POWER. 125 



certainly be more than offset by the economic losses resulting from 

 the increased disparity in power supply. There is no occasion, how- 

 ever, to confine attention to coal-field developments without regard to 

 the distribution of water-power resources, which, as already noted, 

 bulk largest in the regions lacking in coal. Rather than to single out 

 the coal regions for favor, it would be preferable to take the opposite 

 course, leaving the near-by sections to be served by freight-hauled 

 coal and relieving the longer hauls by promoting the systematic 

 development of outlying water-power sites, and thereby not only help 

 transportation to better advantage but conserve the natural resources 

 involved and diffuse industrial opportunity as well. But fortu- 

 nately the two lines of action are not alternates. On the contrary, 

 they enmesh in a singularly perfect manner and lead to a common 

 end. In this light it is important to review more specifically the 

 obstacles which have hindered water power and all but excluded 

 coal power from assuming the complementary roles to which they 

 are admirably adapted by virtue of their natural dispositions. 



Of the two, water power may be looked at first, because it is the 

 more conspicuous in its failure and in extenuation offers reasons 

 complicated by a greater scope of variety. For the most part these 

 qualifications have already been examined, and, besides, to a great 

 degree, they are either self-explanatory or, at least, have been given 

 sufficient publicity of discussion to be more or less common property. 

 Accordingly, in the interest of brevity, they may be listed with a few 

 comments only rather than gone into at length. 



1. Adverse legislation. — Here the situation has been clouded by 

 various issues of Federal, State, and individual rights, covering not 

 only the immediate subject of power but sundry other uses, such as 

 stream navigation, likely to be interfered with. In view of these 

 complications, legislation has characteristically been framed with an 

 eye toward legalistic ends rather than in the direction of a genuinely 

 constructive economic outcome. 



2. Puhlic sentiment. — There is a general feeling, natural enough in 

 the strength of its hold, that in the beauty of the country's rivers, 

 v/ith their rapids and waterfalls, adheres a certain nobility of func- 

 tion whose grandeur is the common birthright of all. The surrender 

 of this heritage to the interests of commercialized service is a line of 

 conduct not likely to meet with public approval. Whatever of actual 

 substance in the way of purpose is to be recognized in the fabric of 

 legalism, as noted under the previous caption, has been contributed 

 largely in response to this attitude of public sentiment. The attitude 

 has unquestionable justification and must be reckoned with. Those 

 on the one side who would have it ignored are as far wrong in the 

 solution of the water-power issue as those who would give it unquali- 

 fied heed. Yet the principle is universally recognized that the inter- 



