The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1951-01-18
NONE SO DEAF

The Presidents Water Resources Policy Commission
Washington, California Colorado Ohio Massachusetts and
Georgia) held town-ha meetings in those states and talk
ed with people in all walks of life housewives merchants
Governors union leaders, union and nonunion workers.
chamber of commerce members, Federafnanced electric
cooperative Representatives and privately utility
company officials
The people were almost unanimous in expressing the
conviction that wherever feasible water deve
private.
But, it evident that the who comprise
Presidents WRPC purposey did not their hearing
aids while this tour. Commissioned by the President
to learn the views of the public they turned in report
that missed rejecting these views by than the pro-
verbal mile. ~ Il
In fact there is grave suspicion that the conclusions
and recommendations of the report predetermined
before the WRCP began interrogae the public that it's
findings CD are just evidence that there is
ociasc plot to put the Federal Government deeper and
deeper into the manufacture and sale of electric energy
with the final goal of completely wpng out the privately
In short the WRPC report recommended extending
federal control of the industrial life of whole river basins
which would increase Washingtons domination of the
economic life of the nation.
This certainly contrary to the testimony of Joseph A.
Fisher National President of the CIO Utility Workers of
Mass, July 25 Said he:
We do not think it is the perogative of the United
States government of state municipality into
competition with the private enterprise system under which
America has grown be the great country that it is We
think that the energy is there, and we think that in the
first instance when the energy made available the cleo
utility companies operating in the should be given
opportunity TO distribute and build the transmission
lines for the distribution of electric energy"
At the commission hearing in Spokane, June IT, J. K.
Cheade of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce. testified
"The present trend toward Federal Government mon
opoly of the development of should be
versed the trend in the development of water
should be toward greater responsibility control and par
cpaon by the state and local government and private
enterprise"
Speaking for the Governors of the Northwestern states
in the Columbuia River Valley Governor G. A. Robins at
#Spokane, June 16, told the Commissions:
4 1T agreed the Federal Governments interest
should be only in navigation and in matters where inter-
Irrational issues nterected We felt river development
should be local We felt Federal project should be forced
zNpon any local area
M And at the commission hearing in Sioux City, Iowa.
IL James Smith, Secretary of the Yankton (S Da)
Chamber of Commerce, asserted:
The solution OF interstate problems in water
development by the several states involved should not be
1ettered by additional and upersedng Federal control
The quoted testimonies typical of those given by
#he many others, Representing millions of people, who
testified before the Commission All demand that the deve
opment of water be supervised by amnistra
appointed locally responsible to the people of the
gion served.
In view of the overwhelming testimony against Feder
al control OF our water resources led to wonder how
the WRPC had the audacity to bring the report that it
did This leads to agree with the profound observation
made by the Reverend Mathew Henry early in the 18th
Century:
NONE SO DEAF AS THOSE THAT WILL NOT
HEAR George Peck