The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-11-22
In this gigantic struggle our security

requires US 10 use all tneSe great re-
sources, and to use them wisely and
well. The people of the United States
own some fifty million undeveloped
water horsepower, or about enough to
run every train, trolley, factory, mill,
mine, and electric power plant we have.
For ten years the friends of Conser-
walton have urged the development of
public waterpowers in the public inter-
est. But development has been held
back by little group Of waterpower
magnates and their fri ends IN Congress
who have blocked all legislation which
would not give them these valuable
properties forever and for nothing.
Today. when the Nation needs all It's
resources. the same men who have
been blocking reasonable waterpower
legislation own and are holding millions
of water horsepower undeveloped and
out of use while clsmorlng for more.
The time has come when such OBJ
struction threatens the Nations safety
ard success. We need the develop
ment of these powers in War even more
than in peace. At the coming session
of Congress sound waterpower legisla-
ton should be enacted as a War mea-
sure. based upon principles fair to all
sides. These principles believe to be
briefly as follows:
% The thing to do with water
power is to develop it, Whatever re-
tards or restricts the development of
public waterpowers on terms fair to
the public is against public policy and
hostile to the general welfare
(2) Wsterpower belongs to the
people. The sites where it is produced
should always be held in public hands,
for only so can effective control in the
general interest be secured.
81 Where public development Is
not desired, the right to use water.
power sights should be leased for per-
iods long enough to permit sound, at
| tractive, and profitable investment, but
never longer than fifty years. At the
end of each lease all rights should re-
turn to the people who gave them.
az In order to protect the consumer
against eXtortion, rates and service
should be regulated by Federal author
ity when State or local authorities tail
to do so.
(5) Reasonably prompt and COM
plete development and continuous OPP
GRAFTON, subject to market conditions,
should be required. Already millions
of water horsepower are held out of
use to further monopoly by private
corporation.
(6) Corporations or individuals who
make money out of rights granted by
the people should share their profits
with the people.
60 The public has a right to COM
plete information about every business
based on the use of public property.
These are the principles for which the
friends of conservation have been con-
tending. Many waterpower men be-
lieve them to be fair and sound. They
will. | hope, commend themselves to
you as wise and reasonable. l am writ
ing to ask your support for immediate
legislation, based upon them, when
Congress meets.
This is no time to give away public
assets necessary for the welfare of our
people both In the War and after the
War; and we should no longer tolerate
the selfishness of private interests
which take the dog-in- the manger po-
sition that they must have these
waterpowers on their own terms, or no
one shall use them at all
As the President said: THE supreme
test of the Nation has come. We must
allEspeak, act, and serve together"
Sincerely yours,
CLIFFORD PINCHOT,