If the House corrects its own bill
and then passes it, the good bill from
the House and the bad bill from the
Senate will go to conference, and the,
differences will be adjusted by the
conferees. The manages of the
water power campaign believe that
a majority of the conferees will be
friendly to them, and will report a
bill in their interest. They will then
try to rush the conference bill
through, probably in the confused
and crowded final hours of the ses
sion., Such a plan has often served
the specific interests in the past, and
it is dangerous now.
During the debate on the Shields
bill, this course was openly advised.
There was under discussion an
amendment giving preference to the
applicant for a public water power
who offers the best terms to the pub
lic. One of the supporters of the
,Shields bill, Senator Nelson, of Min
nesota, after referring to the amend
ment as “bad and vicious,” went on
to say: “It is something that we
can eliminate in conference. * * ::
We might let it go in and then dis
pose of it in conference.” (Con
gressional Record, March 8, 1916,
page 4285.)
We can beat this plan only by
letting the people understand the
facts. This the power interests have
set out to prevent by confusing the
public mind with interested state
ments and personal attacks.
I am asking for your help once
more to get the House to pass a
good bill, and then to stand by it,
no matter what the conferees may
do. If the House stands firm, the
people will win this fight. But the
House needs to know that the peo
ple are behind it.
