The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-10-15
HARRISON FLAYS REPUBLICANS AND
 URGES FORD BID
In an 0Id- Time Democratic Speech He Says Republi- cans Promised Prosperity
 and Gave Poverty

Bonneville, Miss, October 14.-fspe-
 cial. .)-Before a crowd that occupied every incn of space Tn the court house and damned the corridors,
 Senator Pat Harrison today extolled
 the virtues of the democratic party
 and flayed the republican adminis- tration. It was an old time demo- cratic speech and he seemed at his
 best. Time and again his sharp wit created laughter. He seemed
 shafts brought cheers and his quick clearly at home and told of instance after instance of the nal -administra-
 tion of the present republican lead
 ership.
 Senator Harrison said in part:
 'They promised prosperity ana have given us poverty. They promised
 us full dinner pails and have given us empty stomachs. They promised us peace and have given us diseofd-
 They promised us action and they
 have given us vacillation. and yet
 with all the deceitfulness of the
 promises and hypocrisy they have
 practiced, they are still trying 10
 hoodwinl the American people into believing that economy has been cs-
 tablished and retrenchment has been
 wrought in the administration or
 governmental affairs.
 Fuel and Transportation
 "Fuel and transportation are among the big national problems which now confront our peopie'
 Muscle Shoals. with the Ford offer accepted. may furnish an opportunity for the country to discover now snei
 fuel and transportation emergencies can be at least in part avoided III
 the future The possibilities for fuel
 conservation and the use of electrical energy as a medium of transportation in the development of Muscle Sh9ais surpasses the imagination
 eThe limitless energy unharnessea i, the Tennessee river and which IS
 susceptible of development Is great CT even than the amount ot horsf power already developed at Niagara Falls The South is rich by irtue or of possibilities of that development. If it should be developed to JUS nlgh est efficiency and the plans of the government engineers and Henry Ford should be carried out In thelr detail, transportation would pc Iaelil-
 tf ted, the fuel question almost solNeo' and the aid to the farmers in cheap
 CT fertilizers would be immeasurapie' Nitrate Shortage
 er,xperience in every agriculturai country has shown that the life or soil production is limited. Only one solution of this problem has been discovered and that is nourishment In the form of fertilizers. The appli- cation of them enhances farm values, increases farm production, ana de- creases the cost of living. In the beginning of the war, experts of the government, after careful survey of the whole country. determineo tlat the Muscle Shoals stite, of all available sites, was most admirable and advantageous for the manufae- ture of nitrates for intuition pur- poses.
 "The large outlay of money on the part of the federal government at Muscle Shoals, reaching to the stu pendous figure Of ninety millions or 1 dollars. was to make secure an ade- ouate supply of nitrates for muni- tions in the event of war It was l wise step. because no great gov l ernment can depend upon another l government for war neoessaries. | However, other considerations en- tered into the development at Muscle | Sholes.
 Three years ago. under the mar l row and partisan and shortsighted | policy of the present administrations. l the whole project was abandoned and | government millions which had been | invested in this great development began to be scrapped and large out- | lays were commanded, not to bring benefits to the farmers according to | the plans to manufacture cheaper | fertilizers. but merely for policing the rapidly deteriorating plants. The whole thing was abandoned until that financial wizard. that mechani- cal genius. that friend of the farmer and far-seeing benefactor, Henry Ford, instilied a new life into the question by making an offer to the Secretary of War that was so attrac- tive as to be almost startling" Ford or Government
 "We have had long and hard fight in the Congress to put over this proposition. So far we have failed. I wisl,-I could bring to you
 and the farmers in the country to- day an assurance that the Ford pro- posal would be accepted and the work immediately begun to bring benefits to you in cheaper fertiliz- CTS. I can not do that, but I can pledge to you renewed efforts to fight and continue to fight until 1t is accepted.
 T am for the acceptance of the Ford offer. first, because I bellye in private initiative, and, secondly, be- cause I think it is fair and its sue
 cess will be better assured; but rather than see the millions invested in the undertaking go to waste and those natural resources undeveloped, I shall, as last resort. use my ef- forts to have the government under faka