The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-08-17
BROWNIES IDEA Of
CONSERVATION
Well Known Wenatchee
Spokane Banker is Dele
gate to st. Paul.

we are also in favor of progress and
development. Our public lands
should 70 used for the purposes to
which tney are best adapted, but
not abused; the mines should be
made to give up their wealth, but
rot destroyed; the timber should be
cut in such manner as not to wipe
out our forests, and our water pow
them for hundreds of civilizing .pur-
poses all over the Rocky mountain
I'D Pacific states"
j. J. Browne of Spokane, presi-
dent of the Western Conservation
League and head of chain of banks
in Washington and Idaho, appointed
by Mayor Nelson S. Pratt as chair
man of a delegation of five promi-
nent business and professional men
to represent the city of Spokane at
the sessions of the National Conser-
walton Congress in St. Paul, Septem-
Der to 8, said this in discussing
the question of jurisdiction over
public lands and water powers.
To carry out the ideas OF the
ultra conservationists in this matter
of federal control of our public
lands and water powers mineral,
forest and other natural resources, "
he added, would greatly retard the
development of the Northwestern
and Pacific states and Alaska, with
out adequate compensation to the
nation as a whole. The average con-
servationists has been made to take
an extreme position on this impor-
tant question, owing largely to hav-
ing only one-sided information. But
there is another side, which, in fair
ness, ought to be understood.
The total horsepower of water
in the United States is estimated at
66,51S, 5000, and of this more than
one-third is in Washington, Oregon,
Idaho and western Montana. Less
than 100000 horsepower is devel-
oped. It may also be noted that
nearly all the remaining public
lands are located in the Rock noun
tain and Pacific states and Alaska.
East of the Mississippi river are 90
100000 horsepower of water and
only 4,000,0000 developed.
I'm the Columbia river valley,
between the Rocky mountains on the
east and the Cascades on the west,
there is sufficient water for all pur-
poses of the present day and for
generations to come, including the
operation of all the railroads and
irrigation projects we shall ever
need, all the manufacturing we shall
ever do and all the cities we shall
ever build. That water power is
so great that if 10000 horsepower
of it on an average should be devel-
oped every year, it would take 2400
years before all of it would be in
USE" and when once in use it would !
be so for all time. If we were to
harness 100000 horsepower a year,
it would require more than 240 |
years to develop all of it.
Water powers are local and con-
fined in their operation to compare
lively small areas Each commun-
ity needs power to manufacture it's |
raw materials. If the land upon |
which these powers are located is
restored to entry under existing |
laws, the titles for the most part
will go to bona fide settlers living
in the several communities, and will
largely be developed by local capt.
tai. Water powers on public lands |
are not located in cities, but in the
or in sparsely settled dis
tricts, and if the power should be a
large one, it will take many years
for its full development. No man
can afford to devote his time and
money developing such a power I'M
der a leasehold He needs the title
In fee simple. He is not building for
himself alone, but for posterity.
"The government should cancel
It's withdrawal of those lands and
dispose of them to the people who
need them and will use them. In
The very nature of the case there can
be no monopoly in this matter. The
states respectively own the water in
the rivers within their boundaries,
subject only to the right of naviga-
ion, which is controlled by the fed
eral government. This principle is
so generally recognized that every
we'll read lawyer is familiar with the
decisions of the courts justifying it
Each state has full power to reg
llate the water powers within it's
and the federal govern
nent should either give the settler
he title in fee simple to those lands
Or turn the lands containing water
powers and coal and minerals over
o the states. The present policy is
'etarding development, and progress
must soon cease unless it can be
changed The people should be +:
given every opportunity to develop