Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-02-01
EI MORE OF CONTROVERSY

) Addressing the meeting Of Grange
lecturers here Wednesday evening
Governor Baxter found occasion to
make several thrusts at opponents.
j. sometimes seems as though he
regards all those who do not agree
with him In every detail as an OPP
poncnt, whereas all things considered
this need not be. Some Of them have
90 unsclfsh regard for the State, as
he. An instance Of this was his
comment that letters written on be-
half OF sending electrical power out
Of the State had been published In
fun In most newspapers whereas he
doubted whether his address made
In the interest of all the people. will
be printed in full I'm single daily
paper"
IL one wished to retort in like vein
he could say with truthfulnesS that
the greater part of what the Gov
crnor said had been printed in the
newspapers, again and again over
period OF years. We venture to
think that the sweating reporters
~srying to dig the meat and the new
features out of the seven or eight
columns which the address in full
would have required, doing this at
night when news was Crowding and
the limits of time and composition
had to be considered, might have
been justified in making such a re-
tort.
We are not "smarting" under the
Governors iniustice and we agree
with him that it is not advisable to
send our electrical energy to the
users in other states so long as there
may be possibility of using 1t here
in Maine. Yet tic super power ad
Z yocates are entitled to plead their
case and the readers of the Journal
wishing to keep informed would
prefer, we assume, to have an Oppor-
tunlty to read what they may have
to say. AS we recall. the journal
was unable TO find room for all of
Mr., Stetson's pleas but the letters
of Mr.. George Otis Smith, II distin-
.EuiSncl son OF Maine, HldH inter
csted in the State in all ways, were
of a nature to warrant publication.
Had the Governors communication
Ia the public been divided into in
stalmcnts of the length of those OF
MIR, Smith. Notwithstanding much OF
the subject matter is old to our
readers. whereas the subject matter
Of Mr.. Smiths arguments for the
super power system had not been
presented in the Journals columns.
we would have tried TO find space for
. them.
1t does not follow that the Journal
agrees with all of Mr.. Smiths con-
clusions. ON the contrary we fail to
. see any appreciable Inducements for
this State to endcavor to move her
watcrpowers to the manufacturers in
other states. We want manufact-
urers TO come to our waterpowers
and believe if we go about it in the
right way this can be brought about.
although the demonstration which
mas been going on In this State for
few years is seen to be not the
right way.
NO, We feel about this super power
plan somewhat as we do about the
super-man projects advanced by
super enthusiasts in eugenics: we
are mindful OF the wide discrepancy
between theory and practice so
rrypoic,j Neither we
panic stricken with the notion that
IL we don't hurry our electrical
"juice" 10 a foreign market that 1t
will be unsaleable. We are told that
electricity is to be developed when
the st. Lawrence Waterway scheme
gets to going much more cheaply
than is now being done in Maine and
that IL we don't get huched up with
manufacturers in other states now
we never can. Surely ii could be but
u temporary advantage, for the users
would readily unlock and hitch onto
the cheaper current.
Time was when the manufacturers
came TO Maine seeking our water
powers. The results are conspicuous
in our industrial centers, at Bidde-
ford. Lewiston, and the mills at Au-
susta and waterville. Then came
cheap coal and power seekers were
no longer DESTROYS or seeking water
powers. The day of cheap coal 10
past and again water powers are In
demand-if they weren't there would
be no occasion for this development
here in our State. with its abundance
OF white coal" But wrangling
won't solve our problems. Enter
prises will hardly venture here II
4. we do not even know what we want
or what we will do.
The Governor says: Names
hydro-e electric energy should be KEEP,
! within the State" We agree with
him on that. He says Maine should
not deed away water-power re-
sources she now owns. We see nc
Il occasion to object to that, but would
like and we sthink 1t is essential to
= know what those are, where they
are. The Governor further says:
1T cannot be denied that the peo-
pie Of Maine own the water in the
lakes Of Maine, regardless Of What