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Show JANUARY ON CAPITOL HILL 83 but senators from the Upper Basin states buzzed in and out of the hearing room, keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings. Subcommittee Chairman Harrison from time-to-time called upon a visiting senator to speak his piece. Senator Bennett of Utah took the opportunity to put in a strong argument for Echo Park Dam. Originally, he said, Dinosaur National Monument consisted of eighty acres, which contained a dinosaur quarry.102 The people of Utah were concerned about the develop- ment of water and power in that area, and when the government proposed to enlarge the monument, the state of Utah got assurances that the enlargement would not preclude it from using the valuable dam sites in the monument. These assurances, said Bennett, came from the Federal Government and its agencies. Therefore, he maintained, it could not be said that building of a dam at Echo Park would constitute a precedent for the in- vasion of our national parks. The discussion of the dam should be confined solely to the merits of the matter which he saw in this way: Echo Park Dam would enhance scenic values. Echo Park Dam was the key to the entire project. Echo Park Dam would conserve water. Echo Park Dam was essential for economic feasibility of the entire project. Echo Park Dam would serve the greatest public good. Senator Barrett, of Wyoming, termed the dam the cornerstone of the whole development.103 Senator Watkins of Utah was on hand each day, like an ever-watchful bird dog. Whenever he spoke about the project, his eyes grew wild with excitement, and he appeared on the verge of collapsing under great mental stress. Now he launched into a tirade against foreign |