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<br />4209 <br /> <br />to po1nt out the br1ghter side, and to vindicate two decades of work. <br /> <br /> <br />The tr1bes' attorneys proudly announce that historlc chims of the <br /> <br />Indians have been vindicated. <br /> <br />At last tribes would have an <br /> <br />opportun1ty to develop water rights Quaranteed to them by federal <br />law. Yet everybody knows that the Indians had lost two other law <br />firmsbecause reservation lease income fell short of the attorneys' <br />billings. <br /> <br />The State Attorney General proclaims: <br /> <br />"At last we have <br /> <br />certainty. <br /> <br />We are pleased that we can 1 imH the Indians claims to <br /> <br />less than half of what they originally claimed." He explains that <br />some three to five attorneys have been kept busy for eight years on <br />the liti- gation. It has cost $4 million for expert witnesses. <br /> <br />The attorney for the Southwestern Oi strict boasts: "Now we <br />know who has what rights we can pursue a long-needed water project at <br />last." He explains that "wHhout that water project, farms may dry up <br />as the Indians begin uS Ingwater. With H farmers can get reliable <br />supplies, and we can develop needed municipal and 1ndustrial supplies <br />for growth in th1s area. At last the needs of both Indians and <br />non-Indians can be satisfied with a single water project," he says," <br />and we need to get behind.that." <br /> <br />Someone askes from the audience about the attorneys' fees for <br />the district and its water users. The lawyer explains that the <br />district has spent three million dollars in fees and costs. <br /> <br />- 4 - <br />