The Sidney herald., 1957-02-07

BY Ernest Imme1
Helena-What some persons may
not recognize as such is the con-
test in the Montana legislative as
sembly between advocates of pub
lie power and those with varying
shades of opinion on the part pri-
vate power should have in the
national economy. That is the real
issue in House Joint Memorial
l, which at this writing has not
yet cleared the house committee
on irrigation and water conser
walton.
Hum 1 petitions the federal gov
eminent to construct the proposed
Paradise dam on the Clark Fork
river in Sanders county. Several
years ago this project was prom
inently in the Montana news when
a hearing conducted by the army
corps OF engineers produced q
spirited clash between those sup
porting the proposal and those
resisting 1t. An argument against
the project, and it prevailed at
the time, was that 1t would flood
out farms, several towns and rail-
road trackage. In any event, so
much adverse heat was generated
that the project was showed back
into the files. But in recent months
proponents have managed to re-
vive interest in it.
Action in the legislature seek
ing congressional authorization
may appear to be, but is not, an
isolated incident. 1t is part of
the plan of private power zealots
to Illustrate hydroelectric develop
ment by private enterprise. 1t is
part and parcel of river basin au-
thority schemes, in this case the
Columbia river drainage.
Many of us are aware of the
controversy concerning the Snake
river in Idaho and Oregon. This
controversy has been raging bit
terly the last few years. Congress
sional elections last November
strengthened the public power
ranks in the Columbia basin states.
This means that the fight will be
carried on in congress with in
creased VIgOr.
In their monumental aspira-
tons the public power planners
appear to have the scantest re-
gard for the wreckage incident
to the achievement of their OBJ
jectives. Their attitude seems to
be that the flooding out of farms,
towns, railroads and industries
is a necessary sacrifice for the
gaining of broader benefits. This
ruthlessness they try to justify in
the name of the public good, the
general welfare.
Public power and private pow
er can work together, which they
are already doing in the Column
bia basin and in the upper Mis-
souri, basin. Each has its proper
place, and when they are inte-
grated in power grids they coop
eratively serve the public needs.
In n phase this is a practical
of the partnership
plan we have been hearing SO
much about lately. But the I'M
compromising champions of pub
lie power who would eliminate
private enterprise entirely shun
even a suggestion of any partner
ship arrangement and demand
that all electric energy be the ex-
function of the govern
ment.
Some IS years ago there came
to my attention a voluminouS re-
port and study by federal engi-
.eers. According to these recon-
mendations, the Kootenai river
was to be damned near the Idaho
border, backing up water that
would flood much of the Koote-
mai valley in Lincoln county. The
Clark Fork river was to be dam
med near the Idaho line, making
much of that valley a lake. A
tunnel through the Bull
axes divide would connect the
Two reservoirs.
The fact that such important
.ocal industries as numbering
would be crippled, if not destroy
I'd, appeared to be of no concern,
nor did the washing out of the
Great Northern and the Northern
Pacific mainline tracks seem to
make any difference. Such a plan
nay impress one as being too
'antastic to be taken seriously,
,ut there is such a plan-and
here are folks who would not
hesitate to carry it out if they
cot the opportunity.
I recall a summer afternoon in
.943 when / encountered a prom
nent citizen of Kalispell as he
out of Gov. Sam c. Ford's
,ffice muttering that Secretary of
he Interior Ickes was going to
lood out the Flathead valley. In
luiry disclosed that the corps of
Engineers was all set to move in
md raise the level of Flathead
axe to provide storage for down.
tream generators.
This revelation SO stirred up the
'eople of Montana - not only
hose of Flathead-that the army
ngineers backed down. 1t should
,e pointed out that the engineers
we're merely undertaking to ex-
cute an assignment from a high
r authority. Had the plan not
cen discovered when it was, its
xecution would have been an ac-
omplished fact before it could
ave been stopped.
Four years ago / had occasion
D become interested in another
rmy corps of engineers assign
lent, the proposed Libby dam on
ne Kootenai. The damsite as then
ontemplated would have serious
, affected the economy of Lin
DIN county by forcing substan-
al curtailment of Montana's