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Show 144 WAR FOR THE COLORADO RIVER Chapman did, however, attach to his report to O'Mahoney a copy of Pace's February 1 lth letter in which it had been pointed out, to satisfy Hayden and McFarland, that the President had not indicated he thought a suit in the Supreme Court was the only method of resolving the water rights controversy. The Arizona Senators and their friendly colleagues had done well their work during the congressional recess, and once again came a letter to the Senate Interior Committee from the Justice Department op- posing the Senate resolution to take the controversy be- fore the Supreme Court. The Justice Department's adjudication was sought for only the Lower Basin contro- versy, and it thought that water rights of the entire basin should be adjudicated, if there was going to be any litigation.167 In this proposal the Justice Department was playing safe, knowing full well that the Upper Basin states had vehemently opposed litigation on the premise that they would became involved. Therefore, the Justice Depart- ment understood that such a proposal would be violently opposed by the Upper Basin states, as well as by Ari- zona, with only one result possible: SJ. Res. 4 would be defeated in the Interior Committee. O'Mahoney opened the first hearing with the remark that there was then pending in the Senate a bill to appropriate money to make fresh water out of sea water. If that could be done, the controversy over water rights would disappear. Fine, said Downey, and advocated that the hearing be postponed to await the outcome of the attempts to convert the sea into fresh water. The chairman found the suggestion unacceptable, and no more was heard about the matter. |