Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-11-08


that having been unable to put over
at this time the measure to which ne
is definitely committed as result
of his years of study, he is seeking
now to enter the thin edge of the
wedge in order that the opening
created may later admit the imple-
ment he has chosen to carry out his
real purpose.
In the meantime, he is outspokenly
carrying on his campaign for re-
nomination. He will undoubtedly be
opposed, and there are at least
respectable number of people in the
State who have the same beliefs with
reference to the water power situa-
ton that / have expressed, and be-
lieve that the Govefnor has modified
his words in order that he may be
politically in a situation to obtain
such Constitutional Amendment at
the next session as the legislators are
in frame of mind to yield, and with
the hope that ultimately he will be
able to convince the people that they
ought to go the whole distance.
With reference to the matter OF
creating additional storage, there is
opportunity for at least two opln-
ions,-one group believes there is no
call for change in the policy OF the
State to foster and encourage a de-
velopment of our water powers
through privately controlled corpora
tons, and these men are definitely
convinced and able to demonstrate
| that with the exception Of the Cum
| berland County Power and Light
Company. upon which directorate a
member of the Governors family
! sits, there is no call for public as
sistance in the development of neces-
sary and adequate storage. These
men also feel that for the State %
! engage in this project will be to en-
courage State ownership and con-
| troll, will launch the State into
venture the result of which can in no
way be forecasted, and commit the
State to policy which has in it
something more than a germ of So
cialism. Feeling as they do, they
naturally regret, although they have
no right to criticize, definite state
/ ment upon the part of one United
| States Senator and two Congressman
! that, having heard the matter pre-
scented only by a partisan of one side
of the debatable question, they have
reached a somewhat definite conclu
sion.
I have no doubt you kept copy Of
your letter to me, and l ask you to
read and smile, as you will ;on'e-
time, over the first sentence in the
| paragraph. on Page 4 Of your Iotter
in which you say: "I.hope that nc
body will think the meeting was in
the interest Of anyone's candidacy
for office" If John A. Peters was
avowedly a candidate for governor,
and had made or was intending to
make, his original or modified water
power program the paramount issue
in his campaign, would he regard =
as of any consequence whatever to
his candidacy if he could secure .-1i-
nouncement in the public press that
one United States Senator and two
/ Congressmen-half of the delegation
of his State in Congress-were thor
| cIghly in accord with that program?
Governor Baxter and those who
stood with him here in the last ses-
| sion of the Legislature were out
| spokenly committed TO State owner
l. ship, control and sale of all of the
water power of the State, both those
already developed and those not de-
veloped, and equally committed to
hn Of oII;tianoJ cfp
an incident to, and an element OF,
that widespread control. The crea-
ton of storage as an experiment is
absolutely opposed to the judgment
of manufacturers of this State They
fear definitely the results which will
follow. Out of the three hundred
manufacturers who are connected
with this manufacturers associat ton,
there are not over half a dozen that
are directly involved as owners in
any considerable water powers The
others are users of water power, and
they believe that the service given
and the price charged under private
control are vastly more economical
and satisfactory than that which
would be obtained by State owner
ship. They are immensely disturbed
over the Governors tax proposition
contained in the Constitutional
Amendment which he urged.
In conversation with Guy Gannett
and Walter Wyman last winter, he
suggested to them $500 a horse
power as the proper annual tax to
be placed upon the water powers of
the State. If any water powers were
left under private control and were
so taxed, it would drive out of bust
ness every manufacturer who was
dependent upon water for his energy
Here in the State of Maine we have
limited number of advantages over
our competitors, and among those
advantages is the dependable charac-
ter of the service obtained hydro
electrically, the price paid for energy,
and the relative fairness with which
land to which water power is appur-
tenant is regarded for the purposes
of taxation. To so fundamentally dis
turb and change the existing order
would, in the judgment of hard
headed business men. compel some of
our industries to locate elsewhere,
and I don't need to argue with you
that once the procession started out
of the State nothing could stop it.
The thing which is furthest from
my mind is to be taptious, or to even
appear to be in the attitude of mind
where / am unable to be convinced