The Detroit times., 1916-02-22
Your Help Is Needed
to Save Your COuntry's
Conservation Policy

The Shields bill, now before the SEN
&ate, is piece of legislation that is aimed
HOT alone against every man, woman and
living in the country today, but
neninst their children and their children S
hIldren
IL gives to the power interests, with
ut compensation, the use of water power
n navigable streams.
The amount of water power these
tyeams will supply is larger by far, au-
$horities declare. than all the power, of
Sxery kind, now used in the United
xtates.
II pretends to, but does not, enable
E1ke people to take back their own prop
sEty It the end of fifty years.
In order to do SO, under the bill the
6vefnment would have to pay the un-
1rned increment, and take over whole
Knitting systems of cities and whole man.
fncturing plants.
Private corporations are authorized to
eise upon any land, private or public.
0Aoy choose to condemn.
The Shields bin is just as vicious as
kdIls giving away water power which
Wore vetoed by President Roosevelt and
Ex1sident Taft.
Another water power bill, known as
t Ferris bill, relating to the public
ods and national forests, was, in the
oin, good bill as it passed the house.
As rsported to the senate. however, it
eourages monopoly by permitting cor
eation to take as many public water
y Ites rs it may please.
Under it the corporations could not
NJ kept from fastening upon the Grand
Canyon. the greatest natural wonder on
This continent.
This bin takes the care of water pow
~ ~ and national forests from the expert
Y 6nced and consistent forest service, and
Exives it to the interior department, the
Tesult of which would be duplication and
1sedless expense.
You remember Clifford Pinchot. OF
cosirse; the public servant who made him.
nsh unpopular during Taft's term by too
Faithfully looking out for the people
In letter to The Times. he writes as
follows:
IN my opinion. there is undue earelessness
- to the disposal OF public resources at
E present In Washington.
& The water power men charge that con
# The senate is too favorable to the men who
xiK ~ Secretary Houston's admirable recent re-
&. pOst shows, control through Is corporations
Xs# more than one-half of the total water power
a Va yecd in public service throughout the United
n States.
Y The water power men charge that con.
Ill eeryation hampers development.
The Houston report shows. the con
fH tfNry, that the most rapid development is
Es IN the national forests, where conservation
t% fs best enforced
~ On the other hand, 100 public service cor
n porations own and are holding undeyeIoped
&'t and out Of use an amount OF water power
eQual TO four -fifths OF all there IL developed
Nf and In use BY all the public service corpora
ti0ns In the whole United States
Al said in open letter of January 20
t9sf 20 tho President:
h. Natural resources lie at the foundation Of
|< I'll preparedness. whether for peace or for
|{X war.
MI No plan for national defense can be effect
M a I've unless II provides for adequate public
X .h3 coutrpi OF all the materials out OF
Which the defensive strength Of a nation
a made. or these raw materials water pow
~ % the most essential, because without
S1tGofricity generated from water power we
ft1nn not manufacture nitrates, and nitrates
~ the basis Of gunpowder
&*x There are no great natural deposits OF
M 0i(t1tes In the United States as there are In
u would be folly to allow the public water
k DoueTs. which can supply this indispensable
Tx &oo1s OF national defense. to pass out OF
sctive rubitc control
coucerted movement is on foot TO
down the conservation policy.
- assistance or none Mt all is be-
= ~ official Washington.
~ reople come to the rescue,
oc1p lre likely to win.