Las Vegas optic., 1913-11-19
BURTON BACKS HIM UP
THE SENATOR SAYS STATE CON.
TRoL OF WATER POWER is
DANGEROUS
MAY CAUSE A MONOPOLY
1T is HIS BELIEF RESOURCES ARE
AN ASSET OF THE ENTIRE
NATION

Washington, Nov 19.-Gifford Pin
cho, former chief forester OF the Uni
ted States, leading champion Of gov
ernment control Of waterpower rights
clied in the National Conservation
congress today when he succeeded in
forcing before the convention the miji-
ority report Of the committee on wa
'terpower rights.
With former Secretary Of the lnte-
ricr Walter l.. Fisher in the chair,
former Secretary Of War stimson, who
Joined Mr. Pinchot in the minority
report yesterday, moved for a suspen-
sion Of the rules that the waterpower
question might be discussed from the
floor Scores Of delegates who faycr
the majority report which would
combine national with state control,
With less restriction on waterpower
grants, protested Mr. Fisher ruled
that the motion to suspend the rules
was not debatable, and it was carried
amid loud cheers.
Mr.. Pinchot read the minority re-
port and thereby opened the general
debate Senator Burton of OHIO
championed the policy OF strict ma
tional control Of all water power
rights, and urged the delegates not
to get into an ~unseemly squabble
between state rights and national
control"
1T is impossible said Senator Bur
ton, that state control should ade-
quately solve this great national prob
lem In this matter we are conduct
ing no crusade against capital, but
thefa must be a recognition Of the
dancer Of monopoly and a desire to
provide fer public welfare in the use
ef tAi4 great national asset
Some delegates challenged the sig
nature Of Joseph NJ Teal of Portland,
Ore, o the minority report, asserting
that Teal had written a letter to
.George F. Swain, chairman Of theI
watcs 9ower committee. expressing ap-
proyal II the majority conclusions.
Professor Swain told the conven-
tion, that Judging from the letter he
thought that the majority had a per
feet right to take Teal with them at
the time that letter to Professor
Swain was written, returned Mr..
Pinchot. AT that time Mr.. Teal had
not received the report Of the minor
ity. I sent Mr. Teal copy Of our re-
port and yesterday received tele-
gram from him in which he said
u know you are right and will
back you up. That message came to
me several days after Mr. Teals lett
ter to Professor Swain"
Senator Shafroth vigorously defend /
ed the views of the majority on the
waterpower. question. Senator Shat
roth urged the delegates to heed the
words of the late Justice John M
Harlan of the supreme court, whom
he quoted National government for
national affairs; state government for
state affairs, and then there will fol
low development great, indeed.
That is the rock on which our gov
ernment is founded
Henry L. stimson replying, declar-
ed that in the suggestions Of the min
ority, the federal government would
not seek to thrust itself in advance
Of local authorities, but that there
were many cases in which local con
troll could not be exercised in which
federal control could.
Senator Thomas urged that water
power franchises be granted BY the
states, not for profit. but for control
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