| OCR Text |
Show THE WESTERN WEB 67 statements of prominent Arizona businessmen which were to be read and heard in Washington, Kartus's heart-rending plea was to appear maudlin and sopho- moric, in addition to being without foundation in fact. Kartus concluded by telling the committee: "We confidently leave the matter in your hands, and pray that God will guide you to the right decision." McFarland rested the Arizona case. Although it was late in June, there was still time to let California have its turn at bat, and for the subcommittee to vote favor- ably on the project, before Congress adjourned for the year. This pleasant prospect was suddenly over- shadowed. Given the stage, Downey asked: 39 "Mr. Chairman, might I make this inquiry? In view of the fact that there is no formal report from the Bureau of Recla- mation and no recommendations (by the Bureau), in view of the further fact that the Bureau has not yet submitted any report or recommendation to the Bureau of the Budget, would it be the intention of the chairman to consider any final action or report on this pending measure prior to the time those reports would be avail- able?" It was a question for which there could be only one answer. Downey knew that, and he knew that Millikin knew it. The O'Mahoney-Millikin Amendment to the Reclamation Laws 39 provided that states with a direct interest in a proposed project were to be given ninety days to file their comments on it after the Bureau of Reclamation had made a conclusive report. The Bureau of Reclamation had made no report. Millikin referred to the amendment of which he was co-author, then told Downey: "The chair will rule |
