THE FALLBROOK STORY

de presenting an American document this film is the simple story of plain people fighting for their rights under the American Constitution it sustains your faith in representative government this story shows the supremacy of the people and their elected Representatives it demonstrates that truth and tenacity can overthrow tyranny the events shown here have become as much a part of our history as Lexington and Yorktown three of the people Thrills me as it will all Americans you'll find great satisfaction in the Fallbrook story oh [Music] this is water it is life from it the tiny lips of all growing things suck their strength at the breast of nature out of the water of the field is distilled the sweet juice of the orange and the nectar of the Palm Granite water made possible the Garden of Eden and sustained the flocks of Abraham it is the vital fluid in the arteries of the fill soil and in the swelling veins of the springtime sod on its blessed touch mankind Depends for existence itself without it all things perish and what force would willingly shut off the water supply and condemn all these living things to destruction only greed and tyranny would clutch the flourishing Groves and the emerald fields and throttle the life in the trees and grain only greed and tyranny would strike at the foundations of man little Paradise nourished by the precious water of the clouds and the white mountaintops but greed and tyranny have struck greed and tyranny have grasped for a water supply greed and tyranny wielding the mailed fists of Oppression have moved against the people of the soil and when this happens the green of the plants is touched with the brown and Searing Hand of Death the fabric of nature Withers desolation replaces abundance ruin descends upon the Earth this is the Fallbrook story it is the story of A Hamlet that has United in simple Faith to fight greed tyranny and oppression it is the story of a California community and its neighbors who have placed principle above fear it is the story of a cause the Epic of a crusade and the man who best can tell the story is the first citizen of Fallbrook a patriarch of an American Backcountry Village the spokesman of a noble resistance Victor Westfall longtime owner of the town hardware store these are the scenes of my first remembrance down there is the Santa Margarita River source of our water in this area from earliest time a lot of folks have irrigated with that water ever since I was a little TI even longer I guess maybe 100 years over there is a little school where we went in AC choir today in another another Century Yonder is the shell of the old hotel my mother and father ran venis and quail dinners six kinds of pie and tomato preserves and rhubarb Tarts and fried chicken big juicy steak bed and meals for just six bits for the life I can remember the Little Farms along the Santa Margarita the heavy awkward plow and the big boned horse pulling it Sunday was a great day then everybody went to church you could hear the Bell from miles out along the river my mother and father are buried out in the cemetery now they just got tired and went to sleep in a tranquil old age little Cemetery of ours Mighty peaceful nice place to go sit and think about quieter times old friends Fallbrook has grown up in recent years with the aid of industrious settlers and great bank that has helped Citrus and avocado Groves have emerged all over the red Earth Hills and people have come in because of our nice warm climate and the friendly Spirit we seem to inspire around here we always had friendliness among the Little Folks farmers and the town's people there were just the two big ranches on the Santa Margarita River in the old days the Santa Margarita Rancho of the O'Neal and the big Veil Holdings Upstream they feuded over dividing up the water as will happen in the Arid West but finally worked out an agreement on it and this is the big point to remember they did things in the American way they didn't try to take any water from the little fellows up and down the Creeks who used a tiny bit of irrigation water or pumped a well no the o'neals and the veils recognize the rights of all these small owners their neighbors were never bothered in the private agreement the veils and the O'Neal simply and properly divided up what was left after the smaller owners had used their share and under that doctrine of sharing the water Fallbrook prospered and its Hills felt the impact of the plow and avocado Groves arose where Jack Rabbits had frisked and miles of lemons grew where the vagrant winds had stirred the yellow heads of the wild mustard [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] it was a good life in a good land it was the unfolding Saga of American Pioneers creating new wealth and new food from the barrenness of the untilled Earth with the aid of precious irrigation water [Music] [Music] people came from everywhere to join in the adventure of clearing the land they began building homes and dreams [Music] in one such home GI Sam Edmund and his wife and two children were making great plans for the future of their little ranch many things needed to be done money was not plentiful but gradually the small place was being turned into the sort of home they all wanted even though now it was overrun with pets and problems Sam worked at his job in town but spent all the time he could fixing up the place when he wasn't repairing a shoe or saving a penny in some other way [Music] now he was getting ready to go into town for groceries but at the last minute he remembered that he had not taken the daily supply of water to his 90 year-old neighbor widowed Aunt Edie hubard Aunt Ed's own wi Supply from a shallow well had dried up completely so the neighbors took her two buckets of water a day and Sam usually was the water boy [Music] the Earth was responding to cultivation and irrigation the future appeared bright for Fallbrook and the Santa Margarita River [Music] Farmers but some vague fear suddenly had invaded Fallbrook this day early in 1951 it was intangible but nonetheless deadly the whole town was infected although no one knew the real nature of the rumors or their source [Music] Sam Edmund was infected too he went home profoundly Disturbed feeling there was some unknown danger threatening everything he had worked for he was too confused to put his fears into words even for his wife but she soon sensed his mood of depression and her own bubbling Spirit of Happiness was transformed into a similar despair Sam told her that all of Fallbrook was seething with rumors about some kind of trouble hanging over every family they attempted to keep the children from sensing this apprehension but it was impossible to conceal their feelings entirely Sam and his wife tried in vain to shake off the dread which enveloped them the the lunch was neglected the fields and the Groves themselves seemed to sense some unspoken Peril to stand listening for a clue the heartbeats of nature herself slowed down under the impact of a brooding fear then the fearful nature of the Peril was disclosed through Aunt Edy hubard [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] this was the unbelievable fact the United States Attorney General J Howard McGrath in Far Away Washington DC was suing Aunt Edy and a complaint had just been served on her the United States acting under the authority of the Attorney General alleges that the defendants have repeated reply through overt acts displayed their disregard for the rights of the United States and are encroaching upon the already insufficient supply of water required for the nation's defense all of the rights of the United States are Paramount to the rights of the defendants the United States prays that this court forever enjoin these defendants from encroaching upon the rights of the United States the complaint and pleading were studded with frightening words such as sovereignty exclusive jurisdiction and Paramount rights and the federal government was proclaimed to be superior to the ordinary citizen in a lawsuit and Aunt Ed was far from being alone as a [Music] defendant Gloom like a leaden Cloud descended upon all the Fallbrook area as word spread swiftly that every citizen was being sued for his water rights by the Attorney [Music] General soon in fact it was learned that confiscation suits were aimed at all 14,000 residents of the Santa Margarita River Watershed each suit alleged that the water was needed for nearby Marine Camp Pendleton which had been established on 135,000 Acres of the old Santa Margarita Ranch but the local people knew this was not true Camp Pendleton had so much water it was leasing out thousands of Acres of agricultural land and pumping the irrigation water for lettuce flowers and Li of beans even after all this use millions of gallons of water in the Santa Margarita River was running through the camp and wasting into the ocean what then was the reason for such a gigantic and unnecessary suit and could it be stopped the processed servers many of them military men and military vehicles were abroad in the land federal summonses were being served all up and down the little Creeks on isolated farms at Tula Delo Murietta even as far away as Oak Grove 30 m or more from Camp Pendleton here for instance lived Harry Berg whose grandfather fleeing oppression in Europe had walked all the way across the United States to find a sanctuary here for himself and his descendants but now there was Sanctuary no more even people without property and federal housing projects were sued for their water rights the farmers were served a courageous young Methodist preacher Reverend Marshall Ketchum facing the federal complaint proclaimed in the name of all Christians government is not Beyond morality does a merely legal suit mean that it is a moral suit the 200 in telescope of California Institute of Technology on top of Mount pelomar was sued over the rain and snow that fell upon its lands [Music] the Fraternal lodges were accused the sacred home of the Dead the cemetery itself where lay the Mortal remains of the heroes of the nation was sued with assertions of a Paramount and Sovereign right to the water used upon the graves of The Departed [Music] not even the house of God escaped [Music] [Music] but there was worse and this was it I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it in Sam Edmund's home desperation was blighting all the family dreams money was lacking for lawyers to fight the suit Sam tried desperately to think of some course action finally the idea came to him to write to the Los Angeles Times because he had heard it believed in fighting for state and individual rights [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] at the Times the letter followed the usual course and arrived at the desk of editor LD Hotchkis it attracted his interest and he called for Bud Lewis the city [Music] [Music] editor Lewis turned the investigation over to Ed answorth feature writer specializing in water problems the times wanted to help the small farmers if the facts warranted [Music] it then for a week the Intensive inquiry went on the times discovered the federal attempt at confiscation was even worse than described and so the story was written [Music] [Music] publication of the Fallbrook story aroused widespread attention it heartened local individuals and groups to fight back against us attorney general J Howard McGrath and his AIDS a deit vanich and William H verer who were responsible for the [Music] suit organizations such as the Fallbrook Public Utility District headed by President Bill hee and general manager George Yaki LED unified resistance the town's people gathered in vic westfall's hardware store for their own councils of War I was mighty proud of my friends and neighbors then they didn't rant the government as such they love the United States and all it stands for and its greatness but they were terribly angry at the unjust Federal officials who were prostituting the real government they started out to rid themselves of McGrath and people like him around coffee cups a strategy committee led by Jim Wayman of the Chamber of Commerce began meeting every morning the people had just one hope in their fight and that was to obtain the help of the legislature of the State of California and the Congress of the United States so first they made their pleas by letters to their elected representatives emphasizing that they had no quarrel with the Marines but were asking to be saved from the bureaucrats of the executive branch of the federal government these letters soon were considered by men like California's lieutenant governor Goodwin J Knight and assembly speaker Sam [Music] [Music] Collins by letter Telegram petition the appeals for assistance went to Washington to representatives and Senators the farmers of the Santa Margarita pointed out that plenty of water was to be made available to Camp Pendleton's Marines by the Metropolitan water district from the Colorado River just as was being done at the other military establishments in Southern California such as March airbase and El Toro Marine Airbase [Music] they ask why the federal government should sue private citizens for their water rights when this other Supply was available at reasonable cost the justice department could not answer but the pressure of public opinion forced it into one concession it agreed that the defendants would not lose their water rights by default in 20 [Music] days this was the people's initial Victory they found their angry voice was being heard even amid the seats of the federal bureaucrats and now the California legislature leaped into the battle the assembly and the Senate led by Speaker Collins and lieutenant governor Knight passed stinging resolutions denouncing the federal suits and demanding that State's rights and the sacred property rights of individuals be respected the two State officials rejoiced at signing the resolutions here again the people were speaking their will through their directly elected representatives the response to Sam Edmund's letter transformed the atmosphere of his home hope returned the chance to fight in the open against the federal suit gave everyone new courage Sam and his family eagerly joined in every move to safeguard their threatened rights in Washington the impact of the Fallbrook case began to be felt more insistently congressmen led by repres Representatives Clare Engel Norris pson and Sam yorty of California and John sailor of Pennsylvania received many letters on the subject National magazines took up the issue too the Readers Digest in the Saturday evening post and informed the nation of the attempted tyranny by the US attorney general and Fall Brook now sent its own delegation to the national capital to plead for justice George Yaki and Bill heel were were chosen but there was no encouragement for them in one place where Justice for All was supposed to reside in the US justice department itself the bureaucracy was cold to logic and facts so Fallbrook delegation turned to another source the Congress of the United States housed in the [Music] capital Congress resolved to act an investigating commit of the House of Representatives was sent to Fallbrook to find out all the facts [Music] firsthand this was the moment Fallbrook had been awaiting all the Santa Margarita Watershed turned out for the Congressional Hearing in the Fallbrook High School auditorium where above the stage a senior Banner symbolically proclaimed Do or Die it was an outpouring such as might have been seen on Boston Common in pre-revolutionary days the people in Jeopardy were appealing to their elected Representatives as their last hope for salvation from [Music] tyranny chairman CLA Engel of Red Bluff California started the proceedings ladies and gentlemen this is an official subcommittee of your house of representatives from Washington DC it is a subcommittee on irrigation and Reclamation we are here because of the petitions of the people in this area to hear your complaints against the federal government after that came the questions and the answers said George Yaki the Boston Tea Party was a warning to overbearing people in [Music] government from Young Mrs William Latimer came the disclosure that we just have one little old tree a crab apple [Music] tree HH Bergman drove in from Oak Grove with his sleeves rolled up and his spirits riled to tell the committee my grandfather settled here in 1856 and took out water and operated it in that one locality and Joe Hayes a GI with a little chicken ranch out on the creek proclaimed I don't feel guilty the government of the United States is you and I I mean the real government and it's just a matter of getting on the ball and seeing to it that we get our property rights and so the solemn procession went Syria americ an asking for rescue from grasping Federal [Music] bureaucrats when it was over chairman Engel made a promise then you get these legal sadists who want to swing a bull whip over the people from them comes this kind of wholly unreasonable and incomprehensible action by federal agencies we intend to return to your national capital and draft legislation to give you relief in Washington the committee acted swiftly to prepare legislation a specific bill was drawn up embodying all that the committee had promised providing a dam on the Santa Margarita for Camp Pendleton and Fallbrook and guaranteeing against future Federal encroachments then great news came to falbrook after the firing of McGrath the Fallbrook Bill moved onward Justice was being achieved but greater than the F Brook case itself greater than the wrongs inflicted upon the 14,000 farmers of the Santa Margarita arises the fundamental question which way of life is to Prevail in the United States shall it be the evil one are Americans to be ruled in fear by the mailed fist of internal tyranny are non-elective usurpers of power in Washington to Prevail over the American people is Liberty to die is freedom to become but a memory or is falbrook to lead with its courage its humanity and its strength in a mighty Rebirth of the real American way the way of Washington Jefferson and Lincoln the way of representative government individual rights and the pursuit of happiness the Fallbrook story has given the answer answer the mailed fist can be trampled into the Dust by the onward marching force of the people themselves enlightened and informed by the Free Press and acting through their elected representatives in [Music] Congress truth and Christian Justice can Prevail good men can Triumph Freedom can Reign throughout the land and so under God it shall always be in this America born of the travail of the oppressed bathed in the light of a new understanding and dedicated to Generations unborn the America of tradition the America of the future the America where men can still fight in a just cause and win the greatest prizes of all the ages Liberty and the Dignity of the human soul [Music]