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Show 92 WAR FOR THE COLORADO RIVER of the week," January 26, 27 and 28. If they didn't get through in that time, he said, there was no telling when they could be heard. He would simply tell the op- ponents to come back some other time. He had set up his schedule and he intended to stick to it. If the com- mittee didn't like it, they could overrule him. The committee didn't overrule him, and Ely pro- ceeded. (See Appendix a.) When he had finished, Harrison told him that he and Matthew would be called back by the committee for questioning at the first op- portunity.119 That opportunity never came. At least, it never came as far as the supporters of the bill were concerned. The idea of preventing the committee from questioning Cali- fornia's only witnesses in all probability did not originate in Harrison's head. The strategists giving him orders felt that California's opposition could be made ineffective. California was only one state against many. The strategists feared much more the strength of the conse- vationist troops waiting patiently to testify, and who had behind them millions of persons who didn't care whether Southern California lost some water, but who would fight with every weapon they could secure to preserve a piece of beautiful wilderness in the West for future generations to enjoy. Obviously the crsp strategists had told Harrison to get rid of California as fast as possible, fairly or unfairly, and get the "abominable nature lovers" - as Senator Watkins termed them - on the witness stand, where they could be torn to shreds. Harrison obeyed. Ely had no more than turned away when he called General U. S. Grant, 3rd, Presi- dent of the American Planning and Civic Association and retired General of Engineers. |