Evening star., 1928-09-23

|
Electric Light Association is one of thu
three groups which make up the join
committee, the other two being th'
American Gas Association and the
| American Street Railway Association
Mr.. Clapp testified that before HI
was employed by the National Electric
| Light Association he was secretary O.
Mr. Hoover'S, and was the Secretar!
also of Mr. Hoover's Eastern super
power conference. 1t is also significan
to note that upon the recommendation
of Judge Davis former Senator Lenroo
was retained by the joint committee
Senator Leuroot was Mr.. Hoover'S coun
sci at the Kansas City convention II
the contest over Southern delegates
Why did this committee build up thi
expensive organization and why diC
they hire elaborate quarters in the cit,
| of Washington? What was the neces
sity for the expenditure in the year end
ing June 80. 1927, of $993,000 with {
budget for the current year of $1,079,-
100?
Development Discouraged.
The unquestioned purpose of this or
ganized effort was to discourage public
ownership of water power sites for th'
| development of electrical energy anC
the defeat of pending bills at Wash
ington appropriating public money foI
such developments. 1t was accom-
| pliShed in many ways.
The evidence discloSeS that the prime
purpose of these propagandists was to
defeat the Walsh resolution for an in
vestigation of utility corporations, to
defeat measures for the construction OF
the Boulder Canyon dam, and to de-
| feat legislation for the construction OF
Muscle Shoals.
The payment of $500 was made to
one we'll known writer for a booklet
on Boulder Dam. Ex-senator Irvine
Lenroot was retained as local counsel
at a retainer of $4,000 to oppose the
Walsh resolution. 1t was frankly ad-
mitted that advertising was inserted
in certain newspapers in order to secure
from them the printing in their news
columns of propaganda against public
ownership and against congressional
legislation deemed hostile to the power
| interests.
To such enormous proportions did
this reach that one of the officials testi-
| fed:
I'VE discontinued the practice of
compiling any figures on the amount
| of newspaper space obtained for the
reason we were afraid they would be-
come public and might be misunder-
stood" $175.000 was spent to circular
ize 100000 holders Of public utilities
| stocks in an effort to cause them to
communicate with their Representatives
at Washington urging opposition to the
measures condemned by the utility
companies. So-called boiler plate ma
| terial was sent out from their head
quarters to newspapers all over the
country.
| Schools Were Invaded.
"The schools we're invaded The
neople of the United States might well
sit up and take notice when the min
,,tes of the National Electric Light AS
| sociation show a plan to have so-called
nroperly qualified men prepare text
| hooks for use in classes and libraries,
and by having men prominent in the
industry give lectures before the classes
| in order that the view points of this
industry's leaders may be presented
to the oncoming generation"
| The dean of university, on leave,
of absence. was put upon the pay roil
at SIS 900 a year to ascertain wnat eou-
cational work having bearing upon
| the public utility field was being oone
in schools and colleges. An eftort was was
made to curtail the freedom OF speech
Of university professors by exertine
nress,Ire against them. One OF the Of
ficials wrote:
"The internal trouble is that these
verv extension lecturers and chaps who
purport to do university service are
| least likely to be thoughtful and COM
petent men,
He added
I'VE can be charged with no inter-
ference with academic freedom II we
step on 1t by any honest means IN our
control"
| 1 think the gentleman was wrong. !
think he can be charged, and that ne
is charged. with interference with aca-
demic freedom.
Quotes u. S. Commission.
The Federal Commission points out
that as far back as 1923 director OF
the National Electric Light Association,
speaking before their convention, had
the following to say:
II would advise any manager here
who lives in the community where
there is a college to get the professor
of economies interested in your prob
lens. Have him lecture on your SUBJ
iect to his classes once in a while. 1t
will pay you to take such men, getting
five or six hundred dollars or thou
sand dollars year, and give them a
retainer of one or two hundred dollars
for the privilege of letting you study
and consult with them. For how In
heavens name can we do anything In
the schools of the country with the
young people growing up If we have
not sold the idea to the college pro-
| feSSor?"
The idea they were seeking to sell
to children and to college professors
was the idea of diScouraging public
ownership of water power.
1t was testified that one of the prin-
cipal activities of the educational COM
mittee of the National Electric Light
Association was the cenSoring and prep
aration of books for the public schools
Witness after witness at the hearing
of the Federal Trade Commission teSti'
field to the nationwide effort TO reach
the mind of the child in the public
school and in the high school. Ar
example of this is shown in the teStl'
mony wherein ii was brought out thai
in one year $4,000 pamphlets were dis
tributed to 289 high schools in New
England. Most of these pamphlets
went into the question of national legls'
lation and thoroughly condemned tht
Walsh resolution, the legislation relating
to Muscle Shoals and Boulder Dam.
Sought to Impress Children.
These men we're so much afraid thai
public ownership and public develop
merlt would decrease the price OF cleo
| trical energy that they spent then
money to try to plant in the minds ol
children, as we'll as grown-ups, sup
posed dangers and supposed irregulari'
ties that grow out of public ownershlps
In other words, it was an attempt t.
poison the mind of the American pup
lie.
Even if they honestly believed in the
validity of their arguments the methods
used were despicable.
l am about to read to you an address
bv Mr.. Hoover delivered before The
forty-eighth convention of the Ma tiona
Electric Light Association held at 'oar
Francisco in June of 1925. Speaking