The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1958-12-18
The American WAY
BY GEORGE PECK

u 1COINNIE E1h
EDITORS NOTE: George Peck
is President of the Laymens Ma
tional Committee, sponsor of Ma
tional Sunday School and Bible
Weeks.)
The socialized electric power
proponents have read into what
happened last November that
the American taxpayer is clamor-
ing for more and more govern
ment-in-business," with public
power development projects lead
ing the parade. AS a result of this
Interpretation of the election re-
suits, we can now look for
deluge at Washington of DAM
proposals which both in size and
number will be the biggest DAM
proposals to date.
But in our humble opinion, we
believe the socialiZed power yea
lots are misinterpreting the feel
ing of the aaverage taxpayer to-
ward government production and
sale of electric energy. Despite
the flood of propaganda on behalf
of Socialized electric power which
has flowed from IVA and other
similar socialized government
agencies; despite the false charges
that have been made against the
investor-owned, business-managed
taxpaying utility companies, the
American public slowly but surely
has been learning that there is
nothing cheap" about public
power.
AS a case in point. while the
Democrat Party was sweeping the
nation on Tuesday, November 4,
voters in the State of Oregon we're
presented with three proposals
which involved the development
of government-finance electric
power projects. They said NO"
on all three.
One proposal that the Oregon
voters rejected was an amend
ment to the State Constitution
authorizing the State to engage in
the development and sale of cleo
trio power The amendment COW
cred the waterfront = it would
have authorized the State to gem
crate power by hydro, steam or
nuclear development.
The voters of the City of Port
land registered their dislike of
public power-they turned down
proposal for S. million hydro
electric bond issue to install gen.
orators at the citys water supply
source
The City of Springfield, Ore,
voted NO" on a proposal to take
over the distribution properties
of the inveStor-oWned Pacific Pow
er and Light Company within that
city. The city system has been
competing with that company
Pacific P & l. states that it is
now prepared to make an offer to
purchase the city system.
Over the nation as a whole there
has been gradual awakening of
the American public to the fallacy
of putting Federal, State or local
governments into the power bust
ness. PUBLIC SERVICE, a most
useful monthly magazine publish
ed at St. Paul, Minnesota, has
made a study which reveals that
you can fool all of the people
some of the time, and some of the
people all of the time, but you
can't fool all of the people all of
the time"
For instance, during the period
1888 1889 a total of $40 cities and
towns balloted on proposals to
acquire municipally-owned cleo
trio systems. In SIS percent of
these communities the voters said
YES"
Then from January l, 1910 to
June 30, 1850, 812 percent of the
communities said NO" to mu-
nicipal ownership proposals.
The November 1858 issue of
PUBLIC SERVICE carries a table
Of domestic rates charged by in
vestor-owned companies from 1882
to 1857 These figures graphically
illustrate what a terrific job the
investor-owned companies have
done in providing electricity for
the residential customer at ever
decreasing rates. In 1882, the rate
was Is cents per KWH-in 1857,
256 cents. While the electric in
duStry was making this remark
able performance the cost of liv-