Albuquerque citizen., 1908-03-05
MANY BILLS ASK
FOR WATER
POWER
Corporation Efforts May Result
in Enormous Monopoly
in Years to Come.

Washington. d. c.. March 5.-A
matter which ought 10 be given inn
mediate attention by people living in
the western part of the United
States is the quiet way i'm which bills
are slipping into and through Con-
gress asking that certain private
parties be given an everlasting mon
opcly Of the water power generated
ny public rivers on public lands. and
I'm public forest reserves. Here is the
thin edge Of a wedge of special priv
tiege which. SO years hence, may be
seen TO be greater monopolistic
abuse than the use of public streets
in our great cities by robber street
car corporations. Now is the time to
apply the remedy; not so years
hence
Recent invention and development
In electric transmission have given
an enormous value to water power.
Railroads were originally built on
ridges away from streams Thus mills
on streams were handicapped by
their remoteness from railroads Now
electrical transmission enables the
mill owner to locate his mill by the
railroad and to draw his power from
the plant by the river. These power
plants by the streams are now being
used. every year more than the pre-
Nlous one, as sources for power for
electric roads, lighting towns and
cities, and running all kinds of in
dnstrial plants. And every wear
VIII see the city and town. the man
ufac1nrer and the traveller more de-
pendent on the man who controls the
source of power. The man who con-
trols the water will become the great
tax gatherer among the people The
water power trust will be the ideal
trust
So il behooves the people to
think twice-yes. even three times
before granting rights in perpetu-
fly TO plausible corporation or in
dividual who asks a monopoly of a
public water power. Let the power
be developed, but let the franchise
be limited; or let the franchise be
developed by the corporate represen-
sative of all the people. Let the city,
county, state or nation develop the
power, and fix the rates at which it
may be sold.
In this Congress there are a num-
ber of these bills asking the priyi-
lege OF developing water power on
navigable streams For in case of
navigable streams, it is necessary
TO come TO the federal government
Many Bills Are In.
one OF these bills, for example,
is II. r. 1918 introduced in the
Senate by Mr. Piles Of Washington,
and passed. 1t is pending in the
HOUSE. This seeks TO authorize the
Benton Water Co. TO construct a dam
Gcross the Snake river at Fivemile
Rapids in the state of Washington
Nothing is said about limitations on
the grant
Mr.. Mondell of Wyoming Is the
author of "'H. r. 1886" a bill for
granting locations and rights of
way for electric and other power
purposes through public lands and
reservations in the United States
This bill seeks 10 permit any private
party or corporation TO do anything
In the way of power development in
public lands, forests, military reserves.
cemeteries or national parks, includ-
ing cutting timber and building
roads. by the filing OF maps with the
secretary Of interior and paying a
nominal price for timber and land
used. There is no compensation for
the franchise nor any limitations on
fbe monopoly; nor any termination
of its life.
Mr.. Bonynge of Colorado is author
of bill III. r. 1907" which is similar
In its purpose to the Mondell bill
Sena,or Crane of Massachusetts,
has fathered the Mondel bill at his
END of the capitol.
Mr.. Howell of Utah has put in III.
r. z12," which seeks a blanket prlvi-
lege for all kinds OF private power