Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-07-27
CHARGES LOBBY
STEERS Project


The Chicago Tribune today carried the
following dispatch under Washington
date lire:
WASHINGTON. July 2T-Henry Ford's
offer to lease and purchase the Govern
ments 100000 600 war plants at Muscle
Shoals. Ala. is virtually identical in terms
and phraseOlogy with the tentative pro-
Dosal' J. ". Worthington. the Muscle
Shoals promoter. reported to other mem
bers OF the lobby organization he had
prepared for Mr.. Ford.
This fact is established by comparison
OF the Ford text made public Tuesday By
Secretary Weeks with the Worthington
text IN the possession of The Tribune.
In only half a dozen paragraphs are
there any differences at all
The 10 per cent limitation OF profit on
nitrate production in the Worthington
draft is made 5 per cent IN the Ford
letter.
Here IS a sample Of the few other
provisions in which there is no varia-
ton:
WORTHINGTON TEXT.
81. If the United States viii promptly
resume construction work on the Wilson
dam and as speedily as possible com
plete the construction of the dam and
progressively install hydro electric ia
elites and equipment for generating
$4,000 horse power, then the company
viii agree TO lease from the United
States the Wilson dam, its power house
and all Of its hydro electric and Operat-
ing appurtenances for a period Of 100
years from the date OF the completion of
the dam and its pOwer-hOuse facilities
and the company viii pay TO the United
States per cent on the remaining cost
of the dam and power house facilities
taken at S2O,0G0O00 in payments of ST.
10000 annually, except that during the
-f-- faH ~
ments shall begin and be made annually
FORD TENT.
81. II the United States will prompt
~ resume construction work on the
Wilson dam ana as speedily as possible
complete the construction Of the dam.
and progressively install hydro electric
Facilities and equipment for generating
$4,000 horse power, then the company
viii agree TO lease from the United
statas the wilson dam. its power
house, and all Of its hydro electric md
operating appurtenances, together with
al lands and buildings owned by the
United States, connected with and
adjacent 20 either end of the Wilson
dam for a period o. 100 years from
the date OF the completion OF the dam
and IT'S power house facilities; and the
company win pGy to the United States
g per cent on the remaining cost Of the
docks. the dam. and the power house
facilities. taken NJ S20OH.tp3. in pay
ments Of 81 .2O0O00 annually. except
that during the first six years Of the
lease period payments shall begin and
be made annually as follows.
wORTHINGTON's
PET PROJECT.
The powerful lobby organized by Mr..
Worthington to put through the project
for the further expenditure Of public
funds at Muscle Shoals has gone TO ex-
creme lengths TO prevent publication Of
this evidence that Mr. Ford's plan was
prepared by the Muscle Shoals promoter
whose previous efforts for fifteen years
to finance this water power scheme from
the public funds has been defeated in
Congress.
Mr.. WOrthington said the Ford project
is meritOrious, but complained pUblica-
tion Of the documents. showing its origin.
would rain It. a Mr. Ford undoubtedly
would withdraw his offer.
The Ford offer is only the most recent
IF many efforts by private enterprises to
have public money spent at Muscle
Shoals.
In 1907 and for several years there
after the Muscle Shoals bills in Congress
were for the development OF water power
under the guise OF improving navigation.
the Government 10 build the dams and
the Muscle Shoals Hydro Electric Power
Company 10 sell the power. Mr.. Worth
ington was an officer of that corporation.
In 1914 the plan WorthingtOn was pro-
noting provided that the Government
should fnanaee or partially finance the
construction OF the dams and grant the
corporation a 100 year lease. the same
period as the Ford proposal names.
All previous attempts to obtain Gov
eminent development of the Muscle Shoals
water power. for private interests, having
failed, the scheme reappeared in 1916 as
plan to produce the nitrates to be used
in the manufacture of explosives.
Il then decided" Mr.. Worthington tes-
tilted in 1920 before the Graham Com
mittee. that the only hope for the de-
velopment of the great possibilities at
Muscle Shoals and at other points on the
tennessee River would probably be that
Congress would have to decide, or the
Government would have TO decide. Ger
tainly so If we went into the war, upon
some plan Of providing the country with
the needed supply OF nitrogen"
VOTES CASH, But
GETS NO NITRATES.
Congress voted S2O.OOOOOO to establish
nitrate plants az points approved by tie
Secretary OF War A board recommend
ed Chattanooga, but President Wilson
on intercession by Senator Martin of
Virginia, directed that the plant be
rlaceQ at SneIAlelQ. Ala, three miles from
Muscle Shoals. Mr. Wilson also alIo-
Gated S1TOOO,OoO Of war funds to the
construction of the Wilson dam, al
though it was shown the dam could not
be completed for years. while nitrates
could be produced with water power at
Niagara Falls within fourteen months.
= The Wilson administration also To-
Gated another nitrate plant at Muscle
Shoals and two more We're placed in
Ohio for the purpose, according to
sworn testimony, later to quiet Repre-
sentative LOngworth of Ohio, but that
failed. as did the production Of nitrates
For when hostIities ceased Nov. II. 1918
not a pound of nitrates had been pro-
duced at those plants.
But WorthingtOn and his associates
bad started public funds flowing into the
Muscle Shoals development project Hos
tilities at an end, the Worthingtou
lobby pressed Congress for $4,000 600 TO
continue the construction of the Muscle
Shoals dam. so the farmers might get
fertilizer cheaply.' This effort failed.
Secretary Weeks at the start of the
Harding regime proposed that private
enterprise should take over and develop
the Muscle Shoals plants. Soon there
after the Muscle Shoals promoters were
found al work on the Ford project, the
Government to finance the construction.
& Congressman Graham says the dam is
one-third complete at a cost of $1,000,
coo expended, and that maximum horse
power at food season would be 100000
while the Ford offer calls for 100000
t. ia