The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-01
Means More Than the Com ing of Another Great
 Industry to State
BANKHEAD'S RECORD
 IN GETTING MONEY
Taft's Veto Lost Alabama Nitrogen Manufacturing Plant Which Is Now Operating Success
 fully in Canada
By uueH W. RoBERTs

 If the appropriation bill without hurt ful amendment passes Congress Ala bama will be enriched by the sum or i $2, 100000.
 | Two million dollars Is a large sum or money, and with that large sum Alabama l can do itself incalculable good. And yet there seems to be spirit of apparent indifference. There should be as much satisfaction expressed in Alabama as there would be if new industry were to be founded and developed. For it hap pens that the money is gift The prin- cipal will not be returned. On the sum no interest will be paid. The entire amount will be put into permanent im- provements, and Alabama will reap the benefit for many years to come. The bill provides that the s2,0o0,0Oo shall be expended in the further improvement and development of Alabama rivers. Ala bama has a greater supply of running water than any other state of the union In Muscle shoals Alabama has the great est source of water power wholly in the United States. When these natural gifts are developed. the state will rank high among those commonwealths which are renowned for their riches
 | For the fact that the bill contains such healthy provisions for Alabama. much credit is due Senator Bankhead. The senator is entirely practical. He is willing for others to become famous as eloquent orators. He Is willing that others receive the applause of the null titude. But when it comes to securing appropriations for his state, no man in Congress is his equal.
 | It Is generally admitted that in de- veloping the Warrior river Senator Bank head has performed marvellous task. When he first appeared before the rivers and harbors committee with a cry for
 money, some facetious member asked concerning the amount of freight which
 that stream transported in year. The
 senator. in reply. admitted that there
 was at that time less than ton of
 freight. He quickly suggested, however,
 that the Congress was expected to ap-
 propriate money for the purpose of de- veloping freight tonnage. He carried his point and secured his appropriation
 When he appeared the following session with a cry for more money for the War | rior river, a member even more facetious l than the first named, told him that he would vote for a bill providing for the
 macadamizing of the bed of the river.
 But the senator stuck to his task and got the money,
 1 In all he has secured from the gov ernment a sum totalng $ll000,o00 for the Warrior river alone. With the money to
 be obtained from the present bill the
 rivers improvement will be completed.
 It will be-with the assistance of it's concurrent streams -navigable the year
 round from a point near Cordova to Mobile bay.
 | In discussing these matters and others with Alabama representatives in Wash | ington the other day. T developed that Alabama lost the plant for manufactur- l ing nitrogen because President Taft was not practicable. The plant was eventually established in Canada. IL is now manu- featuring 6o,000 tons Of nitrogen the year.
 Fifteen per cent of that nitrogen goes into | fertilizers. The remainder is used in the fmanufacture of explosives.
 The Alabama Power company offered
 to build a dam at Its own expense in the | Coosa river provided the government
 would permit the company to make use of the surplus power developed Because | the bill did not contain clause permit | ting the government to exert its power of taxation, Mr. Taft vetoed the entire prop | osition. Senator Bankhead visited the
 President. urging him to withdraw his veto. The senator explained to the Presi- dent that the idea contained in the bill was the exact duplicate of the idea ex- plotted by Taft when he was Secretar! | of War. The President admitted that
 fact, and added that he was of that same opinion still.
 But" he was quoted as having said. 'it is too near the close of my admin istration to have a quarrel with my Secretary of War"
 | The bill was vetoed and the plant went to Canada. It is highly successful It will soon be manufacturing a sufficient supply of nitrogen to guarantee Cana dians cheap fertilizer for their entire crops. It will do Chill an irreparable in- l jury--for from that country America is
 buying at high price the same grade of fertilizer which Is manufactured Sso cheaply in Canada But for the veto of Mr. Taft, Alabama would have been the gainer.
 ] Of course, there is difference of opinion as to the ethics. the fine and technical points involved. But, at the same time that plant would have been of incalcula- be value to Alabama. For Alabama is an agricultural state, and if it attains It's | just rank in the list of agricultural states.
 1t must produce twice and three times as much to the acre as 1t produces today. ] That end can be obtained only through | the use of fertilizers Fertilizers in suf- fcient quantities can be obtained only when fertilizers are considerably cheaper
 than they. are at the present time. This is an idle speculation, inasmuch as the plant has already been established in | Canada. But it Illustrates the point that greater practicability and less technical | and illogical interference is needed in | affairs of state-not only in rational af-
 fairs, but in state affairs.
 l It is an excellent idea to catch your
 rabbit before endeavoring to pull his tail. | If the plant had been established in Ala | bara, Alabama could have proceeded
 without hindrance in the act of its regu-