Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1914-05-21

Montgomery was elected chairman Of
West Virginia1s twenty votes against
the West Virginia delegation, and cast
reference to the committee on reso-
luton.
Unfortunately the state delegation
of Alabama was largely composed of
men either inathe employ of the water
power companies or under their in
| fuence, but when the chairman of the
Alabama delegation, Senator Bank
head, announced Alabama's unanimous
vote in favor of reference to the COM
mittee, his right to do SO was chal-
lenged by William R. Farley; a poll
Of the Alabama delegation was order
ed by the president of the congress,
whereupon Mr. Farley and one other
delegate voted against reference to the
committee. 5.
~ States Rights Bungaboo
The second test of strength came
when Congressman Burnett of Ala
bama undertook to inject states rights
into the debate In vain effort to-
stem the tide for the water power in
terests, and to unite the southern and
the western states along sectional
lines against the northern and east
ern states.
The attempt was made when Mr..
Burnett moved to strike out the word
public" in line fourteen of the Pinch
OF amendment. to the report of the
committee on resolutions Clarke Elk
hibit 81 and insert in lieu thereof,
| the word state" which would make
it read state ownership Of the pow
er site" Fortunately he was not able
| to do so as great southern states like
Georgia and Texas refused to follow
his leadership. or be committed to
the folly Of injecting the old states
I rights doctrine, into the congress, and
neither were they able to hold the
western states. The Burnett amend
ment was defeated by a vote of 37S
to 1922. So
The final test between the two fact
ions came on the motion to adopt the
amendment as presented. The effect
of the amendment was to place the
congess on record as against monopo-
l1zat1o OF water power, and in favor
of public control; its effect also was
to endorse the views Of the minority
or the committee on water power.
Contest Of Endurance.
!, AT this time the contest had settled
down to onees9of endurance between
the delegates who believed In the wis
dom of the leadership of Clifford
Pfnchot, and the delegates who seem.
ed inclined to favor concentrated mon
opolistic control of water power by
Iprivate individuals and corporations:
in fact on the last day, in the after
MON fAv
er companies, many of them able cor
poration lawyers and distinguished
special interest statesmen, threw off
the mask and made a direct assault
on Mr.. Pinchot, but this was without
avail as the final vote was: For the
Pinchot amendment 357; Against the
P1nchot amendment, 81.
In all Of these test votes Mr.. Mont
gomery cast West Virginia's vote SOL
I'D with Mr.. Pinchot, and Mr.. Farley
and his minority delegates in Alabama
did likewise.
1t developed that in Alabama state
franchises in perpetuity had been
granted, giving the water power COM
pa1es control of IS per cent of that
states water power sites.
Seven Times Faster.
by reference to the Report Of the
Miority on Water Power page Q. you
will find that in 1908 the total develop |
ed water power in the United States |
was IN round numbers 5,4O0, 900 horse |
power, ad in 1913 it was 1000 900. an
increase of thirty-three per cent for the
fye-year period.
In 1908 the thirteen greatest groups |
OF interests controlled total Of L.
800, 900 horse power developed and un- |
developed, while IN 1913, ten of the I
greatest groups controlled a total of |
100000 horse power, developed and i
undeveloped. an increase OF $40 per
cent. It is thus shown that concen-
tration or monopolistic ownership Of
water power in the United States had |,
increased in the last five years about |,
seven times faster than the power L
had developed. This makes is very Il
clear that the fight for the conserve Il
ton Of the public water power is, frstIi
Of all, fight against monopoly. Il
The second prime necessity in the /,
public interest is to forbid and prevent /;
the speculative holdings Of powers Ii
unused and to force the prompt and
tuH Development Of the vast aggre-
gate q patet power resources noKI