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Show 276 WAR FOR THE COLORADO RIVER The Midwest Educational Foundation called the Ari- zona project "the most brazen piece of pork barrel legislation ever introduced in the halls of Congress." "The Bureau," declared the Farm Journel,402 "is try- ingto ram an irrigation contract, called 9-e, down farmers' throats, and hundreds of farmers are involved in lawsuits. I attended the main one. At Visalia, a fruit grower, Courtney McCracken, is providing the test case. "Here's what McCracken's lawyers claim will happen to him under 9-e. He will 'rent' his own water. He'll never own a water right - it's expressly prohibited. He gets no specific credit for project repayment - he could be obligated for a lifetime." The heavier the shelling against him, the more defiant Straus seemed to become. During the celebration of "Reclamation Golden Jubilee (1902-1952)" the Bureau once more demanded expansion of its jurisdiction to all states. "There is no reason," said a Bureau statement, "why a state line should limit irrigation development if it is feasible and desirable. As the population increases; as the need for food production grows; eastern areas should benefit by the Reclamation Act. It is necessary to immediately include such states in the Reclamation area so that irrigation possibilities may be determined in advance of their need." The Eighty-second Congress adjourned to let the members who must stand for reelection go home to campaign. There was talk that President Truman might call it back into special session before the year ended to consider national defense measures, but most leaders felt the possibility was remote. (See Appendix d. ) Murdock issued a statement in which he gave credit to California's three members of the House Interior |