48 PouETH Annual Kepokt of the 



political question, made so by those self-constituted representa- 

 tives of tlie people who carry on a kind of political blackmail 

 against those who differ from them on public questions of this 

 character. These men are not of the best citizens, nor of the 

 most intelligent, but they are most ingenious in their method of 

 advertising and of ingratiating themselves as the self-sacrificing 

 friends of those who plow and those who spin. 



Many politicians, or, rather, men in public life, yield to the 

 menacing of the supporters of this idea, more fearful of their 

 personal safety in public office than in the soundness of the 

 position into which they are forced. Courage is at the bottom of 

 all big successes. ISTo important success ever comes to one who 

 fears failure. The merits or demerits of the water power ques- 

 tion are never entered into as a matter of government by those 

 persons; the logic or philosophy of the events sun-ounding the 

 situation are in nowise considered. 



However, I, myself, do not believe that this is a question which 

 engineers can settle. At the outset they were necessary to prove 

 the volume of water and its generative power, but that has been 

 determined over and over again. This was the first step and no 

 second step has ever been taken. The question has been, as it 

 were, marking time. 



In public matters delay has its full quota of contributory 

 causes ; namely, weakness in men, lack of decision and confidence, 

 fear of responsibility, inefficiency, procrastination, want of 

 capacity, poor in courage and the thousand-and-one other appre- 

 hensions which beset the way of the wrong man. Protracted de- 

 lay is the greatest of all evils. In my judgment, a procrastinat- 

 ing administration is worse and more expensive than a vitiated 

 administration. The restraints of some administrations are as 

 bad as the extravagances of others. Consequently, the delay at- 

 tending this power question is the most pernicious wrong possible 

 to the State. So, also, should a policy of devolution be avoided 

 at this time. 



It is high time that another step was taken toward the solution 

 of this question, and no other step can or will be taken without 

 courage — a courage that rises above the fear of the poor man's 

 political support, the vagaries of which mean nothing, as well as 



