The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-16

securing through the act of congre..s any unconapsnsated advantage of pri-
 The authority of Congress in this matter was asserted by Secretary Taft on Aprti l7, 1908. h his report on Sem ssg sss.pSi S s a'sSS ssS Wssss '-'qi In the execution of any project and as incidental to and insepara5ly con sssen s power of % sxtsnds sslcpments 6 a Of the G waters for psrposss
 ussdliry anS Sy ,S. tS so1ieisar general
 memorandum prepared after a careful investisation of the subject,
 Believing that the national govern ment has this power | am convinced that Its power ought to Do exereised. The people of the country are threat ensd by . monopoly far more power,s p, their domestic and industrial life, than anything known. to ouLj experi- ence. A single generation viii see the e o anS ss o s snes ssaTs ss n sss price Of coal as will make the price of electrically transmitted water pow CT controlling factor in transporta- hold lighting and heating. Our water power alone, is fully developed and wisely used Is probably sufficient for mnnicipss @ ssn and soR domRsstis needs. Most of 1t Is undeveloped aha is stfll in national or State control.
 To give away. without conditions, sources, would be an act of folly, If we are guilty of ft, our children will be forced to pay an annual return SRshs, RGn eaRoss whsS sassd tran RNn s bear" They will find themselves face to face with powerful interests in- trenched behind the doctrine of vest defense which money can buy and the ingenuity of able corporation lawyers can devise. Long before that lime nsssy ysry peS9baSy wll nane can trolled from the great financial cen- ters, dictating the ternls upon wh fch the citlzen can conduct his business or
 his nsc sna a not iosas nat
 The total water power now, ip uss by boyer plants in the United states census and the geological survey as 5,3O0,000 horsepower. Information coi- lected' by the bureau Of corporations MseS Hy sst ssss asrs and the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company are most im- portant, now hold water power Install aEeregafing i,ois, 600 horsepower. where the control by these concerns is practically admitted.
 This is quantity equal to over use. Further evidence of very strong nature. as to additional inter- corporate relations. furnished by the ssh that this sa total S should Ss incrsssed to twenty -four per cent; and still other evidence, though less conclusive, nev- ertheless affords reas2nable ground per cent additional. In other words 1t is probable that these thirteen con: cerns directly, or indirectly, control eons bower Sites equal io more than thirty-three percent of the total was terp0wer now in use.
 Thfs astonishing consolidation has five years The movement is stili in It's infancy and unless 1t is controlled the history of the oil industry will be repeated in tNe hydro-electric power preasive and disastrous for the people. It is true that the great bulk of our potential water power Is as yet unde- veloped. but the sites which are now controlled by combinations are those which offer the greatest advantages and therefore hold a strategic position. This is certain to be strengthened by the increasing demand for power and tAlN EAtCAksAon cA }tOt8 NaStsAAASO SASSsAA- cal transmission
 It is, in my opinion, relatively unim- portant for us to know whether or not the. promoters of this particular pro- ject are affiliated with any of these great corporations. If we make an unconditional grant to this grantee, our control over 1t ceases. He, or any purchaser from 'hinf.> will be free to sell his rights to any one of them at pieasureE Tie Tinle to attach condi- tions and prevent monopoly is when q grant Is made. .-ss~ @grs-
 ErOrenighf of Corporatioas.
 The great corporations are acting with foresight, singieness of purpose. and vigor to control the water powers of the country. They pay no attention to State bouhdaries and are no inter ested in the constitutional law affecting navigable streams except as 1t affords what has been aptly called twilight zone," where they may find convent ent refuge from any regulation what ever by the public, whether through the national or the State governments. It is significant that they are oppos- ing the control of water power on the Desplafnes River by the State of H. linois with equal vigoy and with like arguments to those with which they oppose the National Government pur- suing the policy advocate. Their at- titude is the same with reference to their projects upon the mountain streams of the West, where the juris- diction of the Federal Government as the owner of the public lands and na- ttOnal forests is not onen to question