The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-10-14

| Iuo mural EiIecITlIIcdCIOn ADMINISTER
tion that has brought electric power
to light the homes and tighten the
labors of two million farm families,
and telephones to many thousand.
He sponsored the vital "lame duck"
constitutional amendment that ended
the ridiculous long post-election ses-
sion of Congress with many members
already repudiated at the polls; and
which installs the new Congress early
in January and the President on JAN
uary 20. rather than waiting until
March 4.
PRINCIPAL BACKER OF ONE
HOUSE LEGISLATURE
Senator Norris was the principal
hacker of the pioneer American one
house legislature, the Nebraska uni
cameral. Other features of his career
include his successful battle as leader
of House insurgents, to dethrone
"Czar' Joe Cannon and iberalize the
House rules; joint sponsorship of the
Norris-LaG uardia act that abolished
"yellow dog contracts which COM
PEELED workers to swear they wouldn't
join a union; farm and conservation
legislation; and. in his last and I'M
availing fight, the attempt to abolish
the poll tax as condition of voting
in federal elections.
Some causes for which he battled
are yet to be won. But no other goth
Century Senator at least, and maybe
no other senator, can point to so much
achieved. One rueful and most genu-
inc tribute once came from an Eastern
conservative, who called Norris rural
Western group "sons of the wild
jackass."
A Norris admirer, Stanley Matzke
of Nebraska, says that Senator Norris
really should be honored by the pri-
vate power industry as its savior. Had
it continued to run as hogwild and
selfish as during the roaring ZOOS,
says Matzke, a disguised American
public would long since have taken
it over.
AS it is, with Is per cent of the
nations power publicly supplied at
cost, this serves as one regulator to
keep private power rates in line. Elec-
tricity costs least and is most abun-
dainty used, in and around public
power provinces such as the IVA
and the Pacific Northwest. 1t costs
most, and is least used, where private
power has no public competition any
where near.
PLAN TO NAME LAKE FOR HIM
Nebraskans who admire Norris are
planning a testimonial dinner on his
Tooth birthday; and that his home in
McCook shall eventually become
shrine to his memory, the lake behind
Red Willow Dam is to be
named Norris Lake. Of course the
great Norris Dam and powerhouse on
The Tennessee River constitutes a
ong-standing memorial.
Some admirers think that a re-
1ewed drive for "giant power sys-
,em of electric transmission lines
would be a fitting memorial. Such
program would call for regional and
interties of high-voltage lines
20 carry power from region to region,
% meet peak loads and greatly in
.rease the effective use of power
Without so many new generating
,lants.
This was first advocated by Gift
ord Pinchot, another conservation
,ioneer, in 1925, and had Norris en-
husiastic support. 1t was energetic
lily supported at the recent Western
Water and Power Consumers Con-
erence at Billings, Montana, where
Experts pointed out that every mod
I'm industrial nation now has such
.iant-power grid save the U. S., and
hat Russia in particular is building
is power system in this unified form
rom the start.
A fitting program for new ad-
ministration; and it might well be
called the Norris programi