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Show JANUARY ON CAPITOL HILL 7 7 Basin states had seen an opportunity to blackmail California into helping finance projects in their area. They had demanded that $500,000 a year from Hoover Dam revenues be set aside for their exclusive use until the year 1955, and after that year, until 1987, the half million would be divided equally between the Upper and Lower Basins.84 California had no alternative but to agree to the demand, and did so. More than ninety per cent of the annual fund had come from Southern California users of Hoover Dam power. Tudor declared he would leave technical details to Bureau of Reclamation experts, and then revealed the real reason why he had been selected as the first govern- ment witness. He was there to put in a strong bid for the building of Echo Park Dam in Dinosaur National Monument, and he forthwith carried out his assign- ment. Rep. Engle, ranking Democrat on the committee, was known for his homey phrases and colorful language. He was himself a dynamic character, who sometimes smoked a cigar while chewing tobacco, and rose peri- odically to expectorate into an adjacent potted palm. A lawyer of exceptional ability, his mind quickly pene- trated to the roots of a matter. "Can we take Echo Park out, and proceed without completely destroying the program?" he asked. "It would certainly put the project in hazard," Tu- dor replied.85 "Taking Echo Park out would be like taking the engine out of the automobile?" Engle inquired.86 "Like taking the pistons out," said Tudor, and added that the Interior Department's recommendation of |