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Show 212 WAR FOR THE COLORADO RIVER "All we want the Congress to do," said McFarland, "is to help us save our present economy." Senator Knowland asked if S. 75 would not circum- vent existing reclamation laws and break up the yard- stick with which existing reclamation projects have been measured.301 S. 75 did extend the repayment period beyond present laws, McFarland said, but there could not be a strict yardstick used; each project must stand on its own merits. Knowland then brought out that the cost of additional works, vital to the project, was not included, but that in authorizing the project, Congress would be giving the Appropriations Committee the power to double the amount in the bill.302 It was late in the afternoon when Senator Malone of Nevada obtained the floor and began a lengthy address which included much history of the original negotiations leading up to the signing of the Colorado River Com- pact.303 Malone made the point repeatedly throughout his talk that Congress had never approved a measure giving water to one state out of an interstate stream without a compact between the affected states or adjudi- cation by a court of competent jurisdiction. S. 75 would violate this precedent. The state of Nevada was violently opposed to S. 75, Malone declared, and proffered official state documents to support his statement. It was nearly eight o'clock in the evening when Malone finished and the Senate adjourned. February 7, 1950 Senator Downey began his fight against the bill by stating that if it passed it would be the greatest gift ever given to any one.304 Unfortunately, said Downey, gifts had to be paid for, |