Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-15
Willkie and the POWer Issue
Pros and Cons Controversy Which Campaign Topic
Marquis W.

tTllCdIlOIl. Inc new DedleTS Say LQAC
private power companies before the ad-
vent of the Roosevelt power program
completely ignored the rural areas. They
say that specifically Commonwealth &
Southern companies in the South ac-
lively fought rural electric lines being
established by Government agencies or
cooperative groups. They point to sworn
evidence and documents to prove such
charges. In his Elwood acceptance speech
Willkie declared in favor of rural cleo
IRRIGATION without simplifying his views.
Rural Electrification.
IF President Roosevelt had taken my
advice" he declared, I'VE would have to-
day three times as much rural elec-
IRRIGATION as we now have. began a
long time ago to adopt the notion that
rural identification was not an economic
but a social issue. That is. it was a
social need and a subsidy was required.
That was the problem.
Now this was my idea. The Govern
ment should appropriate revolving
fund of sl00,0O0,000 with which to carry
oat rural electrifcation, whether through
private, municipal or Government plants
such as T. " A. The average rural line
at the outset, of course, pays a return
on only about one-half of the invest
ment. The Government, under my plan.
would have put up one-half the capital
and the power agency, whether private.
municipal or Federal, the other half.
But when the line should become profit
able, as it would with increased power
load and an increase in the number of
consumers-whether in or 10 or Is
years-then the power agency would pay
back the 50 per cent of capital that had
been advanced by Government.
Il put that right up to Roosevelt in
1894. If that had been adopted, We
would have today three times as much
rural identification"
Perhaps Wilkes chief line of attack
on T. v. A. has been directed at the allo-
cation of considerable part of the cost
of the project to food control and navi-
CATION. The New Dealers say that food
control was essential in the valley and
that navigation has greatly increased
since construction of the T. V. A. dams.
A private company, they argue, would
never consider flood-control aspects III
constructing its dams.
Flood Control Cost.
At. " A has allocated 48 per cent OF
their cost to flood control and naviga-
ton" Willkie says, IT. V. A. control
of floods is greatly exaggerated. Take
the highest measurement of the highest
flood in the Tennessee Valley and less
land was under water than is perma-
nenrly under water as a result of the
lakes they have created. They have
destroyed that land anyway.
IF we'd been doing that Job we'd
have built for food control just as they
did, just as we do in building our own
dams. But we wouldn't allocate half the
cost to flood control. We wouldn't be
allowed to.
And as to taxes, well, they're not pay
ing anything like what we would have
paid. They say they are paying 10 per
cent of the gross. but We paid up to Is
and 10 per cent of the gross. They say
that eventually they will pay as much
in dollars as we were paying. Yes, be-
cause of the increase in volume. We
wouldve gone on paying constantly more
in taxes with an increase in volume of
power"
Each question that is taken up illus
trates the disparity of the two points
of view. On the one hand is Willkle,
who has been the advocate, and the
brilliant advocate, Of a great private
power company. On the other side are
the proponents of public power who
hold to a firm belief in the extension of
projects such as T. V. A. and Grand
Coulee, looking to the control OF all
power by the so-called yardstick method.
perhaps looking even beyond that to the
naturalization of power.
Willkie, now in the midst of his cam
paign, does not take a stand in opposi-
ton to public power projects. They are
here, he says, and they should be ad-
ministered in the public interest. He is
out to convince the voters that he can
represent the public point of view just
as successfully as he represented a pri-
vate interest.
Copyright, 1910, by the Pulitzer Publishing Coz