Evening star., 1913-11-21
P|NCHO1 FORCES
WIN WATER FIGHT
National Conservation Con-
gress Adopts Amendment
for Federal Control.
STATE RIGHTS DEFEATED
AFTER STORMY SESSION
Arkansas Delegation, Which Sc
ceded, Will Strive to Call An
other Convention Soon.

Monopolistic control of water power.
With 6 declaration that no water power
rights owned by the pubic ever should
be removed from public ownership. was
denounced by the National Conservation
Congress which ended its fifth conven-
ton at the Willard Hotel late yesterday
afternoon.
The congress supported clifford Pinchot,
who Is said TO be the father OF the or
gan'zation- and after II adjourned Mr..
Pinchct gave out a statement, as fol-
lows:
'"The vote this afternoon was on two
perfectly clear issues Although the So
called Pinchot amendment had nothing
TO do with ztates' rights. the states
rights men injected that question and
were defeated by three to one. The
other issue was whether or not the Ma
tional Conservation Congress should take
strong ground US to the charge of mo-
uopoly In water power or whether the
water power interests at the congress
should prevent IL from doing So The
water power interests failed to bottle up
the congress. and again were overwhelm-
ingly defeated.
Now that the fight is over, all of
the friends of conservation should be
glad of the victory for the public con-
tro, of this great public necessity and
should get squarely behind the move
meht to open the water powers to full
development without delay and on
terms fair to the power interests as
well as TO the public. We took real
step forward in conservation this after
noon.'
Statement From Seceders.
Another statement was made public
by Walter Powell. chairman Of the Ar
kansas delegation to the congress, which
seeded 1t is as follows:
II have been delegated by the repre-
sentatives of twenty-three states of the
middle west, west and south, to call
separate convention. which will take up
only the subject of water poper and lrri-
cation. 1t will be composed Of practical
men. not of government officials and for
mer cabinet officers. and will try to come
to some definite conclusion on the SUBJ
ject of conservation from the practical
and not the theoretical standpoint This
convention will be held In about month.
and states from Maine TO California vii!
be represented. II will probably be held
IL Washington. though 1t might possibly
be held in St Louis"
Climax of the Fight.
The climax of the water-power fight,
eral days. came after the committee on
resolutions. to which had been referred
divergent reports from the water-power
committee. submitted that the matter had
been taken from its hands by action of
the convention Wednesday in adopting
general principles upon which the water
ways committee agreed No mention OF
the majority or minority reports. which
differed as to state and federal control
os waterpower projects, was made In the
resolutions committees report to the con-
vention.
When the report had been read. Clifford
Pinchot, former forester of the United
States, and father of the minority water
ways report in the congress, moved as
amendment to the resolutions COM
mittee's report a declaration of principles
on waterway control similar TO the IDEAS
in the minority report signed by himself.
Henry l.. Stimson, former Secretary OF
War, and Joseph y. Teal of Oregon.
This amendment was adopted by vote
OF 31I TO SO after one offered by Repre-
sentative Burnett of Alabama, which in
1ccted into the resolution the matter of
state control of waterway projects. had
been defeated. 3IS TO l32.
Efforts to Adjourn Defeated.
The Pinchot amendment. approved after
stormy session. during which repeated
attempts were made to adjourn by some
that monopolistic control Of water power
In private hands was swiftly increasing IN
the United States FAR more rapidly than
public contro. thereof; that increasing
concentration of water power in some
hands was accompanied by growing con :
troll over the power consuming agencies.
the public service companies of the
country" II continued: ;
Whereas this concentration. il foster-
cd. as in the past. By outright grants of
public powers in perpetuity. viii inevita-
bly, result in a highly monopolistic con-
troll OF mechanical power. one of the
bases of modern civilization and a prime
factor in the cost OF living. :
Therefore. be il resolved. That We
recognize the firm and effective control
of water-power corporations as a press
ing and immediate necessity urgently re-
qured in the public interest; that We
recognize there IS no restraint so COM
pete. effective and permanent as that
which comes from firmly intrenched
6f he vifa nv,I