The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1922-11-09
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL

VI COl~lSeINdllOu. fTeSluent ftOOSe-
welt backed Forester Pinchot in the
latter's demands for conserving the
natural u of the country and
in insisting that Congress provide
methods for developing those
for the benefit of the whole people.
Mr.. Pinchot and the men who fought,
bled, died, and got on top of the polit-
ical heap again, have been in Washing
ton again very recently, and one Of
their number, Philip p. Wells, who
served with Pinchot in the Forestry
Service, has issued a formal statement
giving notice to the foes of cOnserva-
ton that the old warriors are all on
earth again, and that the specific and
exact spot where they are to be found
when conservation" is at stake will
Federal Water Power Act. The names
of James Garfield, Walter l.. Fisher,
John Barton Payne, Henry l.. Slim
son., Newton d. Baker, Lindsey NJ.
Garrison, David f. Houston, Edwin r.
Meredith, Henry j. Allen, Joseph NJ.
IIlAOl, NlIlldll hcll, ollQ olicl pl VIII
inent conservationists the listed in the
new national committee for the de-
fence of the Act" 1T is significant
says Mr.. Wells, that the foes Of the
Federal Water Power Act do not ap-
pear to include the large group Of in
terests which are the main investors
in and developers Of water power.
These formerly ~antagOniStic interests
now, as a rule, admit that the Act is
practicable and are willing to develop
water power under its provisions"
This statement is not at all strange
since most of the great business in
~terests of the country, including the
railroads, Standard Oil, the public
utilities, and financial groups have all
been knocked in the head" and found
that it did them good since Pinchot
and progressive politics were born of
the parents Of public necessity less
than twenty years ago. 1t took a long
time to convince these latter groups
of the necessity for a certain amount
of control of their affairs, but since
llICS nave DCClI WIZ ming lNS Niio
kind Of a system they find it very help
full to have a sort of clearing house
that will adjust their relations with
the c~lient-public. The new water pow
er law was the elimination Of one Of
the hardest-fOught struggles in polit-
zeal history. Under its provision sew
eral hundred new power developments
have been created in the United
States. The progress has been so
steady that it looks as though eventual
ly perpetual water power might sup
plant annual coal strikes. But this
Act does not suit the convenience of
everybody, and there are powerful
movements in the country that threat
en- to undermine it's great purpose.
ConServationists are united in the
opinion that Henry Ford's proposal
for Muscle Shoals violates every n
of the principles of the Federal Water
Power Act. The Act fixes a half CEN
fury as the maximum period for the
lease of a water power by the govern
ment. 1t took Congress many years
to agree to so long a time as fifty
years, but it is said to have taken Hen
ry Ford three hours to decide to go
into the Muscle Shoals proposition,
and to require Of Congress a lease for
a hundred years. Further proof that
Ford works fast! eff this proposal
were accepted" says a statement by
defenders Of the Act, every corpora
ton, which has, or desires, a water
power privilege would demand a lease
on Mr.. Ford's terms" There are a
few other little things that Mr.. Ford
would like to have that are not in the
water power law, and among these
triies it is pointed out that Mr.. Ford
does not recognize the principle that
the lessee shall pay the government
an annual rental for the power privi-
lege; and when it comes to regulation
by the government Of the state every
~sparkplug in his invention is missing.
The question Of any excess profit
over a fair and liberal return, to be
made good in lower rates to the public,
does not appear to have been consid-
cred in Mr.. Ford's proposals to the
government, and the priority claims
of states and cities in the matter of
power is not in the reckoning. The
conservationists have no objections
against Mr.. Ford, but they do find his
interference in the established order
for administering the water power Act
full Of what Milton called troublesome
DISCUSSES"
The U. S. Public Health Service has
gone into partnership with the Sea
mems Church Institute of New York,
and the Radio Corporation Of America,
with the resulut that medical advice
for ships at sea is now available by
simply calling by wireless. For the
first hundred years in America going
for a doctor" was n Of the pet pro-
jects Of writer's of fiction and fact.
Even George Washington died before
his time because it took sever Of eight
hours to get the doctor" Most OF
the smaller ships and a great many
Of the f%reighters on the high seas do