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Show -.150- Interstate Compact Act of 193^-> which was signed by President Roosevelt on June 6# 193U' As appears from the reference to the enactment heretofore made under the heading, "Federal Blanket Consent Acts," the purpose of this aot is to ex- pedite the making of compacts relating to penal cases and to aid the states in combating this cancerous growth in our national life by supplying the congress-- ional consent before the agreement for a compact has been reached. Since the ratification of the New Jersey-Delaware Compact other states, realizing the benefits derived from this mode of settlement, have entered into interstate compacts which permit state authorities to go ahead unhampered by state lines • Had there been such a compact in existence between Georgia and New Jersey for instance, the notorious fugitive from justice case which arose several years ago between those two states could have been handled satisfactorily* During the "fifth Congress, Senator Borah of Idaho introduced- a resolution which if adopted would have given Congressional consent to the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, or any two of these states, to enter into agreements relative to jurisdiction of offenses arising out of the violation of the laws of any of these states on any of the waters forming the boundary line between them* Another bill introduced during the same session of Congress, and sponsored by Senators Copeland, Vandettburg, and Murphy, would, if enacted, have provided for federal aid to states in the extradition of criminals. Fina.noial Settlements The only instance of the application of compacts to interstate fiscal affairs is found in the agreement between West Virginia and Virginia in 1862• In order to apportion the state debt, when the state of Virginia was divided into two states, a compact was" entered into between Virginia and West Virginia which provided for such a settlement. Although there is no probability of any state being divided and of there thus being occasion for a similar compact, it is not difficult to foresee other kinds of interstate financial entanglements which might arise where the use of a compact would be the only satisfactory remedy. Conservation of Natural Resources and Food Supply The Virginia and Maryland agreement of 1785 is the first instance of a compact being invoked for the conservation of food supply by providing for the protection of fish on the boundary waters. Although-the United States has never been seriously threatened during peace times with a shortage of food, one wonders when federal policies legalize and demand the destruction of crops and livestock whether this will always be true. The biblical warning is "without vision, the people perish" - and we-do have droughts, floods .and killing frosts. Conservation of food through the resort to state compacts is a challenge to the foresight o.nd ingenuity of the states themselves. " A recent writer has observed! |