Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-05-25
Carrying out A Roosevelt Policy.

Carrying Out A Roosevelt Policy.
President Taft has aligned himself
with Roosevelt in the matter of con-
sefvation of national water powers.
Acting under his instructions, Mr..
Ballinger, secretary of the interior,
has iss, ed an order again withdrawing
from entry 3,000,0 900 acres of land con-
tanning water power sites, sIJusted
in Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idailo
and Oregon. The territory was orig
inally reserved by Mr.. Garfield, acting
under orders of President Roosevelt,
but when Mr.. Ballinger entered Office
he cancelled the action of his prede-
cessor. Mr.. Ballinger has also direct
ed the head of the geological survey
and chief Of the reclamation service
to make thorough survey of all the
public lands in the United States,
with view to establishing the loca-
tions of water power sites.
This action is most important, as it
means that there will be no private
monopoly of water power, as there is
of coal and other mineral wealth of
the country, if Mr.. Taft can help it.
When Roosevelt had the lands with
drawn he believed that a gigantic
water power trust was in process of
formation, consisting of the Standard
Oil Co., the General Electric Co., the
Westinghouse Electric and Manu-
featuring Co., and other large allied
interests. These concerns already
have large water power holdings in
the west, some of which they have
developed and some of which they
have not, or only partially, and
whether they were planning trust
or not, the fear Roosevelt had that
they were seeking to grab all the de-
sirable dam sites in the public domain
was not at all strange, seeing that it
was perfectly in accord with their pre-
vious policy.
Any one with half an eye to the
future can see what would eventually
happen if a major portion of the
country's water power were to pass
Internationally into private hands.
What has happend in the case of coal?
One man practically controls the out
put, and by the slightest twist of the
finger or muttered word fixes the
price for hundreds of thousands of
consumers. What has happened in
the case of oil? One gigantic combi-
nation regulates the cost Of every oil
lamp that makes light in darkness.
What has happened ia the case of
copper, in the case of iron ore, in the
case of the dozen and one other min
erals which are necessary to the
growth of our complex civilizations
The same answer in eaci case Then
what will become of the water power
unless it is carefully guarded? Judg-
ing from what has happened in the
past and what is happening now, the
answer ought not to be very difficult.
The commercial industries of the
country have now developed some 3d.
OO0, 900 horsepower. OF this amount
approximately 26,OO0,0Oo horsepower
is produced by coal; the rest by
water. Conservative estimates place
the possible horsepower capable of
being produced by water at 10000,
OO0 Think of it. One-hundred-fifty
million horsepower possible; only
100000 of it in use. Experts tell us
that at best the coal cannot last more
than $50 years longer We must have
something TO take its place, and here
is $50, 900, 900 horsepower waiting to
be used. The increasing use of cleo
tricity and electrical machinery al
ready indicates its immense impor-
lance to the nation.
There is no desire on the part of
any sensible person to forbid private
enterprise from developing the water
power of the country. Private enter
prise is wanted, yes, indeed, to make
the most of it and to continue the
prosperity of the nation. But there
must be no private enterprise become
monopoly; no repetition of the oil
trust, the copper trust, the coal trust.
Private enterprise may develop, and
may obtain a fair return on its invest
ment, but the public must control,
and control in such way that 1T
never lets the water power get entire
| ly out of its hands, never permits in
adequate development or no develop
ment at all, and never allows the
levying of extortionate rates.
President Taft is already planning
for conference with Secretary Balm
ger, Clifford Pinchot, chief forester,
and others to devise regulations for
the control of water-power, which will
be submitted to congress for enact
ment. Such measures will undoubt-
eddy meet with strenuous opposition
from the monopoly interests which
prefer to get something for nothing,
but they must eventually be enacted
into law. Until they are, tie public
domain should be absolutely closed to
any further enc oachment of corpora
lions seeking to help themselves to
what God gave the American people
Milwaukee Journal.
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