The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-04-14
ROOSEVELT
RAPS PARTY
IN CONGRESS
Urges Policy Demanded by
FilibuStering Minority
in the House.
DAM BILL VETOED IN
VIGOROUS LANGUAGE
PRESIDENT DOES NOT BELIEVE
IN GIVING AWAY POWER
RIGHTS OF UNTOLD VALUE.

Washington, April BIN a special
message today vetoing d dam bill,
President Roosevelt warned congress
that there are pending in this session
bills which propose to give away with
out price stream rights capable of de-
Veloping 10000 horsepower, whose
production would cost annually 25,O00,-
900 tons of coal; urging in vigorous
terms the establishment of policy
such as the filibustering minority in
the house demands, which would safe
guard the granting of bridge and dam
privileges and require the grantees to
pay for them; and definitely announc-
ing a future policy on his part with
regard to prompt utilization of con-
struction privileges by refusing his
signature to a bill that gives an addi-
tional three years to the Rainy River
Improvement company within which
to build a dam in the Rainy river.
81 do notNbelieve," says the president,
that natural resources should be
grantel and held in an undeveloped
condition either for speculative or 9TH
er reasons. So far as | am aware, there
are no assurances that the grantees
Gin this easel are in any better condi-
ton promptly and properly to utilize
time of the original act granting the
privilege ten years ago."
The True Federal Policy.
Discussing broadly the federal pol
icy, the president says:
Every permit TO construct a dam on
navigable streams should specifically
recognize the right of the government
to fix a term for its duration and to
81. Oh.
be deemed necessary to protect the
present and future interests of the
United States in accordance with the
| act of June n, 1906.
THE provision for q charge is of
Vital Importance. The navigability of
every inland waterway and of ali con-
nected or connectable inland water
ways as whole should be improved
for the purpose of interstate and for
eign commerce upon a consistent and
uniform plan by which each part
should be made To help every other
part. The income derivable from this
source would materially aid in the
complete improvement of our naViga-
BILE waters, for which there is now
such a crying need. The chief of en-
gineers of the army reports that the
bills now pending at this session of
congress permit the construction Of
dams in navigable rivers capable of de-
veloping over 100000 horsepower
These rivers run every hour in the
, day. and every day in the year. To
!. develop this amount of power would,
'undel average conditions, require about
5000, 600 tons of medium quality coal
every year. This natural wealth is the
heritage of the people. I see no rea-
son for giving it away. Though there
is every reason for not imposing condi-
lions so burdensome as to prevent the
utilization of the power.
Evils of Monopoly Manifest.
I'VE are now at the Beginning of a
great development in water power. It's
use through electrical transmission is
entering more and more largely into
every element of the daily life of the
people Already the evils of monopoly
are becoming manifest; already the ex-
perience of the past shows the necessi-
ty OF caution in making unrestricted
i grants of this great power.
! THE present policy pursued in max
ing these grants is unwise in giving
away the property of the people in the
flowing waters to individuals or organ
iZations practically unknown and grant
ing in perpetuity these valuable privi-
leges in advance of the formation of
definite plans as to their use. In some
cases the grantees apparently have
little or no financial or other ability to
utilize the gift, and have sought Of
merely because IT could be had for the
asking.
In place of the present haphazard
policy of permanently alternating valu-
able public property, we should substi-
tute a definite policy along the follow
ing lines:
'First-There should be a limited or
carefully guarded grant in the nature
of an option or opportunity afforded
xwitnin reasonable time for develop
nents of plans and for execution of the
project.
= "Second-Such a grant or concession
should be accompanied in the act
making the grant by a provision ex-
pressly making it the duty of the des-
ignated official 10 annul the grant if
the work is not begun or plans are not
carried out in accordance with the au-
thority granted
''Third-It should also be the duty of
some designated official to see to it
that in approving the plans the maxi
ContintIed m paoe .