The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1909-01-21
ROOSEVELT VETOES DEMAND
FOR RICH WATER RIGHTS
President Urges Necessity Of Conserving Natural Resource:
for Which Corporations Are Grabbing.

arguments to those&with which they ops
pose b national government pursui19
the same with reference 10 theirg projects
supon the mountain streams OF the
where the jurisdictionaof the federal GOV
and national forests ID not to aues-
tion. They are demanding legislation TOT
unconditional grants In perpetuity q lana
for reservoirs condults power hons srsssin9
statute which authorizes the adninlstra-
tive officers of the government to impose
conditions e protect the pn h,l,s w tne t ANY
are To- pending in both Houses
among them the bill s. 66a6. to subjecc
lands owned or held by the United States
the bills, III. II. 1856 n s. 266l, respec.s
lively, to- grant locations and rights OF
way for electric and other power pur!
through the public lands and reseT1s
Hvations of the United States. These bills
were either drafted by representatives %
the w companies, or are similar II
effect to those thus drafted. On the other
hand, the administration proposes than
authority be given to issue power permits
for q term not to exceed so years, irreS
This provision to prevent revocation
would ENJOY the only valid ground az
objection to the act OF 1901, which ex-
discretion. The following amendment to-
authorize this In national forests was In
serted In last years agricultural appro-
priation bill:
And hereafter permits for power plants
within national forests may be made ir-s=
revocahle, except for breach OF condition.
fSe such sasha term, g not exeseding 2 % years. hn re 9.
ulation prescribe. and land covered pY
such permits issued in pursuance of an
application filed before entry. location, ol
application. subsequently approved under
the act of June II, 1905. shall in perpetuitY
remain subject to such permit and reA
newals thereof"
A Powerful Lobby.
The representatives Of the power coma
panies in washington during the last ses-
sion agreed upon the bill above mentioned
as the most favorable to their interests.
A. : Their heir r., rstqn : ,b fseau nnd tb eon raereaees
tatives OF the administration for the pur-5
pose of reaching an agreement II possij
BILE. The companies refused to accept any
thing less than a grant In p~erpetuity and
insisted that the slight charge now i'm.
posed by the forest service was oppres-.s
sive. But they made no response to tho
specific proposal that the r~easonablenesS
OF the charge be determined through am
investigation OF their business by the bu-
reau of corporations.
providing for irreyocable permits being
new legislation was stricken out under the
House rules upon a point of order made
by friends of the House bill--that Is, by
friends of the power companies. Yet, In
the face of this record, the power cons
panies complain that they are forced to-
ACCEPT TeNOcaDle DGIIIIlLSN pN liz ROlC OA
the administration. !
The new legislation sought in their own
interest by some companies in the West,
and the opposition or other companies in
the East to proposed legislation in the
public interest, have a common source and
a common purpose. Their source is the
Their purpose is a centralized monopoly
of hydro-electric power development frea
of all public control. It is obvious that Al
monopoly Of power in any community.
fra11o for cfrfrf pIlhlfcN GlYnnry{Gfnn and rap o.
ulation. !,
I will sign no bill granting a privilege of
this character which does not contain the.
substance of these conditions. consider.
myself bound, as far as exercise of my.
executive power will allow, to do for the
people, In prevention Of monopoly of their cir
for themselves If they were In a position.
to act. Accordingly ! shall insist upon the,
conditions mentioned above not only In
acts which I sign, but also in passing upon
plans for use of water power presented to,
the executive departments for action. Thee
imposition of conditions has received the
sanction of ongress IN the general act Of,
1905, regulating the construction of dams
in nayigable waters. which authorizes the.
imposing Of such. conditions and stipula-
lions as the chief of engineers and tbs
secretary OF war may deem necessary to
protect the present and future interests of
1.-The United States
/ 7 inclose a letter from the COMMISSIONS
of corporations, setting forth the results
of his investigations and the evidence OF
Y the faTreaflliffg plans d1lu OPtIdllOIiS VI
the General Electric the West
inghouse Electric and Manufacturing com-
pany, and other large concerns. for con-
soitdation of the water powers of the
country under their control. | also inclose
the memorandum of the solicitor-general
above referred to.
or to prevent, this growing monopoly, the
most threatening which has ever appeared.
from being fastened upon the people OF
Theodore Roosevelt.
The White House. January 10, 1903.
Smiths Figures Startling.
Washington. IAN. 19.-Accompanying the
message OF the president was a letter to
him from Herbert Knox Smith, commits
sioner of corporations, containing a sum-
mary of a report on certain features OF
the concentration of the water power of
the country. 1t was on the information
contained in this report that President
Roosevelt to E, considerable extent based
his message. In brief the report shows
that quite one-third of the water power OF
the United States has been concentrated
into the hands of q few large corporations,
Including the General Electric company,
the Westinghouse company and some
| other corporations which cannot be iden-
titled with either of the first two. The
report discloses the names not only of the
+ principal corporations, but of all subsi-
\ diary companies identified with the princf-
IT Dd1S dlNd SlNtSS III lliooilS VI ! wv
controlled by each. The total horse power
controlled by a group of 10 selected com
panies or interests is 1.S27,0D. Commits
sioner Smith points out that this is more
than 80 per cent of the total water power
of the country. Furthermore" says Com.
missioner Smith, this percentage by nc
means tells the whole truth. The forego.
ing powers naturally represent a majority
:. of the best power sites. These sites are
t strategic sites for large power and marked
control. Poorer sites will not generally
, be developed until these strategic points
| are developed to their full capacity ane
should these strategic sites be coupled up
they become still more strategic.
9TH facts here set forth show the yer.
rapid and very recent concentration tina
r has already occurred, practically all in Thu
last five years. 1T is obvious that tn
: effect on the public of such present an
: future conditions is a matter of seriou
E TO TRY 80 LooTERS.
a Messina, Jan. 19.-Eighty-two per
-. ,o-fa Fa- r{ao1f,,p ,-in th