OCR Text |
Show 222 WAR FOR THE COLORADO RIVER sort of proposal. It is a gargantuan deception that is being played upon the people of this country, people in Utah and people in New Hampshire. From where we stand it looks like a not-very-skillful attempt on the part of the Bureau of Reclamation to write itself a seventy-five-year meal ticket and get it signed before the people of this country wake up and realize what is happening." The strategy of the crsp supporters called for efforts to discredit California witnesses by pointing an accusing finger at them and crying: "Lobbyist!" This, of course, was supposed to be a dirty word. It did not happen, however, that the federal lobby law so defined it. If the law was vague in many respects, it was clear-cut in its provision requiring attorneys (like California's chief counsel, Northcutt Ely) to register as lobbyists if they were paid to direct a campaign in opposition to pro- posed legislation. Rep. Engle had turned against his own state of Cali- fornia to support the crsp, and the first question he asked of Ely, when the attorney appeared to testify, was: 271 "Mr. Ely, whom do you represent, whom are you authorized to represent before this committee?" "I am here as special counsel for the Colorado River Board of California, Mr. Engle," Ely replied. Engle then proceeded to bring out that Ely had no authority to speak for the governor of California, the Attorney-general or the state Legislature. This line of questioning was intended to give the impression that with regard to the crsp California was a divided state. The effort backfired. Taking the cue from Engle, Rep. Metcalf of Montana |