power: its significance and needs. 
29 
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. Public sentiment . — There is a general feeling, natural enough in 
the strength of its hold, that in the beauty of the country’s rivers, 
with 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- 
