The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1911-02-27
tions Of the state.

.
purpose of investigating "the best
methods Of preventing floods and the
damage therefrom in the rivers and
streams of the state," and also to "co-
operate as far as possible with the
United States engineers in securing
a deep channel between Minneapolis
and St. Louis, and to examine into
the feasibility and expense of making
a navigable canal by slack water or
by canalization, or by both plans
combined, above Minneapolis and
such point in the state as will per-
nit an ultimate connection by canal
with the west end of Lake Superior"
This commission is also to ascer-
tain the sources, from which port
able water is taken, and in the inter-
est of health to insure freedom from
contamination of water used for do
mestic purposes.
But the most significant feature
of Mr.. Spooner's bill is section 3,
which says: "It is hereby declared
that the beneficial use and the natur-
al energy of the waters of all streams
navigable or non-navigable, in lakes,
reservoirs, swamps or percolating
(ground) waters in the state. are
owned by the state and subject to
state control for all purposes, save
such as were reserved by the Consti-
tuition of the United States to the
federal government, and should be
regulated by state law"
This is a new and radical step and
yet one which is said to be supported
by judicial opinion to the effect that
waters of the streams lying within
any given state belong to and should
be subject to the regulation and con-
troll of the several states in which
they are situated.
1t is doubtful if any measure Of
equal Importance will be presented
to- the consideration of the legislature
at this session. This bill looks to
the ownership of water powers by
the state.
The. report of the waterways COM
mission shows that Minnesota is un-
usually rich in natural resources of
this kind. 1t also appears that there
are those who are Industrious and
enterprising in the work of acquir-
ing control over these water powers,
and if the state would derive the most
benefit, or, indeed, any benefit, from
the use of these powers which it
claimes to own, it must lose no time
in providing by law how they may
be leased or otherwise made avail
able for use. Water power sites
have recently been acquired in var
ious parts of the state without any
provision for guarding the rights of
the public.
1t will take time to make a thor
ough examination of the water sys-
tenn of the state so as to determine
where water powers may be develop
ed and to what extent, but it will
not take the legislature very long
to assert the ownership of the state
in whatever water powers have been
or may be developed, and that is the
important feature of this bill.
1t is not believed that there will
be any conflict with federal rights,
because the federal government as
serts no control over water courses
except for purposes of navigation
Most of the water powers, of course,
are located on non-navigable streams,
and the only interest the government
would have in the control of water
from such streams would be to see
that water in those streams was not
diverted from it's natural channels
so as to effect the service which it
might render on navigable stretches
of water courses.