Evening star., 1931-11-22
BY WILLIAM HARD.

BY WILLIAM HARD.
1t is wholly likely at this week end
that a treaty between the United States
and Canada for the completion Of the
st. Lawrence waterway to the sea will
be presented to the Senate early in its
next session. No more far-reaching
economic or political news would be
| possible.
The twenty-three States Of this
Union which have banded themselves
| together to secure the waterway are
confident now that the treaty will soon
be forthcoming. Negotiations for it be-
| tween Washington and Ottawa are pro-
crossing at last with favorable speed.
Some details perhaps remain unad-
| justed. The broad outlines of the
agreement are thought to be approxi-
mately settled. 1t is probable now that
| the twenty-three States in the Great
Lakes-St. Lawrence Tidewater ASsocia-
| ton" will turn their attention toward
| combating whatever opposition to the
treaty may be anticipated in the SEN
ate.
| To this end, in all likelihood, there
will soon be meeting Of the Council
of States Of the Great Lakes-St.
some city of the Middle West, and this
meeting will be attended by numerous
State Governors. Lines of political COM
bat will be drawn on two fronts.
| A. Midwestern interests versus cer-
tain Eastern interests.
B. Advocates Of public development
and operation of water power on the
st. Lawrence versus advocates of private
| development and operation.
| On the latter front the political for
| tunes Of Gov. Roosevelt Of New York
are engaged. and this standard will be
seen tossing in the forefront Of the
battle. PaRtiSanS Of his have deeply
suspected and loudly asserted that the
| Federal Government was bent upon
| frustrating the Governors determine
/ ton to see the st. Lawrence adorned
| with turbines and generators operating
| under the flag of the New York State
power authority. The allegation, or in
tination, has been that the Federal
| Government, through the State Depart
ment, in the negotiations with Canada,
| would somehow give public water power
a setback and would somehow give pri-
vate water power push forward.
| X X X X
To such insinuations or charges the
State Department unofhciaIy but con-
| tinuously enters a general denial. In
extremely unofficial and private mo-
| mentS there are State Department dig
| nitarieS who even seem to feel that the
outcries Of alarm from the vicinity OF
| the New York State power authority
| are not so much really of alarm as OF
grim resolve to register enthusiasm for
the public water-power idea.
Certain it is that in the Congress,
which must ultimately settle this whole
matter. the advocates of private owner
ship and operation of water power in
the st. Lawrence River will have just
exactly no chance of success at all.
The soundness of this conclusion,
which ought TO be extremely comfort
ing to Gov. Roosevelt, can be demon
strated from moments consideration
| of the three choices which in this mat
ter the Congress will face.
*** X
The first choice Is to make the new
power-plants on the st. Lawrence into
| Federal property That would mean that
on the st. Lawrence we would have an
other Muscle Shoals. The one muscle
Shoals which we already have on the
Tennessee is quite SUFFICIENT Tor the
energies of the Congress. Hardly any
body in the Congress wants to speno
another decade struggling over a second
Muscle Shoals somewhere else; Ac-
cordingly there will be no faction ol
any important strength whatsoever ~
the Congress in favor of any Federa4
! public ownership experiment IN the
bower to be derived from the waters OF
T, the new ST. Lawrence SeaWay. (F1o-
yided, of course, that the public owner
ship advocates in the Congress can ne
Soothed by observing the power OF tne
st. Lawrence going into local pupuc
ownership.)
The second choice is to commit the
development OF power on the st. Law
renee to a private company licensed py
the Federal Power Commission. inns
would mean much worse fight tnan
would be fomented by the first cnolce
Senator Norris of Nebraska alone coul9
talk against the proposition for several
sessions. Moreover, the State OF New
York would instantly bring suits In ene
Federal courts TO test the co0StHu-
tionality of the Federal WateE-poWef
i act, under which the Federal Power
Commission has its being. This secono
choice would tie the whole st. Law
renee development into Q snarl Irom
which it would not be extr1cateo 1OE
many and many years. The Midwestern
States, which desire to see the st. Law
renee development completed rapidly
will therefore, il the end, and IN tne
quick end, reject this second choice ana
tell the private water-power people:
I'VE are sorry, but going along WIN
you would be interminable, ana we are
in hurry"
That viii be the finish Of the second
choice.
y X \
The third choice is to do exactly
what Gov. Roosevelt wants and let him
and his taxpayers stand the cost OF
putting water-power apparatus into the
dams which the Federal Government
will stretch across the st. Lawrence
from the State of New York to the
Province of Ontario.
The advarltaaes Of this choice are
manifest. All political trouble involved
IS transferred from Washington to AL
bany. So IS . part ct the expense.
washington confines 'itsen 70 MAKING