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Henry M. McDonald BONDS AND INVESTMENTS SPECIALTY IRRIGATION DISTRICT BONDS TELEPHONE MAIN 1381 SUITE 35, SAN JOAQUIN
BUILDING WEBER AVE. AND JOAQUIN ST. STOCKTON, CALIF., November 19, 1913. Dr. W. F. Bade, Berkeley, Cal. Dear Sir:
Thinking that very possibly you may be pleased to receive information respecting the legislative situation relating to the
so-called Raker bill, which grants certain rights connected with Hetch Hetchy to the City of San Francisco, I would say that
the bill, as you may know, was passed by the House of Representatives about September 1st last, is now before the Senate,
is to be taken up on December 1st and voted on December 6th. The situation in the Senate relating to the bill, as disclosed
by correspondence with Senator Poindexter, a vigorous opponent of the measure, is that approximately one-fourth of the members
of the Senate are avowed advocates of the bill, that a lesser number -- about fifteen -- are unalterably opposed to its passage,
while the majority of the members of the Senate have not taken -- at least openly -a positive position respecting the Hetch
Hetchy proposition. The attitude of these Senators seems to be that, if an adequate supply of water for the City of San Francisco
cannot be secured from a source other than Hetch Hetchy, the necessities of a great city like San Francisco being paramount,
the city should be granted the right to secure its water supply from Hetch Hetchy. Hence, the importance of bringing to the
attention of the members of the Senate a source of supply for San Francisco, at least equal and, if possible, superior in
desirability to Hetch Hetchy. As indicating the importance of this procedure Senator Works recently stated in a letter to
Judge L. W. Falkerth of Modesto, Cal., I have tried to impress on your people the necessity of showing that San Francisco
can get a water supply elsewhere. Senator Works, also, says in his letter, If San Francisco can secure the necessary water
supply from sources that will not deprive others of the beneficial use of it, she should not be allowed to take any water
from the San Joaquin Valley. Fortunately, a source of supply greatly superior in many respects to Hetch Hetchy can be secured
by uniting the available supplies from the South Eel River and Putah Creek water-sheds -- the northerly section of which catchments
is located in the Coast Range of mountains about 120 miles directly north of San Francisco. 09852