The Washington herald., 1916-11-27
PINCHOT DENOUNCES
WATERPOWER MEASURE
Says Shields Bill Would Give Away
Virtually a Perpetual Monopoly.

Editor. The Washington Herald: Con-
gress u about to decide, in the session
which opens December 4, whether natural
resources belonging to the people, and
officially valued at hundreds Of millions
Of dollars, shall or shall not be given
away to certain special interests which
are already rich enough. Unless the
people take a hand the decision IL sure
to 90 against them.
The iniquitous Shields waterpower bill
has passed the Senate. It makes q
present Of the public waterpowers on our
navigable streams to the waterpower In
terests. The power thus handed over
without compensation is estimated at
sixty million horsepower. or double the
power OF every kind now used 10 run
every train, trolley, factory, shop. mill
boat, mine and electric light in the
United States
While the grant is ostensibly limited
to fifty years, 1t is y fact perpetual, be-
cause the conditions under which the
people might regain control Of their prop
erty are made prohfbitory, as even ad-
vocates of the bill frankly admit. In
practical effect a perpetual monopoly Is
given away for nothing.
This bill has also passed the House, but
IN different and better form. II Is now
In conference. We know. from the state
ment Of Senator Nelson on the floor Of
the Senate. that the friends of the
waterpower interests expect to control
the conference. It is worth noting. there
fore, that the conferees from the House
and Senate are now meeting. although
Congress does not convene until Decem-
Der l.
VIII Push Measure.
A vigorous effort was made to pass
ftfa Nd ~.
erty while public attention was fixed
on the international crisis last winter.
II failed because editors of the country
came TO the defense of the public rights.
and the bill was postponed until after
election.
Another vicious measure Is the Myers
bill. which does for waterpowers on
public lands what the Shields bill does
on navigable streams. The two are GU.
from the same piece Of cloth. and have
the same interests behind them. The
Myers bill is on the Senate calendar. ana
viii be considered early In the coming
session.
These two bills give away public prop
erty to powerful monopolists. That Is
bad enough. but the oil land provisions
of the Phelan bill are even worse. This
bill will be taken up Immediately When
Congress convenes. 1t disposes Of vast
areas of public oil lands on terms unfair
to the public. It is almost unbelievable
but this measure actually gives away the
fuel oil reserves OF the United States
navy TO claimants whom the Supreme
Court recently declared to have no legal
rights whatever. The efficiency Of the
navy, our first and most important line
of national defense, is to be sacrificed TO
the profits Of the Standard Oil Company.
the Santa Fe Railroad interests. and a
few other claimants. who want what they
have no right to get.
Navy Seeks OIL Fields.
As to this. the Navy Department has
officially said:
"Oil burning naval vessels possess such
manifold military advantages over coal
burning vessels that it would be prac-
tically suicidal from a military point OF
view for the Navy Department To
abandon the policy OF building oil burn
ing ships but the demand that this
legislation he enacted and the support
that this bill has received, have caused
the Navy Department to seriously con-
slider the advisability OF abandoning this
policy, and thus design ships known tc
he inferior to shops which a country
possessing an oil supply can build.
These bills have made such progress
that the advantage of position Is with
them and against the public. Every
effort will be made to jam them through
at the beginning of the short session OF
Congress. Powerful waterpower and oil
interests are fighting for them.
CLIFFORD PINCHOT.