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future prosperity of an immense part of the nation's territory and avoiding litigation, a Colorado River Compact would have to have as one of its major functions the preservation of state autonomy. Mr. Carpenter, as I saw him, was adamant, unreasonable, sometimes even paranoid about the empire-building of federal agencies. These were times when we found him most difficult to deal with. On other occasions he could be stubborn, inflexible in his opinions, suspicious regarding the secret plans of the Reclamation Service - especially their attorneys. Some of us saw him on occasion as a bitter ender - willing to let the ship of principles sink rather than change course slightly to reflect changing circum- stances. There was some arrogance in his discourse born of the fact that he was a consummate student of constitutional law and interstate water rights. As he once admitted to me, he was born to work and he expected others to match his pace and meet his standards. But I praise this man because he was essentially an optimist, an "I will" type of person - keenly sensitive to the political whims that swirled around him and quite aware of the fact thar he had the power to make history. In negotiation, he was a consensus-builder - a broker of ideas. The qualities he admired in others - fair play, courtesy and respect between gentlemen - were the qualities he himself showed off best under pressure. He knew that successful negotiation required sensitivity to the human equation, that lawyers tended to be parochial with narrow preju- dices, and that patience and honesty would bring men closer to agreement than haste and deception. With these insights and the patience of Job, he encouraged the commissioners to compromise, and he earned their respect. As I told his widow, more than anyone else, Delph Carpenter engineered the division of waters of the Colorado River between the Upper and Lower Basins, and he played a leading part in putting through the ratification of that Compact in Congress. When one considers his weakened physical condition here in Santa Fe, rhe fact that he had to guide his own shaking hand when he signed the Compact at the Palace of the Gover- nors, it is even more surprising that he was able to play such a strong leadership role during the negotia- tions in this building. But he was a very courageous man, and even Hoover recognized this. A few months after the Compact had been signed, he praised Carpenter for "a fine battle effectually won under your leadership." During his first year in the Oval Office as presi- dent, when it was all he could do to keep up with his job, Hoover made light of his own troubles and seized the opportunity to express his feelings to Carpenter about the Compact. "That Compact was your conception," he wrote, "and your creation. And it was due to your tenacity and intelligence that it suc- ceeded. I want to be able to say this, and say it emphatically, ro the people of the West." In 1933, after Governor Ed Johnson had removed Carpenter as Interstate Streams commissioner to save money, Hoover wrote again, asking Carpenter to write up the history of the Compact. "I want to see that your name is properly handed down in history," Hoover said, "for a really very great accomplishment to the West." The Silver Fox of the Rockies could not have asked for a more fitting tribute to the labors he guided in this building 75 years ago. It would be nice to think that out of this diverse body of men and women interested in the Colorado River's future, an "I will" type of leader would emerge with the same level of commitment and compassion for agreement which Delph Carpenter practiced during his lifetime. . I praise this man because he was essentially an THE SilVER FOX .. "I .11" optImIst, an WI type of person. SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDINGS MAY 1997 o