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<br />21 <br /> <br /> <br />0086 <br /> <br />At this time Wayne Aspinall dominated the House of <br /> <br /> <br />Representatives and took it upon himself to defeat the bill. <br /> <br /> <br />AspinaLl, at this time, had no people, in Eastern Colorado to <br /> <br /> <br />represent, so ho had no qualms in opposing the project. Aspin- <br /> <br /> <br />all also had the power to block the project as he was Chairman <br /> <br /> <br />of the Rouse Insular and Interior Affairs Committee. It soon <br /> <br />bec~e obvious that nothing could be done without Aspinall's <br /> <br />approval. <br /> <br />Aspinall finally issued a mandate that an agreement <br />had to be established at home, between Eastern and Western <br />67 <br />Colorado before he would lend his support. <br />In 1953 a tOUr was arranged by Charles Thomson, then <br />Manager of the salida Chamber of Commerce, showing the proposed <br />sites of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project to a senator and Rep- <br />resentative from california, both of whom were very influential <br /> <br />in the Interior and Insular Affairs of both houses. The Con- <br />68 <br />gressmen were invited out by Congres~men Aspinall and Ohenoweth. <br />The purpose was to show them the geo~raphic area and then explain <br />the principles of the project, so they might understand it a <br />little more. <br /> <br />In July, 1954, the Fryingpan-4rkansas Project was <br />! <br />passed out of the Interior and Insular Committee to the <br /> <br />Rules Committee. The Rules Committee is of course a very <br /> <br />67 <br />Beise, p. 4. <br />68 <br />Interview with Charles Thomson, Pueblo, C~lorado, <br />November 4, 1974, p. 154. <br />