxes from railroads railroads' are paid But she has not been doing loing any Out in Wyoming the Governor has the power to remove county officials for incompetency incompetency in- in competency or for fraudulently conducting conduct conduct- conducting ing their office She has held hearings and has removed two county Sheriffs f l ru K s 1 a r r p. p I n Governor Ross has succeeded eded in delaying the building of the proposed dam at Boulder Canyon on the Colorado until all the States interested have reached an agreement as to the distribution distributions s r of the impounded water though they were men of her own party one of of them being one of her most most- most enthusiastic enthusiastic en en- en supporters in inthe the last election t r i 1 rw k kI I The project which x Mrs 1 Nellie Taylor 4 r Ross Governor of F Wyoming is holding up is very similar to the g great rear Roosevelt dam a aA I A J 1 5 5 5 4 r w a N Platte e the a net i satt E Em m lF ed C COLO dc A yo C C d do I r o q a I t I Ih Ip c ARIZ p N M 1 OS h a I c 0 J a Et pato r Gu t TEX F. F The Th above map map shows the territory which will be affected by the proposed dam dani at Boulder Canyon The Colorado River project has been dynamite and gunpowder in the States along the Colorado River basin and the cause of long and heated arguments arguments arguments ments in the committee comm rooms of Congress Congress Congress Con Con- gress over a long period of years years years-to to tobe be specific since 1887 It concerns the license for a power project on the Colorado River nd on land of the United States partly within the Indian Reservation which is to be used for industrial l purposes in Arizona The land is rich along the C Colorado lorado and irrigation of i is would mean flourishing flourishing flourishing flourish flourish- ing farms with life-giving life water wealth for the West and fruits and vegetables for the East Already the Colorado is watering acres of irrigated territory in the seven States in its basin The ultimate goal is more than acres It is in this manner that the Great American Desert which appeared in the geographies our mothers and fathers studied has disappeared from the maps The apportionment of the water rights among the States lying in the Colorado basin has been a bone of contention contention contention con con- and until the argument among the S States Spates ates' ates can be settled the Federal Power Com Commission has decided that the building of the dam must be stopped t I 1 Heretofore the law lard between users of water front from the river rive in different States as well as in the same State has been that he who uses the water first has the prior rights Or On in other words if one user has irrigated his land some other user cannot build an ax irrigation dam higher up the river which will cut off his water supply The Supreme Court of the United States upheld this decision decision decision deci deci- sion in the Wyoming Colorado-Wyoming case a good many years ago At that time it was probably not realized upon what a scale development in the basin of the river would proceed The lower basin States particularly Arizona and California California California Cali Cali- fornia have gone ahead with tremendous development projects ts which according to the law could not be infringed upon with the result that the upper-stream upper States have become disturbed that their privileges for future development were jeopardized e There is another element in any development de- de development development de de- for taking water from the I river which gives givs s them cause for con con- cern The Colorado is a temperamental river It is is- mighty and wayward and sometimes tempestuous and able For i vine line ine months of the year it behaves rationally but it gets the spring fever and rages and runs wild destroying destroying destroying destroy destroy- ing agricultural lands and even life At other times it dwindles to a fine impotent thread parching up crops andall and andall andall all life along its basin The mere thought of such a prospect brought about by an act of God or the hand of man causes the upper basin States to shiver with dread and it is this dread which prompts them to de demand demand demand de- de mand that their rights to the use of the water of the river be protected IThe The Colorado River rises in the States of Colorado New Mexico Utah and Wyoming and the lands are arid and the first use of the waters of the river is essential to the growth development development development de de- and general welfare of our States said Mrs 1 Ross who was chosen by the Governors of the States of the upper basin to present their case before the Federal Power Commission a month or so ago because of her familiarity with every phase of the problem The construction of enormous works on the lower river which might give I 1 rise to assertion of claim of f monopolise monopolistic tic and exclusive use of our waters would be destructive to our institution institutions and inimical to our welfare unless adequate adequate adequate ade ade- quate protection is provided in advance of such construction The Colorado River Compact affords this protection The Col Colorado rado River Compact was an attempt made by the seven States concerned concerned concerned con con- to settle the standing long-standing dispute dispute dispute dis dis- dis- dis between them by treaty Arizona has refused to ratify the compact in spite of the fact that the original movement movement movement move move- ment for such a treaty started in Arizona Arizona Arizona Ari Ari- zona and California in 1905 after the Colorado River had broken over the protecting protecting protecting pro pro- divide and had flooded the farmlands farmlands farm farmlands lands of the Imperial Valley and flowed into Salton Sea In January 1919 national and State representatives m met t in Salt Lake City and importuned the States of the upper basin to assist in the organization of a general program general program of flood control Subsequent meetings on the same subject subject subject sub sub- were held in Denver in August 1920 and at Riverside Calif in December December December Decem Decem- ber 1921 at which the necessity for immediate immediate immediate im im- im- im mediate action was pressed by the Colorado Colorado Colorado Colo Colo- rado River Commission appointed by Congress and representatives of the lower basin States As a result the Colorado River Compact was drawn up in November 1922 Over the period of years since |