The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-09-14
Speech of Richard Donovan, Second Vice
President of Montana MVA Association
Over Station KCIR on June 9, 1915
Dear Citizens:

Dear CltlZenS.
The future is ours to build and We
are at a loss to understand why any
individual or group of individuals in
terested in the security and advance
ment of the people and industry in
this entire area would defeat a prof
ect like the MvA. This project will
help provide the needed 60 million
jobs, it will prevent soil erosion, pro
vide irrigation, prevent flood damage
and provide cheap electric current.
The MVA is the only means whereby
people can afford to pay. The profits
derived from the sale of current will
pay off the entire cost, then it will
belong to the people.
We are not familiar with the broad
powers mentioned, but assume the
powers mean the federal government
will be disposing cheap current, if the
MVA is adopted along the lines of
the IVA. Will cheap current harm
the consumers? Is that the reason
utility corporations are afraid of the
broad powers mentioned? Utility cor
porations have been in the field a
long time, why have they not pro-
vided an MVA? We are led to be-
lieve large corporations will supply
post war jobs. Is it wrong to assume
the same government, winning this
global war, is too small or inefficient
to provide an MVA? Why should we,
the people, fear our democratic gov
eminent that was created so that the
weak might become strong? 1t was
not created so the strong corporations
should become stronger Are the peo-
pie afraid of strong government sup
plying the peoples needs at less cost
or are the large corporations in the
utility field afraid that government
ownership will provide service of like
nature at less cost? Money saved in
this manner will permit the people to
spend for other needed necessities
Now for moment lets review some
of the achievements when our national
constitution was adopted: were the
people afraid of the broad powers
given the federal government in own
ing and operating the following: the
postal department, the mint, the army, |
the navy? Were the people afraid of
the broad powers given the federal
government in making the Louisiana
Purchase in 1903? the Florida Pur-
chase in 1919? the Gadsden Purchase
in 1853, the purchase of the Panama |
Canal in 1904? The broad powers
given the federal government in estab-
fishing the Social Security Act? The
broad powers given by the federal |
government to the Federal Bureau of
to effectively stop bank
'obberies and kidnapping in the thir-
les? A government so weak that is
Unable to cope with problems of this
nature would be too weak to enforce
avs restricting large corporations
rom exploiting its people. Govern
nent of the type we have will not
exploit its people provided we have
l am calling to your at
ention these famous words of an out
standing statesman (quote) We have
lothing to fear but fear itself Gun
luote).
An MVA. set up along the lines of
he IVA would be much more pract-
cal than an MVA set up along the
ines of Boulder Dam. Does not the
Southern California Edison Power
Company act as an agent for the gov
in disposing of the cheap
generated by Boulder Dam?
DO they pass this saving on to their
customers? Doesn't the federal gov
rnment make more money off the !