The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-26
Has It in His Power to Designate Muscle Shoals Site for Big Munitions Plant
TN HIS DISCRETION
 TOINTERPRET THE
 MEANING OF BILL
Sales of Products" Is Per-
 mitted and the Question Arises Is Electric Power a Product
By HUGH. w. ROBERTS.

Washington, May 25.-6SpeciaL) The realization of the Muscle Shoals dream is in the hands of the President of the United States. This is true not only on account of the fact that the location of the air-nitrate plant, pro- vided for in the ary reorganization bill. is to be determined by the chief execu- tive, but also because on the interpre- tation by the President of the several clauses of the air-nitrate section, the extent of the benefit to be bestowed, depends.
 Should the government locate it's s20, ,Oo0,O plant on the banks of the Tennessee river and operate it only for the purpose of producing gunpowder in sufficient quantities to serve the government in times of peace there is no question but that the plant, in the great majority of it's units of power, would be idle. If, on the other hand. the bill permits the government to
 lease or sell it's surplus power, then great fertilizer establishments, capable of making the south the richest agri- cultural section in the world, will spring up as in a night.
 WHAT IS POWER? I Will the President of the United States conclude that power" is prod uct?
 ] Power, according to the dictionary, | is something generated or produced. | m
 thorizes the government to sell or lease tthe surplus products of fhe-plant. Sen ator Underwood declares that 1t clear ly follows that Ns President is au- thorized to lease or sell the surplus
 power.
 If the President reaches the same conclusion, the 1S0,000-horse power of which Muscle Shoals is capable of pro- ducing, would, if that site is selected, be distributed for the benefit of the
 government and the people, as tho
 chief executive might determine wise. { If on the other hand, the President
 concludes that it was the plain inten-
 tion of Congress to confine the enter-
 prise to the uses of the government
 alone, then it is clear that supplement- l al leg SlSldllOH WILL Dc HCCcoSdly oCAOiO
 the full benefit of the opportunity can 1 be realized.
 1 There is no question but that cer- tain and powerful element of Congress Twas determined that no private cor lporation should be the chief bene-
 fciary.
 i ORIGINAL IDEA LOSES l In the beginning, as is known, the plan proposed was the development of
 Muscle Shoals by the government and Iprivate capital working in conjunction. This plan did not "sit we'll with Con- gress. The air-nitrate section, as final fly enacted contains this section: 1 "The plant, or plans, provided for
 under this act shall be constructed and
 operated solely by the government and not in conjunction with any other in- Idustry or enterprise carried on by pri- vate capital" And yet, the section contains clause permitting the President to employ of fcers agents or agencies to perform
 the duties imposed by provisions of the act. The question has been raised as to
 whether or not the government, denied the right to collaborate with private |capital, is not empowered to dispose of
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