Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-07-28
THE GOVERNOR SHOULD BE
MORE EXPLICIT

MORE EXPLICIT
II take direct issue with the State
Chamber of Commerce's water power
pamphlet for in my opinion it ignores
the paramount rights which the peo-
pie have in our water resources.
There is no reason why development
and protection cannot go forward
hand in hand. but the people them
selves must insist that this be done;
otherwise it soon will be too late and
there will be nothing left to protect
It seems permissible to infer the
Governor has brought back from his
Allagash trip what he regards as i'm
portant information. He says the
trip was most instructive'. We
would be interested to know more
about it. He does not tell us. Has he
found any situations like that at
Dead River where The State controls
school lots on the sites of future wat
err power development? If so, the
public disposal of these, either by
lease or by sale, would seem to be-
come question of more general inn
portance in Maine. If not, then the
Dead River controversy remains of
local significance affecting the people
of the Kennebec valley. 1t is not
enough to say, as he does, this great
chain of lakes constitutes a store
house of potential energy that can
readily be translated into wealth. l
want this wealth retained by and for
1op
In this, as so often, the Governors
statements regarding the water power
situation seem to us to convey to the
average person confusion rather than
information. He says he wants this
RETAINED. That means, il it means
anything, that the people now pos
sess those lakes. The Governor,
trained in the law, very well knows
that the people do not possess" those
lakes for water power purposes I'M
less the State happens to own dam
sites or shore privileges on these.
Does the State own such vantage
points? He does not tell us. We doubt
very much that the State owns any
considerable number Of them
throughout it's domain, certainly not
enough on which to base policy at
fecting all our water powers.
We believe the Governor knows
that the State today has few sites
which 1t might either lease or sell;
we infer he wishes the State to get
possession OF all water power sites
and privileges though to do so 1t must
pay for them. Surely the State may
not retain" anything until 1t pos
sesses 1t. How possess It? How raise
the money to pay for It? How man
age It? These are pertinent ques-
tions. The Governor should explicit
ly answer them. We believe he is
under obligation, having criticized
the Legislature because it did not
keep step with him. having criticized
the State Chamber Of Commerce be-
cause 1t is urging development, to
definitely state what he means when
he says: from now on we must have
a new water power policy.
He should not blame people who
are getting restless when they see
other states developing their water
power resources. and Maine halting,
when they see the Federal Govern
ment insisting that electrical power
may be sent from one state into an
other, when they do NOT see enter
prises coming to Maine to establish
their plants, here to make their pro-
ducts.
Will It be necessary for them to
come to Maine at all in order to Sc
cure the electricity developed by
Maine water powers If they are will
ing to wait awhile? Is not the ex-
isting confusion in this State respect
ing what to do with our water-power
resources playing directly into the
hands Of those who would transmit
our electricity out of the State to in
dustries established elsewhere and
nearer market? There seems to be
little doubt in the minds Of those ad-
lninistering the Federal law, as to
such possibility. Secretary Merrill Of
the Federal Power Commission
speaking Of the Federal law said, q
few days ago: I'VE entertain no doubt
Of its essential legal soundness, and
we cannot believe that the alleged
prerogatives of any state will be held
superior to the rights of the states as
a whole. Since that was said New
York's Governor has changed his pur-
pose to contest that law.
1t Is not at all likely that the Fed
eral Government would or could per-
NIT the taking out of the State of
electrical current needed for the use
Of industries within the State. The
more of these we secure here, and
the sooner we do so, the better for
Maine, unless we are content simply
to preserve the charms Of the wilder
ness for the attraction Of the casual
tourist.-"An unspoiled playground
aloof and yet accessible and let
our other resources pass into "innoc-
uous desuetude"