Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1933-03-16

the m1USt Oh q cT1SlS anu tuey 10 uOt
evade the problems nor mince words
in dealing with the situation.
The Water Power Bill.
Speaking on the bill known as the
Stockwel water power bill, on Tues
day, the main author of it, Rep. S. A.
StOckwell of Minneapolis, started out
by quoting Thomas Jefferson in his
declaration for equal rights to all
and special privileges to nOne.' The
veteran and hard fighting Hennepin
county legislator who has fought con-
tinuously in the interest of public
welfare for years, both in and out of
the Minnesota Legislature, maintains
that natural resources in private
hands is fatal to the public interest.
The bill which he and a number of
co-authors are sponsoring, provides
for a constitutional amendment to be
voted on by the citizens of the state
in the next general election. If the
bill becomes law and the cOnstitu-
tional amendment is carried by the
voters in November of 1894, it would
grant the State of Minnesota the right
to acquire water power sites and
build hydro-electric generating and
steam plants. 1t also provides for the
distribution of electric current by the
state. If approved by the voters and
the state went into this public utility
business, it would naturally provide
for a much wider distribution OF cleo
trio current to rural communities, the
same as prevails in the province OF
Ontario up in Canada. The bill fur
Their provides for a bond issue not to
exceed fifty million dollars. This,
however, does not mean that the state
would bond to that extent. The state
might bond for one million or even
less, or it might bond for five or ten
million dollars and should future
state legislators decide not to enter
the electric business there would be
absolutely no bond issue. Mr.. Stock
well maintains that if the bill is
passed in this session of the Legisla-
ture and the constitutional amendment
adopted in 1884. that alone would be
a real weapon against excessive power
and light rates charged by private
Observation-Disclosures of the power
trust.
In his arguments on the floor of the
House, Mr.. Stockwell maintained that
placing the amendment in the consti-
tuition would be like "a gun behind
the door" Going on, the author said
that some forces claim private COM
panies run more efficiently than is
the case with government ownership
but he maintained regulations by
commissions have utterly failed. Sam
uel insult, now in Greece, put $125,-
900 into the campaign of Fred Smith
for United States Senator from ILL
nOis. Smith had been on the public
utilities commission of Illinois, for
about ten years and, ''Of course" said
Mr.. Stockwell, insult wanted further
service from him." Smith was not
seated in the United States Senate, as
followers of politics and governmental
affairs will recall.
PrOpagandizing I'm Schools.
Mr.. Stockwell maintains that there
has been a great amount of cOrrup-
ton by the power trust. They have
even propagandized in schools, elected
school boards, selected educators, gone
into law schools and so on, which was
all brought out in the testimony OF
power companies themselves before
the Federal Trade Commission. Con-
LESSONS of the Power Trust" book
by Carl d. Thompson, contains much
of the testimony before the Federal
Trade Commission. said the scion.
Mr.. Stockwell maintains that there
is no other way to combat the power
trust than to have public ownership
of public utilities.
Speaking of the over-capitalization
of power companies, which is all paid
by the public, he said that American
power and light companies are CAPT
talized at ten billions of dollars. The
full and true value is six billions and
thus the over-capitalization is four bill
lions of dollars. At $50 interest rate,
this amounts to two hundred million
dollars annually direct charge on
commerce, industry and domestic con-
sumption and against the well being
of the people in general.
Electricity Should be Servant.
The Hennepin county representative
stated that the Minnesota Power &
Light Company is a subsidiary of the
American Light & Power Company
which in turn is a part of the Elec-
trio Bond and Share Company of New
York. When the Minnesota Power &
Light Company was organized a few
years ago, it had twenty-nine million
dollars in stock that was nothing but
pure water. The average rate for
domestic current in Ontario is Lee