Show DEFEAT MEASURE congress is about to decide tn in the session which opens december 4 whether jaural resources meng 3 to the people and officially valued at hundreds of millions ot of dollars shall or riot not bo be given away to certain special interests which are already alread y rich enough unless tho the people take a hand the decision Is sure to go against them the iniquitous shields waterpower water power bill has passed tho the senate it makes a present ot of the public water powers on our navigable streams to the wat interests the power thus handed over without compensation Is esI estimated mated at sixty million horsepower r or double the power of every kind now used to run every train trolley factory shop mill boat beat mine and ight plant n tho the united states while the grant Is ostensibly limited to fifty years it is in tact fact perpetual because tho the conditions under tinder which the people might regain control of their property are made prohibitory hibi tory as even advocates ot of the bill frankly admit in III practical effect a perpetua ul monopoly Is given away for nothing this bill has also passed the house but tit in a different arid and better form it Is now in conference wo we know from tile the statement ot of senator nf na 1 I son on oil the floor of tho the senate that the friends ot of tile the waterpower water power interests expect to control the conference it Is worth noting therefore that tile the conferees from tire tho house and senate are now meeting although congress dw doe not bonveno until december 4 A vigo effort was made to pass this indefensible raid on the alio public property while the public atten at tenton tol was on art tho the titer international national crisis lat winter it failed ailed because editors of the country oame to the defense of at tile the public rights arid and the bill was postponed until after election another vicious measure Is tile myers bill which does for ors ers on public lands what the shield bill does on oil navigable streams tile the two are cut froin tire the same piece of cloth and have the same interests belind them the myers bill is on the senate calendar and will bo be considered early in the coming session these two bills give away public property to powerful monopolists that la Is bad enough but the oil land provisions of tile the phelan bill aro are even worse this bill will bo be taken up immediately when congress convenes it disposes of vast areas of at pubic soll oil lands on terms unfair to the public it Is almost unbelievable but this measure actually gives away the fuel oil reserves of the united states navy to claimants wh whom am the supreme court recently declared to have no legal rights whatever tho the ef lency of the navy our first arid and most important line of national defense Is to bo be sacrificed to tho the profits of the standard oil company the santa fe railroad interests and a other claimants who want what they havo have no right to get As to this tho the navy department has officially said oil burning naval vessels possess uch such s manifold military advantages adan over chaj buri bursting ting vessels that it would bo be practically suicidal artom a military pont of vow vew for tire tho nav navy department to abandon the poley of building oil burning ships but the demand that this legislation be arid and the support that this bill has rece received ivea have caused lie ho navy department part ment to seriously consider the of abandoning tills this policy and thus design ships known to be interior interior to ships which every country possessing an air oil supply can build these bills havo have mado made kiich progress that the advantage of position Is with them arid and against the public every effort will be made to jam them the beginning of tire the short session of congress powerful water waterpower power arid and oil interests aro are fighting for them wo we appeal to our ol 01 ir readers as citizens interested in the public welfare without regard to politics to lend a hand in attig these attacks on public property and on tho the safety and welfare of tho the navy and the nation lot us all sit lawn down and write to our congressman and senators to do their u utmost to block these moves of th the powerful interests to obtain that which rightfully bolonga belongs longa to the people and from which the people should benefit |