The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-16

also. No rights involving water power should be: granted to any corporations time suficient to allow them to cons duet their bnsiness prontebiy A rea- sonable charge should of coufse. be nsss iesss EhieS sGT asSsS's ssS obsss from ths tionai government. The values for which this charge. .is made will ulti- mately through fns the ma natural ,r, a,, srowth , iafion and fndustrles. reach enormous amounts. A fair share, Of the fncrease should be safeguarded for the benefit springs The proceeds thus secured, after the cost of administration and improvement has been met, should nat- urally De devoted to the dsveIopment have decided to sign no bills hereaf- ter which do not provide specifically for the right to hx and make . charge and for dsiIits nn.dd limitation in time of the returning mir H House sssSf Siii is4st to extend sSs the time for the construction of Gam
 'swe are now at the beginning of great development In water power It's use through electrical nrensmissfou is entering more and more largsly into t 2 people. Already the evils or monopoly are becoming manifest; already the ex- perience4 of the past shows the. neces- 1ihy VI SAutiVn III HfAAtu& uuEGstEtttcA
 'sThe present policy pursued in mak- Ing these grants ia unwfse Tn giving ava away the property of the people tn the ganizations practically unknown. and granting in perpetuity these valuable privileges in advance of the formation Of definite plans ass tC their use: Tn In have little or no financial or other ability to uti1ixe the gift, and have sought f merely because 1t could be-
 The Rainy River Company, by an War Department. subsequently, prom ised to submit to and abide by sssh secfetary of War. including q time limit and a reasonable charge. Only because of It's compliance in thiasway tending the time limit for that project dnally become law. ssttHs "a.
 An amendment to the present bill ex- pressiy authorizing the lgoyernment to charge was proposed by the War De- partment. The letter, veto message and amendment above referred to were by the senate Sy c9mmdtes sSa Nn tees report on the. present bill. and the proposed smendment was charac- sterized by the Committee as new de- sued in respect to Ieglslation authoriz- ing the construction of such dams.' Their report set forth an elaborate ie- the Federa government has no power to impose any charge whatever for w dive Pssels the neasat
 The fact that the proposed policy Is new is in itself no slfficient argument against its adoption. As we are met with new conditions of industry seri- ously affecting the public welfare we for the protection of the public merely because those measures are new. When the public welfare Is Involved. Con- doubt as to It's legislative power In fa- vor of the people and against the seek CTS for a special privilege.
 My reason for believing that the Fed eral government. in granting q license to dam a nayigable river. has the4pow- CT to impose any conditions 1t finds necessary to protect the public. includ- tng ge shaTe st ss tnd consent s sgsy Oh sne e sential to an enterprise of this charac- ter It follows that Congress can i'm pose conditions upon It's consent. This House of Representatives on March 2S. 1908, bx MT Williams, of Mississippi, " as. There can be no doubt ii the mind of any man seeking merely the public good and public right, inc denendently Of any desire for local legfglattons Of rthis general propositton, that whenever any sovereignty, State or Federal. is required to Issue a charter or q license or consent. in order to confer powers upon indiyid- uals or corporations, 1t Is the duty the people so tb condition the grant of that power as that 1t shah rebound to the interest of all the people. and be gratuitousiy granted to individuals or corporations and perpetually alieD- ated from the people or the state or the government
 "s7s It Is admitted that this power to erect dams in navfgable streams can not be exercised by. any Now, then, if 1t require an act of Congress to permit any man. to put a dam in a navtgable streattn, then two things follow: Congress should so ex- ercise the power In making that grant as, first, to prevent any harm to the of the stream Itself and. secondly, so as to prevent any indi- yidual or any private corporation from