Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1911-01-18
POWER TRUST.
scunnR TO GOBBLE WATER
POWERS OF AAINR.
,.vusxuL LOBBY, IT ID REPORTED,
vuA MAKE DBsCHNT ON AUGUSTA
THIS WINTER.


n,.r,ssrding tho f,ct that the last legis-
,.,.r, smphatically went on record as
..o.ssd to permitting the sending of
si.stric power generated in Maine beyond
,.a confines Of the State, . raid is to be
..ds upon the great powers Of this State
:, /. company, backed BY New York
;,..rssts OF the most plutocratic sort, for
-. purpose OF taking these powers from
Maine 10 Massachusetts, to supply power
4. the mills and factories Of that state.
Tsi, company, backed BY the water
,.vsr trust, it 10 Understood, will ask .
ss.rtsr Of the most sweeping kind, giving
!, rights of eminent domain, and the
tight to do almost anything which it
wishes to do.
The raid will DO made in . clever
-sunsr. 1t will be disguised ~ corpora
t;o, coming into Maine for the purpose Of
liking an honest competition with COM
,suies already organized. With this a. .
cloak the promoters Of tho scheme feel
that they can put it through. interested
i, The plan are . number Of Maine mon
Who will benefit BY the scheme il it goes
through, because they will be able to soil
to the big syndicate powers which they
.wn st an enormous figure. These men
have no interest beyond their own pocket
books. They profess to credit the good
will Of the project a. perchance they really
DO.
'But ii is nothing to u.s." said one Of
the men lobbying for the bill, "whether
Maine becomes just . power station or
not. II we got our price we don't have to
star here, do wei"
That the company has great financial re-
sources is well known, and men who have
bean approached in the interests of the
deal, have been shown where there are
Millions in it for the promoters and thous-
ands for those who stood with them.
That they will try to smother the local
concerns now doing business in Maine 10
admitted, They will do this by entering
into competition. They will sell light, heat
and power at . ridicuiously low price until
they have driven the home concerns to
the wall Or forced them to sell, not for
what they are worth, but for what the
trust 10 willing to give. Then it will be
adieu to Maine as . growing, prospering
ssste. Prices will be jumped and manu-
iscturing concerns driven out Of business.
Then all the power will be switched into
the cables and boosted along to Massachu-
sstts, where it will be used to supply de-
fciency in power which the company, I'M
der . different name, has contracted to
supply TO mills in that state.
Its understood that the syndicate al
ready has secured options upon water
powers controlled by the Coburn estate,
these options being subject to the passage
sffavora BILE legislation by the legislature of
this State. These water powers a. under
stood, are located on the Kennebec river
and are capable Of developing fully 10000
horse power.
Ii il further stat ed that certain pro-
ninent democratic leaders have agreed to
support the bill and to see that it passes
the legislature and becomes law.
NAY EXPLAIN THINGS.
This news may explain many things
which have taken place in connection
with the present legislature within the
past week which to many persons seemed
incomprehensible.
1t further gives notice that the big fight
sfthe seventy-fifth Maine legislature will
BOT be upon rum, or taxation, or any of
nose things, but will be q big private
legislation fight, such a. never has been
seen in the State.
Beside this fight which is coming, the
great west branch of the Penobscot river
contest OF 1901 and 1903 and the save-the-
axes battle OF the seventy third iegisla-
tore will be as play wars. The millions
behind those two contests will be don bIed,
'ripled and qusdrupled in this one.
~ VIII be one OF the greatest contests
ever fought in New England in which
great and powerful corporate interest
seeks to take from the people their right
ful Inheritance.
IL Is said that practically the same in
ssrests which made the fight for the
fenobseot river will be arrayed upon the
"ae OF the concern which now seeks to
MKe from Maine one OF it's most valuable
assets and send it through topper wires to
massachusetts, and the Connecticut river
valley.
FOR months the concern has been en-
gagged In organizing powerful lobby to
some to Augusta this winter and work to
push The bill through the legislature. A
PORTION OF this LOBBY, which consists OF
''tn democrats and republicans, is already