The Daily Alaska empire., 1932-02-13
NO POWER ISSUE IN NATIONAL
 CAMPAIGN.

Harold E. Wess Chairman of the Public Servic Commission of Maryland since 1925, asks the ques tion: What part, if any, will Power play in tn coming National campaignp", in article appearin in the February 1891, American Mercury, under tn title "The Power Trust Bugaboo." After a rathe complete discussion of the attitude Of certain min ority political groups and other propagandists fo public ownership, and consideration of reguato in its various aspects, he answers his question h writing:
 I do not believe that Power will be a primary, or even a secondary issue in the forthcoming Presidential campaign. There will be a lot of noise, of course but it will signify nothing. There are several req sons for this view, aside from the fact that there is little, if any, reason substance to the demand for public ownership or Fed eral control
 The people as a mass are not interested. The whole subject of utility rates and utility regulation is a complicated one. They do not understand it and will not bother to study it. They do not believe they being robbed They know that electric rates have been going down, and that alone among charges for utility service, they now lower than they were before the World War.
 Propagandists for public ownership com plain of this lack of public interest. In the pronouncement of Progressive policy the pub lies attitude in the matter is severely criti- cssd. Paragraph 12 contains this:
 Much of the weakness of State regula- tion has come from lack of public inter est in public affairs from the failure of an inattentive citizenship, engrossed in private affairs, to exert in self government, and from a consequent inefficiency and corruption in public offices"
 Comment on this indifference of the public could be multiplied. But one more specimen will do. Alfred E. Smith former Governor of New York, who long sought for State development of the St Lawrence, when asked March last whether Power would be dominant issue in the 1892 paign, said that it would not be.
 T found in New York he said, that Power was the one thing I put my hand to that I could not the people over It is too intricate and few understand what it is all about I even found it neces- sary in New York to explain what the word horsepower means. whenever made speech es on the subject"
 And former Governor Smith usually knows what he is talking about
 Before he answers quoted above the que. ton that he propounded, West says:
 One may well wonder why Power has been picked as issue for the campaign instead of the railroads the telephone in- dustry, the street railways or other public services. Certainly, except in sporadic cases, there has been no complaint about rates from those who use the service. The rates, in fact, have been steadily going down. The demand for electric service, both for domestic and industrial purposes, is increas- ing, and economists declare that when the demand for thing for which there substitutes increases, especially in bad times, the price is about right. Nor is the current bother due to the fact that the service ren- dered by the power companies is bad indifferent, for the managers of perhaps other utility service prompt in rem- edylng complaints and meeting the able demands of those they serve. What then?