The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-16
WATER POWER GRANT VETOED
 BY PRESIDENT
Public Interest not Protected in Giving F2auab.e Privilege in its Nature
 Y}0Dopol stic.
: Special from United Press

i Washington, Jan 16.-Pres. Roose- Welt yesterday sent special message to the House of Representatives. It is in part as follows:
 I return herewith without my ap- proval House bill 17707 to authorize William H. Standish' to construct a dam across James River. in Stone County, Mo, and divert a portion of it's waters through a tunnel into the said river again to create electric pow CT My reasons for not signing the bill are:
 The bill gives to the grantee a valu- able privilege, which by it's very na- ture is n1onopolistic, and does not con- tain the conditions essential to pro- tect the public interest
 The great corporations are acting with foresight, singlenesS of purpose, and vigor to control the water powers of the country They pay no atten- ton to state boundaries and are not Interested in. the constitutional law af- fecting navigable streams except as it affords what has been aptly called a twilight ZOne," where they may find a convenient refuge from any regula- tion whatever by the public, whether through the national or the state gov ernments. It is significant that they are opposing the control of water DOW CT on the DesplaineS River by the State of Illinois with equal vigor and with like arguments to those with which they oppose the National Gov- ernfnent pursuing the policy I advo- cate. Their attitude is the same With reference to their projects upon the mountain streams of the West. where the Jurisdiction of the Federal Govern ment as the owner of the public lands and national forests is not open to question. They are demanding legis- latiOn for unconditional grants in per nfI IIif Nf 1on irC I11if power houses, and transmission lines to replace the existing statute which authorizes the administrative officers of the Government to impose condi- tions to protect the public when any permit is issued. Several bills for that purpose are now pending in both Houses, among them the bills. s. 6626, to subject lands owned or held by the United States to condemnation in the state courts, and the bills, H. R. 1856 and $. 2661,' respectively, to grant lo- cations and rights of way for elentric and other power purposes through the public lands and reservations of the United States. These bills were either drafted by representatives of the pow CT companies or are similar in effect to those thus drafted. On tine other hand the administration proposes that authority be given to issue power per Inits for a term not to ecxeed fifty
 
 of condition. This provision to pre- vent revocation would remove the only valid ground of objection to the act of 1901, which expressly makes all permits revocable at discretion.
 The new legislation sought in their own interest by some companies in the West, and the opposition of other companies in the East to proposed leg islation in the public interest, have a common source and a common pur- pose Their source is the rapidly growing water-pOWer combinations. Their purpose is centralized mono poly of hydro-electric power develop ment free of all public control. It is obvious that a monopoly of power in any community calls for strict public supervision ana regulation.
 I esteem it my duty to use every en- deavor to prevent this growing mo- nopoly. the most threatening which has ever appeared, from being fasten- ed upon the people of this nation.