East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-02-16

% private corporations II group
OF farmers wish TO put their land into
district 10 establish an electric plant
an electric or steam railroad. water
works. phone system or any other
public utility they are forbidden to do
50. They must get the service from
corporations engaged in that busi-
ness, generally carrying watered
stock and heavy overhead charges.
thus making their terms too high.
The utilities bill had passed the
house bur il Was killed Ia the senate
because the Interests headed by the
electric trust did not want the bill to
pass They argued that the bill was
10 years ahead OF time. That was
the same as saying communities should
not Try TO develop water power when
there is any power available but
should wait until all the power has
been gobbled up and then set busy.
When the bill was on passage in the
senate yesterday MeSsrs Barrett and
Burgess voted with the standpatters
TO XIII the measure. For what Mr..
Barrett does the people OF Umatills
county are not responsible because
they did not want him as joint sena-
tor and gave majority Of I9s votes
against him last November. But
Umatilla county people elected Mr.
Burgess. Did they expect him TO sac
rifice their interests for the sake Of
the electric trust and other concerns
as he did by his vote on the public
utilities bill?
~@S~sSS~~
The course OF the United States
toward the European nations Is one
of strict neutrality yet
The American Of vigorous protest
Attitude. against any infringe
ment OF American
rights.
The recent notes to Germany and
Great Britain touch the real chord Of
American sentiment and sound the
true American doctrine. In emphat-
ic manner our government protested
to England against any sanction by
that government Of the use Of the Am
erican flags by British merchantmen
in order to escape capture. That
warning was timely because the use
Of the stars and stripes By merchant
ships Of nations at war jeopardizes
real American shipping.
The warning to Germany was equ-
ally positive in tone, as may be seen
from the following:
THE government Of the United
States views those possibilities with
such grave concern that II feels It TO
be its privilege. and indeed its duty.
in the circumstances, TO request the
imperial German government to con-
slider, before action is taken, the crit
ical situation in respect OF the rela-
ton between this country and Ger
many which might arise were the Ger
man naval forces. in carrying out the
policy foreshadowed in the admiralty's
to destroy any merch-
ant vessel Of the United States or cause
the death Of American citizens.
II such a deporable situation should
arise. the imperial government can
readily appreciate that the govern
ment OF the United States would be
to hold the imperial Ger
man government TO a strict accounta-
bility for such acts Of their naval au-
thorities. and TO take any steps II
might be necessary TO take TO safe
guard American lives and property
and TO secure to American citizens the
full enjoyment of their acknowledged
rights on the high seas
The course taken by Messrs. Wilson
and Bryan is cautious and conserva-
tive which is an admirable course
when the world is at war, but they set
forth American rights with clearness
and courage and insist those rights