Crittenden record-press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1909-191?, 1910-11-03

because 1t Is done so late. cannot be 80
we'll done as II It had been begun earlier.
Water Power.
Take the question Of the control OF the
water power sites. The enormous impor
lance of water power sites to the future
Industrial development of this country
has only been realized within a very few
years. unfortunately. the realization has
come too late as regards many OF the
power sites: but many vet remain with
which our hands are free to deal. We
should make It our duty to see that here
afte- the power sites are kept under the
control Of the general government. for
the use Of the people as a whole The
fec should remain with the people as
whole. while the use Is leased on terms
which shall secure an ample reward to
the lessees, which shall encourage the de-
velopmcnt and use of the water power.
but which shall not create a permanent
moncpolv or permit the development to
I've nti,social. to be IN any respect hostile
to the public good. The Nation alone has
the power to do this effectively, and II Is
for this reason that YOU will find those
corporations which wish to gain improper
advantage and to he freed from efficient
control on the part of the public doiug
all that they can to secure the substitu-
tio1 Of state for National action.
There is something fairly comic in tho
appeal made by many Of these men In
| that the great corporations seeking the
privileges Of developing the water power
| in any given state are NJ least as apt 10
| he owned outside that state rs within H.
/ IN this country. nowadays capital has
| National and not state use. The great
! CORPORATIONS which are managed auf
| ,arrc'y owned in tho older states are
| tNoso which are most in evidence in IL
| vrloN"% and using the mines and water
! powers and fnr, SITS ~ the now territ cries
! "0d the now states from Alaska To Ari-
! "luo. Nave been genuinely amused du-
! ring the past two months N having argyll
! u"nts presented to me on behalf Of Ger
/ tain rich men from New York and Ohio,
! for instance. as 10 why Colorado and 9th
! cr Rocky Mountain states should manage
| their own water power sites. Now these
non may he good citizens according to
! their lights. but naturally enough their
| special interest ohscures their sense the
! public need: and as their object is to
! escape an efficient control, exercised in
! IN, interest of all the people Of the coun-
| try. they camor to be put under tho state
| instead OF under the Nation. If we are
| foolish enough to grant their requests. we
| shall have ourselves 10 blame when we
| wake m 10 find that We have permitted
| another privilege to intrench itself and
| another portion Of what should be kept
for the public good 70 hc turned over 10
! individuals f,r purposes Of private en-
|
congress bills were Introduced 70 transfer
Tho water power sites i'm the National
| Forests and the Public Domain to the
| control 81 the states. I cannot state too
STRONGLY my belief that these measures
are unwise. and that it would be disas-
trous to enact them into law. In sub
stance their effect would he To free these
cr-o- special interests from all effective
coruol. The passage OF such a bill would
=. a victory of the special interests over
tho general welfare. and long backward
stcn down the hill Of progress We have Of
l..r been climbing.
our people have for many years pro-
cccdcd upon the assumption that the
Nation should control the public land. IT
Is to this assumption Of National outlook
thHt we owe our wisest land legislation,
from the Homestead Law to the Irrigation
Law. The wise use of our public domain
has always been conditioned upon Ma
tional action. The states can greatly help,
but the Nation must take the lead. as re-
CARDS the land. as regards the forests and
waters; and perhaps peculiarly in the case
Of the waters. because almost all streams
are really Interstate streams.
Coal Lands.
The same principle applies with pecu-
liar force to the coal lands. and especially
to the coal lands in Alaska, whose pro-
lection and ownership by the Federal
government is so necessary. both for full
Ind p al a
uos+ ana Gov tha nood. 90 n,Ir d., in the
pori6c rrba COO, ,,tnas sho,,,d ho ,oasnd
rot soid and tbosa VINO mine tbo co,,
sIo,,ta roy hacIl a nart ~ Tho nroot N
I ,ba ,,oo,Io t. to ,,,a r;cb, "a Az, % ,l,o
/ noonlo 70 dor,and tba net ,,,cilo,,t tr,s-
/ toolLir on tbot ,ort ~ mo- hr,,,lL -,
The FEDERAL eo,orr,,o,,t in ,r,or,,., Of ,ia
I fn.I r,so,,-,os 90 ,i,a T-,,t.a1 c+..a.
-, -, -,
''e N'"''"' N''""u'
Remember also that many OF the men
/ who protest loudly AGAINST effective
| national action would be the first to
turn round and protest AGAINST sta te
action # such action i'm its turn became
effective, and would then uNu,Siuatlpg-
~ invoke the law 10 show that the
state h"l no constitutional power to
act Long cXoD"i,noc has shown that
it is by no means iu"n.- ihlo. i'm cases
Of constitutional doubt. Co cot on set
Of judicial d'cisio0s which r'"..r it
oiihcnt tor thc n,,n2 to t'i ana an !,
Cor Tho state "a act. In r1cb c,s. the
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