Arizona republican., 1916-04-27
The Coils of the Power Trust

The Cols Of the Power Trust
 The Republican has just received, and we suppose hat of newspapers in the'counry have also received with permission publish, communication n support of the Shields power bill which lately tass4d The senate This gracious permission to print comes from the Water Power Development Assoca- siar whose present headquarters in Washington They would naturally he where the headquarters of all l,nbies are, in convenient proximity to congress.
 The correspondence purports controvert state rnept made by Mir Clifford Pnchot who is opposing the Shields bill that il gives water power sites r rerpetuity. and points out that the government may take back or 'recapture' the sites after the expiration of fifty years that that is also proposed bs The Ferris bill which has some extent received tIle approhation of Mr. Pinchot
 Herein is the unairness of the power trust corre- srondence It leaves the reader ignorance of the impossible terms which the government may re- cover the sites the end of fifty years. In fifty wears the holder of the plant may have established -rea, and costly plant He may be supplying power and Iaht Co a half dozen towns great industries lu order 60 recover the site the government must take over the whole power plant at valuation which shall include moi only the actual cost of the installation of such a plant but there must he added valuation hed on the revenue producing character of the plant Untn our government is committed to the policy of national ownership il could this site at the PNiA'N- NA' was therefore right in his statement that the bill proposed to grant the sites in perpetuty. While the Ferris hn also fixed fifty years the period for which the holder should enjoy the site it did not impose such impossible terms the Shields bill does,
 The correspondence omits mention of other ob- icc,ions of Mir Pinchot the bill the great power of condemnation it allows, the throwing down of every barrier the protection of the sites the undermining of the foundation of the structure of conservation.
 With some bearing on the activities of the water power trust it was stated day before yesterday in the house of representatives by Mir. Longworth of Ohio that the senate amendment the increase bill to which objection had been raised in the house. rroviding for a government nitrate plant had been made at the behest of the water power lobby This nluminates a that had been somewhat puzzling to us When proposals first made to establish government plants and government nitrate plants they were attacked by many newspapers throughout the country. This in itself. was not at an puzzling. for. considering the looseness and eX- travagance with which governmental matters are managed the fewer the encroachments of the gov rment on the fields of private industry, the better While some of the newspapers to which we have referred were probably concerned in the inter sss of special privileges than in the public good, their arguments were sound and only such as could have been made by wholly dsinterested and ntell- gent newspaper
 But then this puzzing thing soon became apparent some of these newspapers while little later contin- ming to assail bitterly the proposal for government arrnor plants either quit their attacks upon the nitrate plant amendment it rather favOrably as project n which the government might engage to fhe public advantage. It would be good thing for the government itself, which will need explosives ,though the material for the explosives should be assembled by private industry), and it would be good thing for the farmer who needs fertilizers
 This changed attitude of the newspapers toward nitrate plants is explained in the observations of Mr. Iongworth. Special privileges in the shape of the power trust informed them of rather anomalous situation in which government ownership would really be a good thing for special privilege. The fixation of nitrogen is accomplished by electrical energy and the power trust has electrical energy to sell
 The power trust has demonstrated that it has a eood grip the It succeeded in not only passing the niquous Shields bill the most infamous water power bill proposed, through that body, hut t fixing the nitrate plant amend ment upon the army increase bill.