Evening star., 1928-10-25

Where did / hear this before? Where
| did this expression of State socialism"
originate as applied to State ownership
| and development of water power? It
is the stock argument Of the power
| trust and was used against my power
plans by the power lobby in the State
of New York 1t was the veIJ same
argument made by the present chair
man of the Republican State commit
tee of New York, who, until the day he
was selected to be the leader of his
party in the State, was at the head Of
| the Northeastern Power Co., and who,
as speaker of the Assembly. stood against
every proposal for State development
and State ownership.
I can almost picture the Republican
candidate saying to Chairman Machold,
! WHAT argument did you use against
| Smiths water power proposal in New
| York;" and Machold's reply: Refer to
| it as State socialism; that is best calcu-
lated to scare business men, large and
| small"
am pretty sure, however, that Chair
| man Machold did not explain to the
candidate that there are some distin-
guished men, some of them members Of
his own party in the State of New York,
who so far as the power subject is con-
cerned, lined themselves up with what
| he is pleased to call a socialiStic doc
trine. Let us see who they are.
Quotes Theodore Roosevelt.
Former President Theodore Roosevelt.
speaking about the power possibilities on
the ST. Lawrence River, said the follow
ing:
"You have in this section most valu-
able asset in your natural water power
You have elected too many men in the
past who have taken what belongs to
the Nation. Coal and oil barons cannot
compare to water power barons. Do not
let them get monopoly on what be-
longs to this State. There has been a
persistent effort to give private corpora
tionS control of the water power in this
country. There has been an effort to
give that control to the Aluminium
Trust If the Aluminium Trust makes its
money fairly, all right. But when It
gets money and power by taking the
natural resources of the State. it is
time for us to object. Do not give up
your water power for promise of quick
development. We are poor citizens If
into the hands of few"
Another distinguished socialist, ac-
cording to the Republican candidate and
Gov. Hughes, ex-Justice of the United
States Supreme Court, ex-Secretary of
State and candidate of the Republican
party for the presidency In 1916. AS
far back as 1907, 81 years ago, he first
advocated the development of public
waters in the State of New York under
State ownership and State control
These words have taken directly from
the title of an act passed In that year
placing upon the then existing water
power commission the duty of drawing
comprehensive plan, and the words,
state ownership and State control"
are written into the law.
Nathan L. Miller, former judge of the
Court of Appeals and former Governor
of the State of New York, advocated the
erection of State-owned and State-con-
trolled power plants on the Erie Canal,
and while we are here in this hall to-
night they are operating, generating
electrical energy and earning for the
State large return upon the States
investment
If Mr.. Machold and Mr.. Hoover are
right, former Gov. Miller takes his
place among the socialists on the queS-
ton of water power development.
Young Is Quoted.
Owen D. Young. chairman of the
board Of directors of the General Elec-
trio Co., an advocate of State-owned
and State controlled power sites, must.
according to the language of the Re-
publican candidate, take his place in
the rank of State socialists.
Taking the candidate at his own
words, why does he not instead of hid
ing behind the catch phrase of Estate
socialism" come right out and say, /
believe in leasing or selling or other
wise alternating the water power of this
country in the interest of private power
companies for development by them
for private profit and private gain, and
I am opposed to Government ownership,
Government control and Government
development? Why not be as frank
and open as he was in the speech that
he delivered before the annual Conven-
ton of the National Electric Light AS
sociation in 1925, wherein he went so
far as to discourage public ownership
and public development that this as
Sociation issued his speech in a PAM
phlet as part Of the propaganda that
they spread throughout the country
against all proposals for public develop
ment?
No more palpable example of using
words to hide meaning can be found
than the candidates own statement in
his speech at Madison Square Garden
on Monday night, when at great length
he attempted to lead the American peo-
pie to believe that public ownership and
public development of water power meant
putting the Government In business and
to bolster up his claim, he quoted from
speech delivered by Samual Gompers
at Montreal as far back as 1920, and
attempted to make that speech apply
to water power when 1t was really made
against Government ownership and oper-
alton of railroads of the country.
There is wide difference between a
privately owned railroad and water
power site, the ownership of which In
the first instance, resides directly with
the people Of the country. Mr. Hoover
failed to differentiate between the de-
Velopment OF natural resource and
the operation of a privately built-up
business.
This Is using words not only to hide
the meaning but to attempt to distract
public attention from the main issue.
Corruption Recalled.
In the past years there has been cor
ruption, participated in by individual
officials and members of both political
parties in national, State and municipal
affairs. Too often this corruption has
been viewed with indifference by
great number of our people"
I just read to you again from the
speech of acceptance of the Republican
candidate for the purpose of calling to
your attention that here also we find
words used to conceal rather than to
convey a meaning. This is national
campaign. why any reference to State
or municipal affairs? And if words are
to be used to convey our meaning, and
the candidate is dealing with corrup-
ton, why not speak about the oil
scandals and the frauds In the Office of
the alien property custodian? Why not
condemn the disgraceful thefts of the
Veterans Bureau, unearthed largely
through the efforts Of your distinguish
ed Senator Walsh?
disagree with the candidate that the