The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-01-06
og Crop Angle Has Not Yet Been Bitten
This Strange Year View The 1913 Seed Caog

PEELED to serve us all on demand up
on equal terms, ii they have suilicl-
ent supply to do this. What more do
we want? All these provisions may
be found in the proposed charter OF
the Southern Vermont light and pow
err compand and it occurs to me that
we ought to welcome the great CAPT
talists of the country with open arms
if they are willing to come here on
these terms and develop our immense
water power resources for us. what
is the difference whether that capital
comes from the Rockefeller, the Har-
riman or the Mellen interests, or
from just plain John Smith OF Yer
mont? Why should we fear the great
capitalists or monopolists, so-called,
if we know our own interests dire
properly safeguarded? 1t is some
what like the question of the neces-
sity of protective fish Legislation,
which means either a few fish for all
or no fish for anyone.
In this connection, too, permit me
to call attention to the flsherman's
interest in this water power develop
ment. No sportsman need have any
fear of these companies deprlVng
him of his privilege of fishing in our
larger streams as long as Section 40.
Chapter II, OF the Constitution OF
Vermont remains unrepealed. That
section provides, among other things,
that the inhabitants Of this state
shall have liberty at seasonable times
to fish in all boatable waters, etc.
And the term 'boatable waters mas
been fully defined by our Supreme
court in the case of New England
Trout and Salmon club V. Mather,
(6S VT. 33Si and so we are not in
the dark or that question 1t means
all streams which are capable from
their situation and in their ordinary
condition of being used by the public
as means of passage or transporta-
ton. All streams which are capable
in their natural state of being used
for the purpose Of commerce, no mat
ter in what mode the commerce may
be conducted. are boatabe waters
and in law are public highways. And
streams of sufficient capacity to float
logs or timber to market have been
frequently declared to be such public
streams or highways.
believe almost every fisherman in
this section knows that the Walloom-
sac, the Main stream, the Dunville,
or the Stamford strear,, for instance.
are capable OF being used as com
mon highways for passage-for ficat-
ing logs to the mills in the highwat-
ers of springtime when such log driN-
ing is usually resorted to in the New
England states. The best evidences OF
this is, they have been so used IN
the past and are equally capable OF
such use at the present time. Hence,
they are "boatable" waters and the
public have constitutional right OF
| fishery therein. and that right cannot
| be taken from us by anyOne--indiyid-
ual corporation or even the legisla-
tire Why, then. should the fisher
man be alarmed? Again, if these
power companies erect dams and
create great ponds, what could be
| better for the propagation OF game
| FISH? If, as | understand Is true,
this Southern Vermont light and pow
er company proposes to flood STAN
ford meadows, the Marshall meadows
1
| the Dunville or Stamford stream, II
will do more 70 aid the trout fishing
in that section than any other agency
| in our history And right here per
nit me to say that your correspon'
dent, Mr.. Carpenter, makes serious
mistake, indeed, in desiring to have
all stumps removed from the flooded
areas. OF course, these stumps may
"snag our hooks occasionally, but in
| fish propagation they are almost an
absolute necessity. The fish md both
food and suitable hiding places
around these stumps and we ought
rather. to request the company to
leave all stumps
Mr. Editor, this is all question OF
following the true principles OF con
servation OF our natural resources
These water power companies are
real conserN ators, although they are
not usually actuated by motives for
the public good. The present status
of the principle with respect to wateI
power development is this. The
state and national governments
should 10 everything they can to en-
courage private capital to invest in
| these enterprises-provided, OF
course, the latter are willing to TN
dertake the task on terms which the
| government will dictate for the hest
| interests of the community. In the
west the scheme is simply lease
the water power rights on land own
ed by the government We cannot
do that here for the state of Vermont
has little or no such land, but we can
safeguard the right of governmental
regulation. and this we have done in
Vermont as well as il has been done
anywhere.
Let us, then, cease obiecting tC
! imaginary evils-quit seeing ghosts
confine ourselves to practical meas
ures TO insure the public welfare. in
vite outside capital here on terms
fair to both parties to the contract
and encourage them in devolopinl
our great water power facilities. We
don't want a Chinese wall around
Vermont at all. You cannot force en-
dustries to locate back in the depth.
of our mountains, because the trans
poTtation problem in such cases ut
terly precludes L. II you try 4,
make such foolish terms you only SCI
back the hands on the clock of de
| velopment Let us be practical anC
progressive. rather than narrowed
provincial Conserystionist.
Notice