The Washington times., 1909-08-28
Says Former Presidents
Plans Could Be Carried
Out Only by the Lord.
SCOUTS AT THE IDEA
OF WATER MONOPOLY
Western Resources Can Never Be
Controlled by Consolidated
Corporations.

Declaring that former President
Roosevelt acted as though he thought
he were the Lord. and stating that he
himself would yield to no man in
knowledge of the West and what II
needs, Ormsby McHarg, Assistant Sec
retary Of tn e Department OF Com
merce and Labor, today took Esue
with the ideas of Mr.. Roosevelt as
outlined in the latter's messag,i TO
Congress on January Is, 1909
1t was suggested to Mr.. McEarg
during an interview today that pos
sibly the PRONUNCIATION of the idea OF
conservation would be Of great bene-
mt 20 the nation, and that President
Roosevelt's messages and speeches on
this subject were made with that pur-
pose, to wake the people so that they
would take care of such things as
waterpower and forests.
THE Lod." said Mr. McHarg, could
do that. Maybe he CMr. RooseveiD
thought he was the Lord. He acted
like it around here for a good mary
years"
President Roosevelt's special message
Of Ia. January we, perhaps, his most
outspoken prophecy OF what he saw
in the future of water power. The peo-
pie of the country said the President,
are threatened by a monopoly far
more powerful, because in FAR closer
touch with their domestic and indus
trial life, than anything known to our
experience. a single generation will
see the exhaustion OF our natural re-
sources Of oil and gas and such a rise
In the price of coal as will make tie
price OF electrically Transmitted power
a controlling factor in transportation.
in manufacturing, and in household
lighting and heating
Talk Is Absurd
"Tis talk Of water power monopoly"
said Mr.. McHa=g is absurd. 7 viii
trade my knowledge of the West WITH
no man. have been West every year
for the last ten years Often I have
been to the Pacific Coast twice in one
year 1 know the people. I went oa
business and I talked with them and
know their views 1t is time that this
traducing Of those people, this making
them ridiculous, cease. I know that
they have a man now in Secretary Bal
linger who is Westerner and who un-
derstands what they want. He talks
dreds of power plants in the West
but this message" it was suggest
ed was based upon information com
ing from your department; from the
Bureau of Corporations"
4 don't care where IL comes from
said Mr.. McHarg. Il am stanc.ng on
my own legs in this matter. 1 am not
speaking from an official standpoint,
but from my personal observation. I
don't care how the information was
gathered. I am standing by what I
know myself"
But don't you believe that even If
there are a hundred or more power
companies they can be consolidated
into one concern, that they can OBJ
tain a monopoly just as Standard Oil
has done?'
Standard Oil Does Good.
standard Oil has done good. I am
not its defender. and L am not afraid
of il. although a man once asked ME
if 1 wasn't. Why. / know that in my
time, before Standard Oil came into
being there were ten explosions caused
by oil where there is one now II has
cheapened the price of oil, too. But it
is foolish TO e&ilI of consolidating an
try. There are so many streams where
power can be developed. 1t would be
just as easy to consolidate all the rail
roads.
.. How about Hartmann it was sug-
gested. He has almost done it
Yes, and Hartman is almost dead
too. No man capable of such things
has q successor Napoleon had no sue
And then Mr.. McHarg took up an
other paragraph of former President
Roosevelt's message Of January Is, ia
which the latter said, ITO give away,
without conditions, this, one Of the
greatest OF our resources, would be an
act of folly. If We are guilty of IL, our
children will be forced TO pay an annual
return upon a capitalization based upon
the highest prices which the traffic will
bear They will ind themselves face
TO face with powerful interests in
trenched behind the doctrine of vested
rights and strengthened by every de-
fenSe which money can buy and iugeu-
uity of able corporation lawyers can
devise.
Not Amenable to Check.
Long before that time they may. and
very probably will. have become a con-
solidated interest, controlled from the
great financial centers. debating the
terms upon which the citizen can con
duct his business or earn his livelihood.
and not amenable TO the wholesome
check of local opinion.
What is meant by children there2
He tMr. RoOSeVelO doesn't mean YOU
or me; he is not definite WHY is am
this cry about the child. The principle
Continued on Ninth Page)
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