The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1911-08-30
Water Rights Outrage Likely TO Go
Through.

Hon. N. P. Wheeler of Endeavor, Hon.
f. y. Kreitler of Nebraska, with their
attorney, II. f. Ritchey, Esq, appeared
before tho board of Water Commissioners
at Harrisburg, last week, TO further pro-
test against the granting of charters TO a
private corporation for taking over the
water rights OF Tionesta creek and Clar-
ion river. Clarion county was also rep
resented at this meeting by able counsel.
Judging from the line of argument ad-
yanced by the Commission the protest.
ing parties were led TO believe that the
charters will be granted and the privileges
which now are vested in the citizens as a
whole will be given over to corporation
to do with as it peases. 1t doesn't seem
possible that such an outrage could be
perpetuated on the community, but un-
less protest such as will expose the
scheme in all its hideous phases is pre-
sented, that is just what will happen.
When the Water Commission was first
created 1t was for the purpose, as every
body supposed, of conserving the water
rights of the state TO its people, and to
prevent the grabbing of these rights by
private individules or scheming corpora
tions, but 1t seems that the very opposite
of this is likely to be carried out by the
Commis ission.
If, as these incorporators propose, dams
three hundred feet high are placed in Tio-
nesta creek and the Clarion river, vast
portions of Forest, Clarion, jefferson,
Elk and Warren counties will be COM
pletely drowned out, and property to the
extent of many millions of dollars will be
utterly destroyed. Besides this, such a
stupendous volume of water would be a
constant menace to the lives ofpeople liv-
ing in the Allegheny valley between this
and Pittsburg, Should a dam of such
proportions burst-and there is always
danger of such thing such cities as Oil
City, Franklin and others would be SUBJ
merged in fifty feet of water and not a
building would be left standing.
The two Clarion papers cover the points
in this scheme so fairly that we give be-
low what each has to say. In the mean
time let our people get busy and stop the
outrage:
From the Clarion Republican: 1.-THE
Water Commission at Harrisburg held
another hearing last Tuesday on the
granting of the Clarion River charters.
Don. G. Corbett, Esqr., was present and
with A. l., Cole, Esqr., of DnBois, and
the Forest county people protested
against the granting OF these charters.
From the indications it is taken that these
charters will be granted in the near fu-
ture. The law has been such that where
these charters have been granted that the
applicants were to begin operations with
in two years and If not the matter was
then brought before the Judge of the
county wherein the property was situated
and it was his duty to either extend the
charters or declare them null and void.
During the last legislature a bill passed
through that body very quietly taking
this power out of the hands of the local
Judge and placing it in the hands of the
State Water Commission. Had these
charters been granted and no work done
within two years there is little doubt but
that local Judge would have revoked
the charters but in the hands of the Water
| Commission it will be different. The in-
dications are that the charters will be
granted, possibly little work done, then
the United States government will be
rushed along in the matter Of their build
ing of flood dams and these charters with
their holdings will be for sale. Should
two years not be sufficient time to get the
government fully started then the char
ters will be renewed. These conditions
are hard on business people in this sec
ton who have been working in the coal
matter as they do not know whether to go
ahead and open the coal fields or wait,
not knowing as to whether they will get
their money out or not, But the indica-
tions are that the charters will be granted
and the Clarion river harnessed and
furnishing great power for manufacture
ing plants on paper at least.
From the Clarion Democrat: "a very
short notice was served Monday upon the
attorneys in Clarion, who represent
parties opposed to the granting of the
water rights along the Clarion river aud
| Tionesta creek, 10 parties who want TO
use the charters for speculative purposes,
that another hearing would be granted on
Tuesday by the Water Commission of the
State. To say the least, it looks very
suspicious for the Water Commission to
| appoint hearings at such short notice. 1t
makes it appear that they would like to
catch the opponents of the charters of
their guard, or wear them out with hear
ings and because none were present to
protest, proceed to grant the charters, in
spite of the fact that practically every land
owner along the Clarion and the Tonesta
and many citizens to the number of 2300
in Clarion county alone, have filed
standing protest against the charters. If
the state of Pennsylvania wants to con-
serve the water resources of the Clarion
and Tionesta and will take possession of
them to develop them under state con-
troll, as il is now doing with forest reser-
vations and good roads, the people will
probably very readily consent. But TO
have their rights taken from them to be
conferred upon select few, as a special
privilege by which they can and will ex-
plot the masses of the people for their
own personal benefit, will meet with a
most determined opposition. 1t must be
remem bered by the state Water Com
mission that it has no right to arbitrarily
/ favor tba Granting of tbasa chartars II