The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1933-06-22

Interview by Rudolph Akren, Nav
81, 1888, 1401 F. st. N. E., Washing
ton, D. G.
Vigorously defending his vote in
favor Of government operation Of
Muscle Shoals, Senator Hendrix
Shipstead, Farmer Laborite from
Minnesota, replied to recent criti-
cism Of his actions in supporting
the bill recently passed by Con-
gress and signed by President
Roosevelt.
Senator Shipstead has been an
ardent supporter in the long fight
for government operation of Mus
Gle Shoals since his entrance to the
Senate in 1922.
II have always thought that to
the people Of the United States
should belong to the benefits Of the
natural resources of their home
land, and consider water power to
be one of the most valuable natur-
al resources in the country. Why
should the government turn over
the vast power tracts to private
corporations to gouge the public's
purse in the form of exorbitant cleo
trio rates." the Minnesota Senator
! asked.
He reiterated his stand in favor
of municipality owned electric pow
er plants and quoted the municipal
ly owned plants Of Seattle, WASH
ington, and Niagara Falls. Ontar-
10 as good examples Of what can be
done in the cheap distribution Of
electric power to the consumer.
Characterizing the Muscle Shoals
project as one of the greatest ex-
periments ever undertaken by the
federal government, Senator Ship
stead declared that the benefits to
be derived from such q huge test
were illimitable. Research work to
be done at the Shoals by the Depart
ment of Agriculture will benefit the
farmers Of the Middle West, and
successful experiments carried on
there can be enacted or produced
to profit other sections Of the coun-
try as well.
The Senator pointed out that the
enacting Of the Muscle Shoals bill
into law successfully climaxed
fight Of more than 10 years stand
ing between the Power Trust" and
a small group Of Progressive SEN
ators headed by Senator George w.
Norris, of Nebraska, and he ex-
pressed pleasure that the people had
won the long battle for government
operation of the plant in spite Of
the mass of propaganda circulated
by the Power Trust"
4 In a speech to the Senate in 1924,
Senator Shipstead introduced into
the Congressional Record some sta
tistics showing the comparison be-
tween electric rates of private util-
4 ity corporations, and rates Of mu-
nicipally owned corporations, and
the comparison showed just why
the public utilities were jealous of
municipal interference with their
rate structure. Senator Shipstead
said these figures and facts are just
as pertinent today as then.
| In the same speech, speaking of
the hold the Power Trust" has
POilItCdlly Ol Hldily VI Iuc SIdCcS,
the Minnesota Senator declared
zone Of the outstanding mysteries
in adjusting rates is the apparent
lack of relief given by the public
utility Commissions to the people
of the various states from the OPP
preston of the electric light and
power trust.
"For the past 80 years it has been
cardinal principle of the Ameri-
can people that monopolies should
be controlled and regulated by the
state and national governments and
we have had 80 years Of that prac-
tice. Now one is inclined to believe
that it has been a failure; that in
stead of the state governments and
the national government controlling
and regulating the monopolies, the
monopolies nave been controlling
and regulating the government.
$50 far as the record shows, the
only ray of light that gives hope to
the American people is the public
ownership Of electric light, heat and
power plants"