The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-12-30

generation of these states IS being
impoverished to provide funds to
further so called conservation and
the supervision and administration
of the resources of which these
states already have been ravished =,
as witnessed in the income from
stumpage, herding of cattle and
sheep, and absorption of private
irrigation enterprises, without ust
compensation, to make way for
larger projects. -
The special committee was APP
pointed on motion of l.. K. Arm
strong, seconded by X. A. Hutch
inson. When the report was read
yesterday Harry A. Rhodes prompt
" moved that it be laid on the
table, which motion was promptly
seconded, J. J. Browne protested
against thus summarily disposing
of so important matter, and a
motion offered by him that it be
laid over for one week for further
consideration was accepted by
Rhodes as a substitute
While this motion was under
consideration Chairman ID. T. Ham
recognized Mr.. Browne, who said:
This resolution deals with a sub
jeCt which is of paramount impor-
lance to the people of the Pacific
and Rocky Mountain states. Ger
tain senatorial writers gravely have
misrepresented this question and
are charging that there is trust
seeking to get control of our water
power resources. Secretary of the
interior Ballinger appears to me
to have gone almost over to the
position occupied by Mr.. Pinchot.
We are told that there is a CON
spiracy to get control of the water
power resources of the western
states, but nobody has yet named
a single man or single corpora
ton connected with such Conspir-
acy.
1t seems to me that if there is
any conspiracy in this matter it is
the conspiracy of the eastern
manufactures and the owners of
eastern water powers to cripple the
manufacturing industries of the
west dependent upon The develop
ment of our water power resources
The eastern manufacturers pay no
royalties on the water power used
by them and to the extent that
the western manufacturers are COM
PEELED to do SO we will lie placed at
an unfair disadvantage in compe-
tition with them.
1t is proposed to retain the title
to these water power resources in
the federal government and permit
them to be improved under leases
of from 10 to Is years. But who
would improve water powers under
such leases? Nobody. Most of
those who now go into the wilder
ness to spend thousands of dollars
in the development of water powers
go broke and in the isolated case
where the more fortunate among
these adventurous pioneers do
make money it is now proposed to
prevent and discourage him.
Here is the case of the Washing
ton Water company, which OWLS
the water power here in our own
city. With that resource in pri-
vate ownership we assess it for
purposes of local taxation and COL
lect from it some $4,000 a year
for local uses. If it were owned by
the federal government we could
take nothing from it for local tax
alton, the rates we pay would not
be materially less than they now
are, and we would be called upon
to send thousands of dollars a year
east to be paid into the federal
treasury.
One magazine writer says, re-
garding the Alaska coal land case,
that an effort is being made to steal
vO11r DrODerty and nina Now T