The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-07-17
O'Neal Says Coal Operators Behind Talk of Switch
 ing to the Warrior
TENNESSEE URGED
 FOR FARMERS AID
billiard Replies to Statement of H. K. Miner on Subject Pub- lished in Yesterdays
 Age-Herald

Former Governor Emmet ONeal. now vice chairman of the Muscle Shoals as- sociation, has written The Age-Herald an opinion on the location of the nitrate plant. wherein he points out the virtues Of Muscle Shoals as the logical location for the plant
 N J. Billiard, another strong booster for Muscle Shoals, has sfven his version of the Muscle Shoals site in answer to an interview with H. Key Millner, which appeared in The Age-Herald of yester- day.
 Governor o'Neals and Mir Dillard's in- tcrviews are given below in the order named:
 The effort now being made by certain sfeeial interests to create a sentiment against the location of the nitrate plant at Muscle Shoals is both unwise and un- patriotic.
 We should not by any division frit- ter away the greatest opportunity that has ever come to Alabama or the south No intelligent man who has given any study to the subject can seriously con- tend that sufficient power can be devel- oped on the Warrior river for the loca-
 
 Shoals can be secured the greatest unde- veloped water power in the United States and all the authorities agree that the power that can be developed will be cheaper and more abundant than at any other location.
 COAL OPERATORS ACTIVE
 Tt is very singular that those who are most insistent upon the location of the nitrate plant on the Warrior river are coal operators or interested in the de- velopment of coal properties. The entire south was practically united on the Mus cle Shoals project until shortly before the visit of the interdepartmental board. About that time large coal operators com menced secret campaign for the War; rior river, influenced chiefly by desire to protect their own interests rather than to secure cheaper nitrates.
 Even now they are contending that air nitrogen can be prodaced more cheap ly by steam than by hydro-electric power. If their contentious were sound Congress should have located the nitrate plant at some large coal mine, instead of on some great navigable stream. However, by the passage of the present Law Congress, in eHect ueclueu lnat dDundant and cheap nitrates, both for fertilizers and muni- tions, could only be secured by the de- velopment of hydro electric power.
 CONTEST ALREADY DECIDED
 The contest between steam and water power has, therefore, been decided and the coal operators should gracefully sub init to the Judgment Or the experts and of the Congress of the United States The rivalry between different locations was to be expected. but it must be re- memb cred that the development of hydro electric power supersedes steam. It is very clear, therefore, that the activity of the large coal operators to defeat the Muscle Shoals project is not inspired so much by a desire to secure cheaper ni- trates, both for fertilizers and munitions, as by tiie hope and purpose of preventing further water power development.
 The manufactures of fertilizer of the by-products of coke ovens, the powder trust the steel trust, and the coal barons have all been secretly using every possible means to Qefeat or delay the development of the enormous water power at Muscle Shoals. To accomplish their own selfish purposes, they would be willing to sacrifice the hopes of our large farming interests, whose prosperi- ty will so largely depend upon the pro duction of cheaper and more abundant fertilizers.
 T am convinced that their secret or their open hostility, the widespread in- fluence they command by force of their wealth, will prove unavailing. The President of the United States is deeply
 (Continued or Page Thirteen)