The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-06-24
II Nips All Moves For Own
Crship by the Public, Ac-
cording to the Senator
From Nebraska - Has
Larger Spread Than Any
Other Trust That Ever Ex-
listed
BY GEORGE w. NORRIS
L. s. Senator from Nebraska
Written fnr NEA Cervic0l

Washington, June 24-There is
no doubt that the electric trust,
which is the same as the power
trust. has a larger spread than any
other trust which has ever existed.
1t is in every state and in almost
every community, and its influence
is exceedingly powerful. We have
felt its power in the Sixty-nnth
Congress, during which it spent mil
lions Of dollars on propaganda for
which the people Of this country
will pay in their electric bills.
The power trust has most of the
power in this country and it is de-
termined to keep municipal opera
ton from ever being experimental
with because such an experiment
would give the people a lesson in
what cheap electricity can do in the
homes of the American people and
thus bring public sentiment against
the power trust.
Ontaric'a Example
The people do not realize, first
| what wonderful convenicnces elec.
tricity can bring into the home
! and. second. how ichcaply it can bt
done. Nearly every stream has
| wonderful possibilities for power.
If the American people had pait
the same price for electricity las
year that the people just across The
| Canadian line in Ontario paid, they
would have saved $G00,0OO.OOO.
More than so per cent of the do.
| nestle users of electricity in On
tario, where they have government,
| and municipal ownership of elec
tricity, get their electricity for less
| than two cents per kilowatt hour.
l.. a Comparison
The average price Of electricity
during the last year in the United
States was 7.5 cents per kilowatl
hour and the average price in On
tario was 1855 cents per kilowat,
hour
! This means that it costs Tho
| American people 5000, 100000 q year
to keep the power trust. That 5000,
OOO. 900 represents profit which goc.
into private pockets.
If we were to operate Muscle
Shoals and Boulder Dam for power
at fair price, it would put sub
stantial crimp in that margin.
| That is another reason why tn,
power interests have bent ever,
effort to beat our bills and resolu
tions which would give government
operation "A fair trial.
| The power trust has representa-
| tives all over the United States ant
many Of them are prominent il
political life or are close to other.
who are.
! Congressional Control
! When it wants to control Con
gress, not only is it strongly repre-
scented by lobbyists here. but it.
representatives and friends from
| all over the country send in tele
grams to congressman and senator!
telling them what it wants. Ant
the consumers pay every cent Of tn.
expense.
| In the case Of the Boulder Canyon
bill, everybody knows that We hat
the votes to pass it if we could hav,
| obtained a roll call We were un
able to get a two-thirds vote for
cloture, but when the bankers O.
the county wanted cloture to pas.
a banking bill, they had no trouble
whatever in getting it.
| In the face Of the deluge of in
| fluential propaganda which tn,
power interests are able to unloos,
upon Congress, the people stant
helpless.