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Show THE THREE-RING CIRCUS 157 tively. Under the amendment, Arizona could not sue. "The prohibition against expenditure would lapse (1) if no state brought an action within six months, or (2) if the court should dispose of the action on technical grounds without settling the controversy on merits." California's objections were ignored. On July 1, the committee voted to report S. 75 to the Senate with the amendments written into it. A month was required to prepare the final bill, and it went to the floor on August 3, 1949. Voting against the bill in committee were Senators Downey, Malone and Butler. For it were Senators O'Mahoney, Kerr, Miller, Millikin, Murray, Anderson, McFarland, Ecton and Watkins. Senator Cordon did not vote. Thus, the record: nine for and three against. Downey issued a minority report, which was printed and made a part of the record placed before the entire Senate. It said in part: 199 I. What the bill would authorize: 1. A grandiose irrigation scheme, to pump water 1,000 feet high and transport it over 300 miles, to irrigate ordinary field crops, such as cotton, grains, and hay. 2 An admittedly infeasible 80-mile tunnel, which would cost $550,000,000. 3. A power dam, loaded with uneconomic commit- ments; one-third of the power generated to be donated for project pumping, the other two- thirds to pay the entire reimbursable construc- tion cost of the project, irrigation as well as power. II. The cost is excessive; initially $738,000,000, ulti- mately over 1 billion and a quarter dollars, more than has been appropriated for reclamation in the last eleven years. |
