Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1909-08-10
CHARGED FORMATION
OF A POWER TRUST
Allegation is Made That Combi
nation 10 Control All Water
3 Power of the C0un-
try is Being
Formed.

Spokane. Aug. 10.-Wsen Clifford
Pinchot arose this morning to address
the National irrigation congress, the
delegates gave him u wild ovation
lasting fully tive minutes and wind
ing up with a burst of cheers. He
was preceded by r. j. allen, of the
forestry service, who said that II is
necessary to have state laws and pre-
serve them if the west is to preserve
its forests. His speech was heartily
seconded by Pinchot who in further
ing this sentiment paid strong trib-
ute to Roose welt.
Silence fell owe. the congress as
Pinchot directly charged that the wa
ter power trust in process of forma-
ton is appearing before the conven-
tion in the person of its attorneys
seeking to break down all opposition
to its ownership of all the power in
the country.
Among the features of today's ses-
sion was a resolution by John l. Mar
tin. of st. Louis, calling for the sup
port of the Irrigation congress for
the lakes to the gulf deep waterways
project.
The Real Problems.
Clifford Pinchot, in a speech endors-
ing the policies of the Roosevelt ad-
ministration, said in part: .-g s
1t goes without saying that the law
Is supreme and must be obeyed. Our
civilization rests on obedience to law.
But the law is not absolute. 1t re-
quires to be construed. Rigid con-
struction of the law works, and must
work in the vast majority OF cases,
for the benefit of the men who can
hire the best lawyers and who have
the sources of influence in law-mak-
ing at their command. Strict con-
struction necessarily favors the great
interests as against the people, and
In the long run can not do otherwise.
Wise execution of the law must con-
slider what the law ought to accom-
plish for the general good. The great
oppressive trusts exist because OF
subservient lawmakers and adroit le-
gal constructions. Here is the CEN
traI stronghold of the money power
in the everlasting conflict of the few
to grab, and the many to keep or win
the rights they were born with. Le-
gal tcchnicalites seldom help the
people The people, not the law
should have the benefit of every
doubt
EQudlltN OF OppOIluHltS' Siuii =
deal for every man, the protection of
The citizen against the great concen-
trations of capital, the intelligent use
of laws and institutions for the public
good, and the conservation of our
natural resources. not for the trusts,
but for the people; these are real is
sues and real problems.
The Water Power Trust.
There pDdld he better illuStra-
tion of the eager, rapid, unwearied
absorption by capital of the rights
which belong to all the people than
the water power trust, not yet formed
but in rapid process of formation.
This statement is true, but not un-
CHALLENGED We are met at every
turn by the indignant denial of the
water power interests. They tell us
That there is no community of inter-
est among them, and yet they appear
year after year at these congresses by
their paid attorneys, asking for your
influence to help them remove the
tew remaining obstacles to their per-
petuaI and complete absorption of
the remaining water powers. They
tell US il has no significance that the
General Electric interests are acqulr-
ing great groups of water powers in
various parts Of the United states, anu
dominating the power market in the
region of each group. And whoever
dominates power, dominates all in
dustry. Have you ever seen few
drops of oil scattered on the water
spreading until they formed a contin-
uous film, which put an end at once
to all agitation of the surface? The
time for US to agitate this question is
now. before the separate circles Of
centralized control spread into the
uniform, unbroken, nationwide COW
ering OF a single gigantic trust. There
will be little chance for mere agita-
ton after that No man at all famil-
lar with the situation can doubt that
the time for effective protest is very
short. IL we do not use it to protect
ourselves now, We may be very sure
fhat the trust viii give hereeaftr
small consideration to the welfare of
the average citizen when in conflict
with its own.
For ROOsevelt's Policies.
The man who really counts Is the
plain American citizen. This is the
man for whom the Roosevelt policies
were created, and his welfare is the
end to which the Roosevelt policies