The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-04-22
WANT GUARANTEE
ON BIG PROJECT
Private Corporation Look 10
Muscle establishments
By Weeks.

would complete the government pro-
iects at Muscle shoals in the Ten
nessee river provided some private
CORPORATION guaranteed the govern
ment a fitting return on its invest
ment, waterpower companies have
been unusually busy. The engineers
of several of these companies have
already been on the scene Of the
stupendous works, and almost daily
their representatives have dropped
off" in Washington. !
Under instruction Of the secretary
of war, General Lansing Beach,
chief of the corps of government
engineers is conducting the negotla-
tons between the government and
the companies. He has just announ-
ced that he will be unable to UNDER
take a scheduled i%ntinerary because
of such negotiations. This has left
the impression that the matter ap-
proached a climax. At any rate, the
idea prevails that Secretary Weeks
in a very short time, will be in posi-
ton to ask congress to appropriate
,$so,oeo,o0o the amount which it is
estimated will be required to COM
plete the Wilson dam.
i National Asset
The Muscle shoals properties are
admittedly a national asset Of meal
culable value. In the event of war
they will make the United States in
dependent of Chile for the basis OF
its explosives. In time OF peace they
will be able to produce very high
grade fertilizer very eheaply. There
will be $4,000 horsepower capable
of lighting the entire South and
turning the wheels of industry with
the conservation of an infinite guam
tity of coal. .
There is, of course, certain dis
satisfaction expressed over the plan
of turning Muscle shoals over to pri-
vate corporations. Under the plan
proposed by the Wilson administra-
ton, the government would produce
the fertilizer and would not be pri-
marily interested in profit making
Fertilizer produced by a private cor
poration, even though produced very
cheaply in a comparative sense,
would be retailed, in all probability,
at trust prices. Under the Wilson
plan, every farmer in the United
States would have received the bene-
1T of Muscle shoals fertilizer. IN
der the Harding plan, the benefici-
aries will be those farmers living
close enough to enjoy "short hauls'
in transportation. All the South will
be included, nevertheless"
When the plan of the former ad-
ministration was before congress
cetrain Republicans, notably Sena-
tor Lenroot and Representative
Good, chairman of the appropria-
tions committee, charged that the
scheme lily concealed the desire of
the administration to turn the
Muscle shoal properties over to the
watespower complications, notably
the Alabama Power company. Since
the Republican administration is pre-
pairing to do openly what they
charged the preceding administra-
ton was attempting to do, which
charge was denied by the preceding
administration, the action of these
partisan Republicans is anticipated
with interest. Likewise, the trusts
of the country, the gunpowder, the
fertilizer, the w~aterpower and 9TH
ers, which fought the government
scheme because of prospective com-
petition, and which spent a vast sum
of money in denouncing the plants
as worthless, now see something of
transcendant value in the proper
ties. It is anticipated that they will
be found ardently supporting the
plan of Secretary Weeks when it is
finally promulgated. &
The government will have expend-
ed more than $1,000 OO, 900 when the
plants r. completed, and the dam
constructed. The dam which bears
the name of President Wilson, will