Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-01-30
70 Innovation
Government Lands With Water
Power May Be Withdrawn
From Entry
TO CONSERVE WATER RESOURCE
Likely to Cause Radical
Step to Be Taken-Method Hold
Surest Way to Preserve for the Peo
Pile Remaining Water Rishts-The
Days General News.

Washington, Jan. 30.--Government
lands on which there is undeveloped
water power may be withdrawn from
entry.
This drastic method of heading off
the operations of the growing monopoly
Is now known ITO be under serious con-
sideration by certain of the federal
officials. Whether such action ult.-
mately will be taken it is too early to
say. But this method presents itself
Ito the government authorities as the
best and surest way to retain for the
people such water rights as are lett
lit is the thought that this withdrawal
shall not be permanent. but that the
Gently has been drawn to the impor.-
ance of water power, may have suffi-
cient time in which to formulate safe
policy.
No Precedent for Step.
One obstacle encountered by those
favoring withdrawal is the fact that
there is no precedent. OF itself water
has never been accounted by the gov
eminent a resource in the same sense
as iron or coal. Consequently. While
President Roosevelt has not hesitated
in the face of opposition to withdra"
iron and coal lands. he has never be-
fore been called upon to consider the
advisability to withdrawing land upon
which there are water falls. To make
such Withdrawal is virtually to class
water with coal as Il mineral of great
value and there are many OF the gov
eminent experts who are ready to take
that revolutionary jump.
Nor is the jump so revolutionary as
it sounds. Altho not popularity so re-
garded. water is a mineral from ne
scientific standpoint Problems con-
corning water are handled by the geo
logical survey, which is the mineral
bureau OF the federal government. And
to make this scientific classification
practical by the withdrawal of water
right lands as mineral lands is not such
a very revolutionary jump for Presi-
dent Roosevelt, who is ardent In nis
championship of the conservation
movement.
Driven to Innovation.
The federal officials are driven to
the consideration of a drastic move by
the great activity of the private water
power interests Every evidence Is that
the water power men. finding that the
government is awake at last, are hurry
ing at race speed to get everything
clinched before the brake is shut down
hard.
AS vet the conservation movement
has not reached the point of enforcing
fully it's teachings. 1t is still in the
stage of agitation, altho the point is
approaching when the conservationists
will seek to make their views stick.
Consequently just now the power men
are making hay, for they can see the
cloud which is about to obscure their
sun.
Evidence of the activity Of private
interests has even come directly into
the conservation camp. Private inter-
ests have sought to get fresh govern
ment information upon water projects
in which they are interested. 1t Is I'M
derstood that such inquiries are not
chiefly from individuals, but from cor
porations Some of them come directly
from Wall street. A strange develop
ment is that Mr.. Hartman, the presi-
dents pet aversion, has been discov-
cred to have heavy holdings in water
power.
Seek to Recover Water Rights.
But the pressing problem which Is
calling for the governments attention
is to recover for the people water