Douglas Daily Dispatch

The Favored Child of the Nation
(Arizona Republican).

Congressman Evans of the ninth district of California made a speech at Long Beach the other day in the course of which he became almost vainglorious. He was discussing federal legislation from the viewpoint of southern California-the census bill, the tariff bill, the rivers and harbors bill. The congressman seemed unaware that there might be any other viewpoint. A man from Mars, present and unfamiliar with the structure of our government, would have assumed that congress is maintained only to legislate for California.

Mr. Evans presented an aspect of Boulder canyon legislation. The congressman made a statement which we now recognize as virtually, though not quite true, that "California has gained more appropriation in the last six months from the federal government than any other section of the nation has ever done in the history of the nation."

Mr. Evans included in this Gargantuan appropriation $165,000,000 for the Boulder canyon dam and project. His lack of strict accuracy in the use of the word "appropriation" need not be subjected to academic criticism, for we suppose in due time the money will be available. But actually not a penny has been appropriated for the Boulder project, though $165,000,000 has been specified as the limit of the amount the government will spend on it, and has therefore authorized an appropriation yet to be made.

We learn further from the Evans speech that as a result of the completed project there will be enough water diverted into California to supply the needs of that state for the next 150 or 200 years.

Thus California has been looking out for posterity in a substantial way, while some of us on this side of the river, though apparently solicitous for posterity, were not doing anything about it.