The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-02-03
'ther property may be situated.

ICED Tor the purpose OF utilizing any
water power within the state or any
streams lying upon the borders there
OF may take and hold so much real es-
tate as may be necessary for the loca-
ton, construction and convenient use
for the means employed IN the utiliEa-
ton OF such water power and for the
construction of such buildings and APP
purfenaces as may be required But
compensation shall be made for the
lands SO taken. In the manner provid-
ed for taking private property for the
works Of internal Improvement.
When the constitution was adopted
empowering congress to regulate com
merce between the states. with for
eign nations. and with Indian tribes.
the then existing evil sought to be
remedied was as to the commerce
carried between Connecticut and New
York, and between some of the other
states. which commerce was carried
IN part by small boats. but largely by
wagon. The commerce consisted large
y OF vegetables. Ind cordwood. The
steam engine had but recently been
Invented, and railroads were not TO
be known for shout thirty years.
Steamboats, we're not to be known for
nearly twenty years. and SO wise a
man as Chancellor Kent reached the
erroneous conclusion in the great
case OF Gibbons RS Ogden, that steam
boats did not come within the con
stitutional provision when carrying
commerce between the states Elec-
tricsty WAS unknown except as demon
strated by Franklin with his kite, fol
lowed by the lightning rod. The text
books on the subject OF natural phil
osophy or physics as then used, and
continued in use until within the last
forty years. devoted less than two
pages to the subject of electricity,
and could suggest no utility therefor
other than the lightning rod. and
defining electricity as "a very subtle
and unknown agency" Later
the telegraph consisting OF a pressure
at one end OF the wire aud with
breaks on such presume, forming
the Morse alphabet at the other end
o. the wire Morse telegraph case, Is
Howard, 50 f1S53l. When such pres
sure is over and beyond the state line
it is an Interstate commerce, and a
foreign corporation doing a telegraph
BUSHES can not be denied admission
to or excluded from the state. nor sub
5ected 10 burdens by the state. West
ern Union Telegraph Co. VS. Kansas,
9ls C. S.. i. Then came the tele-
phone, then the wireless telegraph,
and now ne have one and one-hal;
million horsepower IN the United
s states created by the electric cur
rent generated by water power. with
many millions to follow If waterfalls
TOW useless are conserved. The pres
sure and carrying Of such current Is
surely commerce, as much SO as
the pressure and carrying Of tele
grams or natural gas by pipe line
And IL has been held By the supreme
court that natural gas when reduced
TO possession is a subject OF com
merce. and state statute which pro
yides that such gas shall not be car
ried by means OF pipe line beyond
the limits OF the state is repugnan'
10 the commerce clause and therefor;
void. Oklahoma vs. Kansas Gas Co.
aaf e. s.. 80
4 From this II seems to follow thai
the pressure of the electric curren'
from this powerhouse into Illinois AM
Missouri VII be regarded by h;
courts as Interstate commerce. ant
as srca 70 be regulated only b
gress. either by action or non-action
ana that tie state OF Iowa viii hi
without any power IN the mater. I
mas been the beast OF both the courts
and the legal profession that -
courts keep pace IS Civilization ad
vaaces, and methods OF bushes.
change. and new inventions ar
brought sbors. And 1t xiii be re
proach 10 cur Jurisprudence Il IN
conr1s fail 10 keep In touch With III
enhancement made as "a the use Q
the electric current The power il
question viii be approximately 3fa
600 horsepower and tuliy equal i
er.1 fsa0 At the end Of the line SOC mile
distant. the difference being CT &c
count Of leakage by reason az CLIMATE
conditions and The size Of the cope
J or aluminium Kirs vh.ch mar be COZ
ne-risfly c5tasnahIe. This resns n
saving 81 tweirs tons Ct coal Per yea
D. s-earn ser sFsrT water ho-seToEe
equal 10 three times that Used 8
manufacturing Il Iowa more than !
row usea n he state os NEssou-i
and ouetnIri CT vhat 10 used Il n
state az TllsEcss- incl1dsng the csty 2
Csscagc. a. Is gathered from The las
csrs1s reports TatE recently III
-o-s- has suns 20 Easts Thss
rot theoretical CONSERVATION Of IA
mai resources Q. rsassca re hear IS
nura. aat IS coafe-Tstscn q Ia
r-zc.sczE Kind shst o1gat 70 zpFsai !
svsrT thiastrg -1s.-
Has<rsa w. nsssassip7; Rlv.r Frss