Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-10-21
CONCERNING WATER POWER.

AOAAAAANAANN W
This grand old government OF ours
has been very generous to her chill
dren the states, setting aside for each
big tracts Of land for school and 9TH
err purposes. The gifts were great
but as in most families, when the
Youngsters suddenly get hold Of and
20 to managing their own property
the patrlmony was generally pretty
badlv used before wisdom came to
the youngster. The smile can be car
rled much further, for in each case
once the gift is sQuandered there is no
regaining it and states, like men, must
90 TO work to recover their squan-
dered inheritance, or, rather, to re-
place It for an inheritance, like yir-
tue, once lost is gone forever
While school lands, lieu lands and
others given by a generous govern
ment to Oregon, have, to put it mildly
not been taken care Of as well as they
might have been there are other things
that become the property Of the peo-
ple Of Oregon when It became a state
One Of these is Of tremendous im-
portance Of uncalculable value and 1t
is being frlttered away-apparently
without thought about It. We allude
TO the water power In this respect
Oregon is, perhaps, the richest state in
the Union. The Cascade mountain
range, running clear across the state
is the finest natural storage reser-
voir in the world. Ranging from
5000 to 5000 feet high, with heavy
snowfall. and covered with magnifi-
cent dense timber, which protects the
snow and causes It to melt slowly,
thus keeping the streams at good
stage practically all the year, 1t is
barring the State of Washington, alone
in this respect.
Not only is the volume Of water inn
mense but the fall is tremendous and
the power It is capable Of generating
is simply unbelievable. The santiam'
Willamette, Rogue, Umpqua, Clacka-
mas, dozens of magnificent streams
flowing down the western side, while
the Deschutes, John Day and countless
small streams pour down the eastern
slope.
The same conditions prevail along
the coast range and in the Blue Noun
tains of Eastern Oregon only not on
so large a scale.
This magnificent power belongs to
the people Of Oregon--all Of them.
II is Of incalculable value, and should
be preserved to and for the whole
people for all time, and should not
be allowed to pass into the hands of
individuals or corporations, At pres
ent any one can, under certain reg
ulations, appropriate" It. For once,
the law uses the right word for that
is what is done. Whoever wants it
just "approprlates" it-that is takes to
himself property belonging to the
whole people, by the simple process
of posting a notice or two, putting in
a little headgate or marker and paying
the county recorder a dollar or two
for recording the fact that he has
appropriated" a certain amount of
the peoples property in the shape of
water power, and intends to keep 1t
for his own use and benefit
It is freely conceded that this cap
proprlation" Of unused property is
preferable to letting 1t lie idle and un-
productive.
It Is also freely conceded that the
state cannot start factories, mills and
machinery to utilize this vast force
now going to waste It is undoubted-
ly right that the waters should be
harnessed aud made to work for man,
and that the citizen or company de-
string to use this power should be
permitted to do so, but while this is
being done the state, the Whale people
Of Oregon should not part with its
ownership. This should be kept for
the whole people Of the state forey-
er.
The Journal has no plan to suggest,
but there is surely way to retain the
ownership, hut permit their use. 1t
suggests, however, that some Of the
legislators, or men who win be legis-
latOrs after the 7th Of November look
into the matter and provide the plan
for saving this vast wealth to the peo-
pie Of the state and the whole of
them.
THE GALL FOR ALL" SPIRIT.