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Show -67- FLOOD CONTROL IN THE BASIN OF THE REPUBLICAN RIVER Wednesday, March 31, 1943 United States Senate, Senate Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation, Washington, D. C The committee met pursuant to call at 10*30 am. in room 101 Senate Office Building, Senator Pat McCarran (acting chairman) presiding• Present^ Senators McCarran, Overton, Thonas, Butler, Millikin, and.Langer. Also present Senators Reed and .Wherry, Representative Curtis (Nebraska) and Representative Hill (Colorado), Senator McCarran. The committee will come"to order. Senator Bankhead telephoned me late this morning and asked me if I would pinch-hit for him here as chairman of the committee. I understand that there is before the committee for consideration this morning S« 6I4.9, & bill to promote flood control in the basin of the Republican. River, and for other purposes0 • (&• 6Lj-9 is a3 follows!') Senator Reed* This is not the first time that this Republican River compact has been before the Congress, including the Senates Senator Adams, of Colorado, who was chairman of this committee, died whLle it was still before the committee. The bone of contention resulted from an amendment in the Senate in a way which was not satisfactory, and the Presidentfs veto arose over the insistence of the Federal Government on retaining a clause which stated that t!nothing herein shall be construed to affect the control o£* the Federal Governmentff-~I am not purporting to give this in exact language, but I will state the thought-"and the jurisdiction of the Federal Government over the waters of the Republican River, navigable or otherwise«tt Now Senator O'Mahoney, of Wyoming, and Senator Johnson, of Colorado, ancl myself, vigorously objected to that phrase and we struck it out, that is to say^ the Senate struck it out after an all-afternoon discussion* Senator Butler. Let me say, Senator, I do not think there is anything dn this compact today that will in any way arouse your objection on that point* Senator Reed. The only objection., the only criticism I have got is to section 3 on PaSe 1&» |