The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-01-31


er sections. Beyond all this the feel
ing obtains largely among the peopl,
here that Mr.. Ford's methods are al
truistic, and he would not conduct tn,
Muscle Shoals enterprise in coldl,
selfish way for the sake Of profit tina
might be spent elsewhere, but woul.
have view to the general welfare"
The Ford offer as the Baltimore sur
(lnd. Dem.) analyses it, has "two un
desirable features, the long term O.
the lease, and fixed payment for az
indeterminate amount Of power" The
lease, it holds, should be for q much
shorter term than 100 years." anc
following customary engineering
practice, the payment for power
should bear some relation to the
amount of power used" The Utica
Press (Ind) reports that "statis.
ticians and accountants who have
carefully figured it out say that if the
Ford offer is accepted it would leav,
the government loser at the end OF
the lease the modest sum of 1884.
935, 900, which, of course, would come
from the taxpeyer. This nearly bill
lion dollars amounts to n subsidy to
the proposed purchaser" But "much
edge" is taken off the critical ANALYSIS
of the offer which tend to show it uu
"as Shylock bargain in which Ford
gets everything and the government
loses" the Hartford Times (Dem. \
believes, by the fact that
"Other men in the country compc-
tent to take over the Muscle Shoals
proposition had their opportunity and
some of them did submit bids, but
none of these bids was deemed by the
secretary Of war to be in class with
Ford's. Ford stands, therefore, as the
one man in the country who was able
to make bid for the plant and pro-
ject that the War Department deemed
worthy of consideration"
"The alternative is scrapping the
whole project, and that from the
Southern viewpoint is unthinkablc. II
is idle, the Knoxville Sentinel Und.
Dem.) maintains, "to talk of the cost
to the government of Muscle Shoals
plant in discussing Henry Ford's of
fer for it. 1t is question of scrap
ping the plant or making it produc-
tive, with an equitable basis of salvage
the only issue. But it is becoming ap-
parent, the New Orleans Item Und.)
warns, "that powerful established in
terests would prefer to see the whole
vast investment Mt Muscle Shoals &c
down as another item Of war waste
than see it in any hands that might
turn it to useful purposes, that might
threaten competition" Opposition, the
Florida Metropolis Jacksonville,
Eem.) points out, "is not expressing
itself in greater bids; but is confning
itself to the effort to eliminate Ford
from the situation and by forcing con-
tinued government control, keep down
competition in those things Muscle
Shoals is capable Of producing"
The nature of the fight which 'huge
corporations" will make ,on the pro-
posed contracts is suggested" by the
violent barrage already started by the
National Fertilizer Association" an
organization which .Sth - nin gtou
News (Ind) calls "a suffering wa,
baby" that wants "to keep on its
little feet" However, as the st. Louis
Post Dispatch (Ind.) points out, "the
final decision on the Ford offer TO-
Muscle Shoals will be made by Con.
gress," and Birmingham News (Dem
feels confident in predicting that "tht
farm bloc will fight for the contrac'
tooth and hair" and even the mos
hard-boiled of reactionaries in con
gress have certain elements of agri
culturists in the constituencies will
whom they will have to reckon shoult
they stand against this effort to pro
duce, at minimum cost, fertilizers with
which to feed hungry Soils"