The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-08-21
RA|NEY ATTACKS
 AUSTEN IN HOUSE Bitter Debate on Water
 power Legislation AUSTEN MAKES REPLY Claimed Austen Was Personally 1n- terested in Waterpower Legisla-
 ton and Was Member of
 Waterpower Trust
AUSTEN MAKES REPLY

Waterpower Trust
 Washington. August 20.--For nearly two hours today the House listened t' a surprising and acrimonious debate between Representative Rainey of Hi nois, democrat, and Representative Austen of Tennessee, republican, IT which each charged the other with con sorting with waterpower lobbyists, anc misstating facts. So bitter was the feeling between the two men that the sergeant at arms occupied seat in strategic position. Certain waterpow- CT site legislation pressed by MT Aus ten. MT. Rainey insinuated was drawn in the interest of the waterpower trust
 He had previously announced his inten- ton of blocking it. MT. Rainey read from a carefully prepared manuscript, seeking to connect MT. Austen directly with the trust The Tennesseean replied eXtem- poraneously and with bitter emphasis, branding the charges made against him as untruthful. The House took no part
 Each had 54 minutes allowed under a special rule MT. Rainey charged MT Austen was personally interested in waterpower legislation. He said he was one of the incorporators of big com pany in the vicinity of Knoxville, Tenn, to be benefited by tentative legisla- tion He said a well trodden trail led from the district of MT. Austen to the of 1ices of the so-called waterpower trust.
 Exchange Personal Views
 The incident was the sequel to a recent exchange of personal views between the two men. Then Mr Raney objected tt certain bills introduced by MT. Austen MT Austen Ietaliated by calling MT Ra.ney a dreamer and a demagogue.
 In the recent colloquy Mr. Rainey said MT Austen had declared that If he as q representative had favored the water power trust he would consider he had dis eraced himself and if Mir. Rainey could produce proof of his guilt he would re- sign.
 T do not ask the gentleman to resign from this body" Mir Rainey said, deliver ing a carefully prepared speech. " ~ not think, however, that the cause of Naterrower conservation in Tennesseeo would suffer if the gentleman g connection with the House would cease. The gentle man will be missed fl he resigns, how cver by waterpower lobbyists But those Interested on the waterpower conservation will not regret his absence from thls body"
 Recently MT Raney objected to bills by MT .iusten to provide for IT dams ia Tennessee, two of which were to be in the congressional district of q colleague. Representative Sells, who knew nothing of the bills until after the subject had been discussed in the House. according to MT. Rainey
 MT. Raney charged under the Austen bills and the omnibus dam bill the Ten nessee Hydro Electric company was to have a franchise to erect four dams in the Clinch river, one dam in the Powell river; the Clinch River Power company was to erect another dam In the Clinch river and five Morristown.A Tenn. citi- zens were to erect two dams in the Clinch river. "a harmony remarkable enough to excite suspicion" Mir. Rainey added He referred to what he called "the abso- lGte bad faith of all these Tennessee en- terprises,r and said he knew of no better illustration as "To what interruptions waterpower manipulators can do with a waterpower proposition than the illus tration furnished by the Knoxville Power company"
 Attacks Company
 This company" he added. made the first attempt to deliver the city .of Knoxville and all of that territory to the waterpower trust. It had five in- corporators. The records of the secre- tary of state of Tennessee shows that Richard w. Austen was one of them, the same Richard w.. Austen who now represents the second district of Ten nesSee.
 MT. Rainey said that prior to MT. Austen's congressional career the Knoxville power company had been turned over to manipulators and mana gers of international reputation and "that it is possible to produce at any time the admissions of the gentlema n from Tennessee that he had been au- thorized to assist former United States Treasurer Charles II. Treat in disposing of the franchise"
 MT. Rainey said that MT. Charles II. Treat, George R. Sullivan and Richard w. Austen, on May I. 1910, gave to F. K. Weller of Washington an option to dis pose of the holdings held by them.
 .'No member of this House is on closer terms in a business way with the repre- sentatives of the great waterpower trust than the gentleman from Tennessee Ms. Kainey said 'rhe trail from his con rressional office here leads to the office of r. R. Weller of Washington. to the office of Charles H. Treat, former treas urer O. the United States, to the firm oi Cromwell & Sullivan, dealers in inter oceanic canals and water power proper ties, to the banking firm of the Kuhn in Pittsburg and to J. r. Morgan x So' the bank of the General Electric com rany."
 Representative Austen sprang to his fee immediately at the conclusion ot MT Rainey's speech and with intense bittei@ ness began his reply.
 He referred to MT. Rainey's indictment of Charles P. Taft in connection with tho Panama canal acquisition and declared that those charges had not been proved
 And the gentleman from Illinois h' added was unmanly enough not to re tract his islanders
 He referred to MT. Rainey who sat only a few seats away as 'the defamer iron Illirois,'' and declared that his water power bills had been passed upon by tn' House interstate commerce committee "every member of which was the peel Of the gentleman from Illinois
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