Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1915-01-21
TIE CONFLICT.

The people of Wisconsin will sooner
or later come to understand that their
electoral struggle of 1914 was only os
tensibly waged over the question of
high taxes and low taxes, while in re
atty it was a grapple between the
forces that stand for more democracy
and those that stand for less democracy.
In fact this is fairly and fully estab-
lished by Governor Philips first mes
sage to the legislature. 1t is a statement
of old ideas; many of which, while
based perhaps on ancient precedent,
are opposed to modern justice. 1t lacks
a faith in the power and growth of self
government.
One of the worst features of the mes
sage is it's reference to water powers.
The Governor says:
1.-The development and bringing into
use of the water powers within the
state is a matter which should receive
your careful attention. Most, il not
all, powers of considerable magnitude
are located upon navigable streams.
AS to such streams the public right of
navigation is superior to any other, BUT
THE STATE HAS NO PROPRIETARY INTER-
EST IN THE WATER POWERS. THEY BE-
LONG TO OWNERS OF ADJACENT BANKS
Most of the undeveloped water powers
in the state, which are the only ones to
be affected by future legislation, are To-
Gated in the unsettled portions of the state
Many of them are in the wilderness
where for the present there is no public
to be served by them, and where for
years to come, THEY MUST BE USED FOR
PRIVATE PURPOSES, IF USED AT ALL"
Representatives of the waterpower
interests, appearing before a committee
of the legislature two years ago, de-
clared that over hundred million
dollars worth of waterpower runs to
waste in Wisconsin every year. They
want the legislature to play the good
fellow part and without price give over
to them and their associates, and their
heirs and assigns, 70 have and to hold
forever, this vast heritage of white coal
1t is folly to say that the state has no
proprietary interest in the waterpowers,
and that they belong to the owners of
adjacent banks. Without the power to
condemn the property of their neigh
bors, for overflow purposes, they would
be worthless to the owners of adjacent
banks. AS we understand it, many
thousands of acres so secured by con-
domination are now offered to the state
by one of the great waterpower COM
panies as bird refuge.
And furthermore, waterpowers are
chiefly used at the present time for
generating electric current. And cleo
trio current has little or no value with
ont the right of transmission. The
owner must be empowered to go upon
private property, as we'll as upon the
public highways, and dig holes, set
poles, run lines. and do various other
acts which no ordinary citizen can do,
before he can market his product.
These things have all been considered
and all worked ont in the present
waterpower law, which is right and
just, Governor Philip and the water
power interests to the contrary not
withstanding.
The weakest part of the Governors
contention is that for years most of the
waterpowers of the state must be used
for private purposes if used at all. BY
common law, and by the federal con-
stitution, and all the state constitutions,
it is established that private property