Evening star., 1932-09-22

BY the Associated Press.
PORTLAND, Greg, September az
Following Is the address OF Gov. Frank
lin D. Roosevelt delivered here last
night:
have journeyed many times to this
beautiful Pacific Coast, but I want To
assure you that have never cOmpre.
hended, as I have this time. the warmth
of your hospitality. the greatness OF
your resources and opportunities. and
want to add, with all earnestnesS. the
great importance of the problem that ]
am discussing tonight
I have come not primarily to speak
but rather to hear; not to teach, but to
learn. I want to hear Of your prob
lens, to understand them, and to con-
slider them as they bear on the larger
scene Of national interest.
have strengthened the belief that
have had for a long time and that
have constantly set forth in my
speeches and papers in my work as
Governor of the State Of New York that
the question Of power, Of electrical de-
velopment and distribution Is primarily
q national problem.
OSCo navy NCtdpuOEs
Epeaking in the language of the Navy
with which I was associated for many
eventful years, I want at the outset OF
this discussion to take my bearings, to
know my destination, to chart my
course. In discussing electrical power
the speaker, like a ship sailing in dan
gerous waters, must avoid not only un-
seen shoals and rocky reefs; he must
also be on his guard against false lights
on the shore. His only protection
against all of these dangers Is to set
squarely and fairly before him the
course that he must steer. Let me do
that in few sentences.
AS see it, the object Of government
is the welfare of the people. The lib
erty of people to carry on their business
should not be abridged unless the larger
interest of the many are concerned.
When the interest of the many are
concerned the interest of the few must
yield. 1t Is the purpose of government
to see not only that the legitimate in
terests of the few are protected. but that
the welfare and rights Of the many are
conserved Those are the principles
which We must remember In any con-
sideration of this question. This, I
take 1t, is sound government, not poll
tics. Those are the essential basic con-
ditions under which government can be
Of service.
It Is scarcely necessary to tell you
this out here on the Pacific Coast. In
no other section of the country has
there been a greater interest in govern
ment and a more intelligent application
Of the principles of sound government
in its legislation and In the action OF
the administrative authorities; and no
where, may I add, are the people less
bound by mere political factionalism
than here.
When questions like these are under
consideration we are not Democrats;
we are not Republicans-we are peo-
pie united in a common patriotism.
This Is the spirit Of my entire cam
paign. If the spirit and the method
that I am applying to public questions
Is In line with that of progressive citi-
invite them to join me- now, as have
invited them many times before. In
the face of present national emergen-
cies we must distinguish between par
ties and their leaders.
When the great possessions that be-
long to all of us-that belong to the
Nation-are at stake we are not partl-
sans; we are Americans.
DiscIoses Views on Power.
1t is therefore fitting that should
choose this great stage of the Coast to
set forth my ideas respecting the ques-
ton of electrical power and to discuss
it not only with you here in Portland
and in Oregon, but with all OF the
people in all of the States to whom this
{c affarfinC a their n.
dividual lives.
This subject has been discussed 50
much in complex languages. in terms
which only a lawyer can understand or
in figures which only accountants can
understand, that there is need for
bringing it back into the realm of
simple, honest terms understood by mil
lions Of our citizens.
This is particularly true because there
has not only been lack Of information
and information difficult to understand
but there has been in the past few
years, as the Federal Trade Commission
has shown, a systematic, subtle, delib-
crate and unprincipled campaign OF
misinformation Of propaganda and II
may use the words, Of lies and false
hoods. The spreading Of this informa-
ton has been bought and paid for by
certain great private utility corpora
tions. 1t has permeated the schools,
the editorial columns of newspapers, the
activities of political parties, the uni
versities and the printed literature in
our book stores. A false public policy
has been spread throughout the land,
through the use of every means, from
the innocent school teacher down to a
certainly less innocent former chairman
of the Republican National Committee
itself
Let us 20 back to the beginning of
this subject. What is public utility?
Let me take you back 300 years to old
King James of England. The reign OF
this king is remembered for many great
events, two of them in particular. He
gave us great translation OF the Bible
and through his Lord Chancellor,
great statement of public policy. 1t was
in the DAYS when Shakespeare was writ
ing Hamlet and when the English were
settling jamestown, when public out
cry arose in England from travellers who
sought to cross the deeper streams and
rivers by means Of ferry boats. Obvt-
ously these ferries, which were needed
to connect the highway on one side with
the highway on the other, were limited
to specific points. They were, there
fore, monopolistic in their nature. The
ferry boat operators, because OF the
privileged position which they held, had
the chance to charge whatever the traf-
fic would bear and bad service and high
rates had the effect of forcing much
trade and travel into long detours or
to the dangers Of attempting to ford
the streams.
Sought Lord Hale's Advice.
The greed and avarice of some Of
these ferry boat owners was made
known by an outraged people to the
King and he invited his great Judge,
Lord Hale. to advise him.
The old law lord replied that the
ferryman's business was quite different
from other businesses; that the ferry
business was, in fact, vested with a
public character: that to charge ex-
cessive rates was to set up obstacles to to
good service was q necessary and pub
lie responsibility. Every ferry" said
Lord Hale. Ought to be under public