The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1909-01-16
VETO MESSAGE
| SENT TO HOUSE
President Disapproves Of a
Bill to Dam River.
GIVES REASONS THEREFOR

Bill in Question Gives Grantee Mo-
nopoIistc PriviIese-No Rights In
voIving Waterpower Should Be
Granted to AIRY Corporation in Per-
pstuity-FeeIs in Duty Bound to Pro-
-tect the Resources Of the Country
From the Hands of Monopoly.
Washington, Jan. Is. President
Roosevelt today sent a special mes
sage to the house, which, in part, is
as follows:
To the House of Representatives:
return herewith without my ap-
prevail house bill 1907, to authorize
William H. Standish to construct a
dam across James river, in Stone
county, Mo-, and divert portion OF
Its water through tunnel into said
river again to create electric power.
My reasons for not signing the bill
are:
The bill gives grantee a valuable
privilege which by it's very nature is
monopolistic and does not contain
conditions to protect the house. l
wrote on March 10, 1908, the follow
ing letter to the senate committee on
commerce.:
Numerous bills granting water
rights in conformity with the general
account of June p, 1905, have been
Introduced during the present session
of congress and some have already
passed. While the general act author
ICES limitations and restriction of
water rights in public interest and
would seem to warrant making a
reasonable charge for benefits con-
ferred those bills which have come to
my attention do not seem to guard
the public adequately in these re-
spects.
mo rights involving water power
should be granted to any corporation
In perpetuity, but only for length of
time sufficient to allow them to con-
duct their business profitably. Rea-
sonable charge should be made for
valuable rights and privileges OBJ
tanned from the national government.
Accordingly l have decided to sign
mo bills which do not provide spe-
officially for the right to fix and make
charge and for definite limitation in
time of rights conferred"
Rainy River Veto.
In my veto message of April IL,
1908, returning house bill 1914
(Rainy river dam bilD, said:
1--WE are now at the beginning Of
great development in water power.
Its use is entering more and more
largely into every element of daily
life of the people. Already the evils
Of monopoly are becoming manifest;
already the experience of the past
shows the necessity of caution in
making unrestricted grants of this
great power.
'"The present policy pursued in
making these grants is unwise.
1.-THE Rainy River company prom
ised to submit to and abide by such
conditions as may be imposed by the
secretary of war, including time
limit and reasonable charge.
"An amendment to the present bill
was proposed by the war department.
The letter, veto message and amend
ment were considered by the senate
committee on commerce."
Their report set forth legal argu-
ment intended to show that the fed
eral government has no power to i'm.
pose any charge whatever for such
privilege.
The authority of congress was as
serted by Secretary Taft on April II,
1908, when he said: "In the execu-
ton of any project connected with
Improvement of navigation the power
Of congress extends to the regulation
and development of the waters for
purposes subsidiary to navigation"
Purpose Of Corporations.
Information collected by the bureau
Of corporations shows that clever
large concerns now hold water power
Installations and advantageous power
sites aggregating 100000 horsepower
The great corporations are acting
with foresight, singleness Of purpose
e1u VlSOl " CO1lIlO1 CuS WdICl pOW
ers of the country.
The new legislation sought in theil
own interest by some companies II
the West and the opposition of othe1
companies in the East to proposed
legislation in the public interest hav'
common source and common pur
pose, which is centralized monopol,
of hydro-electric power development
tree of all public control
The president repeats his word
with which he concluded the messag
vetoing the Rainy River bill in whic]
he made five suggestions for GOVERN!
substitution of definite policy il
making grants instead Of the presen
baphazard policy of permanent
alternating valuable public propert
and continued:
I will sign no bill granting priv
ilege of this character which does nc
contain the substances of these COZ
ditions. consider myself bound a
far as exercise of my executive powe
will allow to do for the people,
prevention of monopoly of their r.
sources, what believe they would d
for themselves if they were in pos
ton to act.