Evening star., 1913-11-20
C0nServati0nistS Vote
for Federal Control of
Water Power in u. S.

The battle which ragged all day yes
terday in the National Conservation
Congress over the question of what at
| titude the congress should assume to-
ward conserving the water power re-
sources of the United States came to
a close late yesterday afternoon with
the Pinchot federal control forces the
victors by vote of 434 to 154
The District of Columbia delegation
voted for federal control. There were
a number of surprises among the state
delegations in the casting of the bal
lots The decisive vote came on a
technical question of referring the
unanimous report to n committee on
resolutions.
Delegates who supported the motion
to refer the question to the resolu-
Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado. Kansas.
Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, New Mex
leo. South Carolina Tennessee and
Washington. In the heat of the dis
cussion Dudley c. Wooten of Wash
ington. anticipating that the supporters
of state control would be in the
minority, vehemently declared that "the
delegates from Washington will never
again intrude on d National Conserva-
tion Congress-.
c. L. Watts. one of the Alabama. dele
gates, startled the convention by
charging that the vice president OF
the Alabama Water Power Company
was a member of the delegation to the
congress from that state and that
there was "a deep-laid plot to defeat
the will of the majority in this con-
gress"
BY the vote of 434 to 1j4 the motion to
refer to the resolutions committee tnal
portion of the report of the committee
on waterways which was unanimous was
voted down. and the report subsequently
was adopted without a roll call
The test of strength came when. as
substitute for motion by Mr.. Stimson
to adopt the unanimous report, T.. I.
Bryant of Tennessee, champfoning the
cause of state, control of water rights.
moved that the report go to- the COM
mittee. The vote followed day of lively
debate in which the issue clearly defined
was federal or state control of water
ways development in the future
Report as Approved.
The unanimous report approved by the
congress is as follows:
The committee on water power, while
finding difference of opinion among Its
members as to certain details of the sub
ject feels very strongly the Importance
of making clear the general principles
which control it, and realizes keenly the
consequences which would follow fall
ure to agree upon a constructive program
following brief statement OF the recon-
mendations upon which 1t is unanimous.
= grant Of the right to use a water
power. while differing in some details, is
essentially similar to a grant OF any other
privilege or franchise from the gov
ernment, state or national. and its terms,
regulatio and control should be sulded
by essentially the same principles neces-
sary to safeguard the rights of the pubic
and of posterity as have been found es-
sential in the case of other classes or
franchises from the government. Particu-
larry is this true in view OF the fact that
a water power, being perpetual, Will surely
tend TO increase in value as other sources
of power such as coal and oil, become
exhausted. At the same time, for the
very purpose of preserving our Other
power resources which are capable OF ex-
haustion the development OF water
power. under proper safeguards OF the
public interest should be earnestly en-
coura ged and FASTENED. We recommend
that the following principles should gov
ern the granting of a privilege to use a
water power:
"(a) For a definite period, sufficient to
be financially attractive to investors. the
privilege should be irrevocable except for
cause. renewable by the courts;
"(b) Thereafter the privilege should
continue subject to revocation in the alb
solute discretion of the government eXer-
cised through its administrative board or
officer upon giving reasonable notice and
upon payment OF the value OF the phyS-
cal property and improvements of the
grantee as below provided under (h).
"tc) After the expiration of the
period provided for in ta) above, at
recurring intervals of not more than
ten years the amount Of compensation
to be paid to the government for the
privilege and all the terms and condi-
tions of the grant during the next sue
ceedng period of not more than ten
years shall automatically come up for
m n a hx- no Or0n of
of the government.
I'D The privilege shall be- unas-
sisnable except with the approval of
the government in order to safeguard
the interests of the government against
speculation in water powers and
against appropriation without prompt
development
Privilege Depends on Development.
"le) The privilege shall be granted