Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-05-16
VALUABLE WATER RIGHTS
GRABBED IN PENDING BILL
Adamsen Measure Not What it APP
pears to Be Altho Supported by Dem
oerats Of South-WiIsen Probably
Will Veto Measure and Line Up in
Support Of Conservation,


outline of policy on water power. E.x.
cept for unessential details this policy
mas been earnestly and persistently adj
'ocated in congress and out ever since.
! The remarkable thing about this pol
Icy is that congress has consistently
! turned deaf ear 10 II and is even 10.
day trying TO pass bill which is not
/ IN accord with the most advanced and
enlightened ideas. in fact the only
! ideas regarding water power which
/ public opinion Will allow 10 be made
/ law.
! one Of the big fights made hy Ma
! Jority Leader Jnderw God in the house
( vas that for the Coosa river dam canal
| bill couple Of years ago This bill.
! Ike the general revision OF the dam act
! which is no" on the carpet OF the
/ house. was bad measure II vas SO
/ pad that even tho ii passed both house
and senate by a big vote. Pres!den,
aft vetoed II. 1t is this same MIR. I'm
/ derwood. now jas, completing mis- car
ee- in the house. preparatory 10 he
: coming United States senator, who is
i expeCiting consideration Of vhe
AdamSon bill. Mr.. Underwood was in
sirumental last week in securing a
privileged status for this bill, which
means thar next 10 appropriation bills
/ and measures having the advantage of
! q special rule the water power bill will
early De debated and probably passed
! by the house
+ This bill II can be said with the ut.
most certainty, will never become law.
| The president would NOT sign II II for
/ no other reason than that it is not in
accord WIKI the conservation program
/ OF the two men who are having the
/ mos. TO do with formulating that pro-
gram, Secretary Lane and Secretary
Garrison. II Is possible tho not prob
j abe that Inc bill I'll! ss; thru TIE
senate al this session. but the chances
are that II It does II will not be quite
1 as bad as il is today
! Southern reactionarism is RESPONSE
| bic for the provisions Of the Adam
! son bill. Il Will be remembered that
! the reason the Connecticut river dam
| bill. which had the endorsement of
/ Clifford Pincnot failed 10 become law
I was that Senator Bankhead of Ala
( bama who had failed in his attempt TO
secure the senate's endorsement Of the
/ Coosa river bill. stuck out against
liz The Connecticut river dam bill full
. Is met the approval OF the Stone &
1 Webster water power interests, for
7 whose benefit il was drawn The Con-
necticut river dam bill may be sad 10
! mark an historical period in water
power legislation because il dates the
era al which the water power trust
publicly acknowledged the corTec-n ess
of the conservation policy which vas
formulated IN Poosevelts administra-
ton. Having committed themselves 20
this policy 50 far al the north is con-
cerned. il would seem 20 be only
question Of time when the southern Wa
Ter power interests agree 10 follow
suit. Just a; present the strong south
ern control in congress is giving these
interests their opportunity
Many People Fooled.
The Adamson report on the REVISION
of the general dam bill is very
p,aus,ble documen, and has fooled
more than one person into believing
that Il is an excellent measure. 1t mas
been stated and generally believed re-
! sarding this bill that ample conpen :
sstion.' 20 the federal government Tor
the use of water powers is PROVIDED
This. however IS no: the case tho a
superficial rea ding o' the bill seems 10
tnd.ca.e -be contrary. BY the terms Of
section the existing law Is changed
so as 20 provide that the conpensa :
ZION required from the owner OF lhe
dan, on account Of benefits accruins
! hacause OF neadwater improvements
the erection o. reservoirs. etc SAai DE
collected to an amount not exceeding
ner cent per annum upon the totd
;,y.s,nen, cost of such Improvement
20 ,b. United States. in addition TO the
ianpua! expenses of maintenance oi i''e
| beadwa,er Improvement. all OF |nlcE
sbau he divided among all the cams OF
,ba stream receiving benefits from tbs
Increased f1ow. and shall be eGuitabH
annor-ioned among all the benenciar'
les
No Real Return.
, | This clause has been taken quite
generally TO mean that the federal gov.
eminent is going to get real return
on IT'S money AS a matter of fact, i
does not mean this at all. The feder
! al government owns not only the I'M
proyements in the shape Of reservoir:
etc. which il has built. but Il owns
, according to a decision Of the supreme
court the rights in the water powers
of the streams These rights. accord
:, | ing TO the Adamson bill are not com
pensated for at all. and these right
are far more valuable that the JOCKS
. dams, and go on, which are merely in
struments to utilize the natural re
. source which they control. The amour
! Of money which the government woul'
. get under such a scheme Of paymen
would be so small that no further i'm
movements could be financed Wit
these funds. 1t is a maxim OF conser
walton policy that every conservation
lproject should be as nearly self-sus
: tanning as possible and that II 1t ca
:. be done, projects should bring in rev
enue to the government just as privat
;, projects bring in revenues to privat
Il concerns.
. Unless congress experiences an ex
trsordinary change of heart within a
. extraordinary short time, IT must agai
: be held responsible for locking up
d the water power possibilities on fedora
y rrtii car 500 tho lf0hf an