The Glenwood post., 1916-04-29
an. P1NoHor HEARD FROM AGAIN
Milford, Pa, April 10, 1915.

Editor The Glenwood Post,
Glenwood Springs, Colo.
My dear Mr.. Dickson:-
The iniquitous Shields bin, giving
away the water powers on our naviga-
BILE 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 fair
and honest waterpower bill in its place.
Everything said about the Shields
bill in my letter to you was confirmed
in the debate. According to its own
supporters, this bill turns over to the
power interests waterpower equivalent
to twice the mechanical power of every
kind now used in the United States, or
enough to meet the needs of two hun
dred million people. This it does in
|perpetuity, although pretending to lin
it the grant to fifty years. Small won
der there is pressure to get it through.
On March 81 a substitute for the
Shields bill was reported to the house
of representatives. Unlike the Shields
bill, this house bill makes no perpetual
grant of public waterpower, but wisely
and in fact sets limit of fifty years.
Nevertheless, it is not yet good bill.
For example, it gives away the pubic
waterpowers without compensation.
There is no reason why the waterpower
corporations should not pay for what
they get. The rest of us do. The
house bill should be amended accord
ingly.
If the house corrects its 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 differ
ences will be adjusted by the conferees.
The managers of the waterpower cam
paign believe that majority of tho
conferees will be friendly to them, and
will report 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 plan has often served the special
interests in the past, and it is danger
Gus 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 waterpower who Of
fers the best terms to the public. One
of the supporters of the Shields bill,
Senator Nelson of Minnesota, after re-
ferring to the amendment as "bad and
vicious" went on to say: 'It is
something that we can eliminate in
conference. We might let it
go in and then dispense of it in confer
ence." Congressional Record, March
8, 1916, page 42s5).
We can beat this plan only by letting
the people understand the facts. This
the power interests have set out to pre-
vent by confusing the public mind with
interested statements and personal at
tacks.
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 caH your attention again to
the Ferris bill, good bill dealing with
waterpower on public lands and nation
al forests, which has twice, passed the
house. An undesirable substitute, the
Myers bill, now before the senate, gives
the public waterpowers away in per-
petuity. Under it, the power interests
could occupy and exploit the Grand
canon itself, the greatest natural won
der ON this continent.
The waterpower interests want every
thing 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 pub
lie. What the people need is water.
power development on equitable terms
without delay. They can have what
they want by letting the house know
it. - l9.p... i-
Sincerely yours,
Clifford PINCHOT.