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<br />>),/:',',:::::::'.>"'.::::'::::.':;. would be authorized, if it so decided, to continue with an ad-
<br />"',:;.::.,,:'\.,'::::":,..::/',::::"'::',;'( vanced or feasibility study if, in its judgment, such a study was
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<br />
<br />On July 25, possibly with the hope of mobilizing enough
<br />public sentiment to head off committee approval of the bill,
<br />the Sierra Club ran another ad against the dams in the New York
<br />Times. It contained coupons which readers were urged to clip
<br />and send to President Johnson, Secretary Udall and congressmen
<br />asking them to "join in the fight to save the Grand Canyon."
<br />(In Tucson, William H, Wheeler, chairman of the water re-
<br />sources committee of the Tucson Chamber of Commerce, charged
<br />in a speech that the Sierrans used "extreme means and distor-
<br />tion" in their campaign and that the club had opposed every
<br />dam ever built. And in Washington, Former U,S, Sen, Barry
<br />Goldwater of Arizona said in a speech at the National Press
<br />Club that the Sierra Club was misinforming the public, He
<br />charged that it used the "big lie" technique by applying such
<br />words as "inundate" and "flood" in discussing the dams and
<br />their impact on the Grand Canyon. "There is not enough concrete
<br />in the entire world to construct a dam large enough to flood the
<br />Grand Canyon," said Mr, Goldwater.)
<br />
<br />On July 27 the bill came up for final action of the com-
<br />mittee. Congressman Saylor admitted that Mr. Udall "has the
<br />votes to do whatever he wants in this committee." But, warned
<br />the Pennsylvanian, things would be different when the measure
<br />reached the floor.
<br />
<br />'1
<br />
<br />Before the final vote was taken, several crippling or com-
<br />plicating amendments were voted down. One would have elim-
<br />inated both dams while paying directly from the U.S. treasury
<br />a sum equal to what the dams would contribute to financing
<br />the water-import reconnaisance. Another would eliminate Huala-
<br />pai Dam. Still another would include weather modification and
<br />desalting along with interbasin diversions in the reconnaisance.
<br />And, finally, there was an amendment-likewise rejected-to
<br />defer construction of the dams until the reconnaisance was made.
<br />
<br />The preliminaries thus disposed of, Congressman Udall
<br />moved for a final vote on the bill the following day. Congress-
<br />man Saylor could have objected, but he said he saw no point
<br />to it. Mr, Udall had the votes. Mr. Saylor said he admired the
<br />Arizonan for his skill in bringing the bill that far. But then he
<br />~dded, looking straight at Mr. Udall across the horseshoe-shaped
<br />committee table: "You 'have violated the policy of the admin-
<br />istration. You have violated the wishes of the President. You
<br />have violated the Park Service. You have violated the recom-
<br />mendations of the Bureau of the Budget. And you have violated
<br />the recommendations of your own brother."
<br />
<br />And so on July 28 the Lower Colorado River project bill
<br />came up for final vote. But even this late, with the outcome
<br />certain, there was rancor and argument. Representative Rogers
<br />didn't like the revision of the water import study provision. He
<br />
<br />-11-
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