New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-10
Clifford Pinchot Bitterly
Denounces the Measure
Passed by Senate.
CALLS 1T ASSAULT
ON PEOPLES RIGHTS
Bill, He Declares, Gives Away
Enormously Valuable Prop
erty Without Cost.
From The Tribune Bursu.l


Washington, March 9.-Labeling the
Shields water power bill. which passed
the Senate yesterday, as "the most seri-
Gus attack upon conservation since the
effort TO turn Alaska over to the Gug-
genheims was blocked in 1910" Clifford
Pinchot. IN a statement tonight. placed
the blame for its passage squarely on
President Wilson.
"No worse assault on the rights Of
the people has been committed in Con-
gress for many years than the passage
Of the Shields water power grabbing
bill by the Senate" said Mr.. Pinchot.
"The water power monopoists won.
The people lost because a majority OF
their representatives in the Senate
went back on them.
"This special interest bill could not
have passed If the press and the public
mind had not been absorbed by the in
ternational crises. Neither could il have
passed if the Administration had OPP
posed its passage. The crisis IN our
foreign affairs Just when the discussion
of the bill was AZ It's height prevented
popular knowledge Of the raid on public
property. If the people had known
about IL they would have stopped 1t:
The Administration could have stopped
it at any time. but failed 10 do so. II
must now bear its share Of response
bility for the most serious attack upon
conservation since the effort 10 turn
Alaska over to the Guggenheims was
blocked in 1910.
an an open letter of January %,
when the present international crisis
was still in the future, the National
Conservation Association laid the facts
about the Shields bill before the Presi-
dent. The letter also pointed out that
unless the President opposed the bill II
would pass. He was clearly informed
that the Shields bill gives the use of
enormously valuable public property 20
the water power interests without com
pensation. Ostensibly, it provides for &
method of restoring its own property
10 the public at the end of nifty years.
As a matter Of fact, IL has been so
drawn as 10 make IL practically impos-
sible for the people 20 take their own
water powers back into their hands.
That is 10 say, the Shields bill gives
away to the special interests forever
and for nothing the greatest and most
valuable natural resource stll! lett IN
the public hands.
This and every OtncI statement
made in the letter 10 the President has
since been confirmed. Yet during the
first weeks over which the debate was
extended. and in spite II other appeals
for action against the bill. the Admins
tration remained silent. A combination
between Administration Democrats and
reactionary Republicans drove the bull
through.
This raid or the public water power
has not yet finally succeeded. These
water powers are not yet lost for good.
The Shields bill has passed the Senate,
but it has not passed the House. In the
water power fight this year and last the
House stood firm for the public rights.
Our hope is that it will do so again.
The hope OF the raiders, under the
rules OF Congress, Is to rush the bill
through in the closing hours of the ses-
sion. as has been done with many raid
ing bills before. II they should succeed
over sixty million water horsepower, II
we accept the estimate of the Senate
committee which reported the bill, or
an amount equal 10 twice as much as all
the power of every kind in use in the
United States to-day. will pass out of
the hands of the people into the grasp
Of the water power monopolists."