The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-04-18
The WATER POWER
QUESTION UP AGAIN
Clifford Pinch0t Writes Second Letter
to The Leader on This I'M
pOrtant Subject.
BILL NOW BEFORE THE HOUSE.


Milford, Pa, April 10.
Editor THE LEADER:
The Ubiquitous Shields bill, giving
away the water powers on our navig
able streams, about which I wrote you
on February Is, has been driven
through the senate, but it has not
passed the house. There is still good
chance not only to stop this raid on
public property, but to pass a fair
and honest waterpower bill in it's
place.
Everything [ said about the Shields
bill in my letter to you was confirmed
in the debate. According to it's own
supporters, this bill turns over to the
| power interests water power equiva-
lent to twice the mechanical power of
every kind now used in the United
States, or enough to meet the needs of
two hundred million people. This it
does in perpetuity, although pretend
| ing to limit the grant to fifty years.
Small wonder there is pressure to get
| it through
On March q a substitute for the
Shields bill was reported to the house
Of representatives Unlike the Shields
bill makes no perpetual grant of pub
lie water power, but wisely and in fact
sets limit of fifty years. Neverthe-
less, it is not yet a good bill. For
example, it gives away the public
water powers without compensation.
There is no reason why the water
|
what they get. The rest of us do. The
house bill should be amended accord
| ingly.
| If the house cOrrectS it's own bill
and then passes it, the good bill from
the house and the bad bill from the
| senate will go to conference, and the
differences will be adjusted by the con-
feres. The managers of the water
power campaign believe that a major
| ity of the conferees will be friendly to
them, and will report a bill in their
interest. They will then try to rush
the conference bill through, probably
in the confused and crowded final
hours of the session. Such a plan has
often served in the past, and it is
dangerous now.
| During the debate on the Shields
| bill, this course was openly advised.
There was under discussion an amend
ment giving preference to the appli-
cant for public water power who
offers the best terms to the public
! One of the supporters of the Shields
bill, Senator Nelson of Minnesota,
after referring to the amendment as
dad and vicious" went on to say:
ct is something that we can elimin-
ate in conference We might let it go
in and then dispose of it in confer
ence." Congressional Record, March
| 8, 1916, page 42S5.)
We can beat this plan only by let
ting the people understand the facts.
| This the power interests have set out
to prevent by confusing the pubic
mind with interested statements and
personal attacks.
am asking for your help once more
| to get the house to pass good bill,
and then to stand by it, no matter
what the conferees may do. If the
house stands firm, the people will win
| this fight But the house needs to
know that the people are behind it.
Let me call your attention again to
the Ferris bill, a good bill dealing
| with water power on public lands
and national forests, which has twice
passed the house. An undesirable
substitute, the Myers bill, now before
| the senate, gives the public water
powers away in perpetuity. Under it,
the power interests could occupy and
exploit the Grand Canyon itself, the
greatest natural wonder on this con-
| tinent
The water power interests want
everything or nothing. In the last
eight years they have killed eight
water power development bills that
were fair both to the corporations and
to the public. What the people need
is water power development OF
equitable terms without further delay.
They can have what they want by let
ting the house know it.
Sincerely yours,
49, 1,0&