The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-03-13

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 the Ford offer.
 But the bid of the Alabama Power | company is not the last and only ef- | fort to defeat the Ford offer, en- gineered by the allied interests. Un- able to stem the tide of public senti- nlOnt which was sweeping Ford to victory, Chairman Kahn of the comes forward with a new propo- sition most sdroitly presented, marked with an air of fairness, and yet which, if adopted. would defeat l the Ford offer and enthrone the Alabama Power company and It's al lied interests in triumphant power. Abandon Constitutional Duty According to his plan. Congress | Is to abandon It's constitutional duty and to transfer all of its power to a | commission of three cabinet officers, to adjust all legal difficulties. straighten out all government tan gles, and to sell or lease the prof ect to private interests. This com l mission, according to Mir. Kahn, is to report to Congress at it's next ses- l sion so Aa to give ample time to study the question and to make clear and concise report, This offer Is an insidious appeal to every vaoil- latinE and cowardly congressman who. opposing tho Ford offer. trem- bles with fear at the consequences in ! the fall election.
 That such an offer is made almost purely in the interests of the Ala bamA Power company the public fully understands. The opponents of the Ford offer can we'll rejoice, be- cause its succsss would mean the bidder for Muscle Shoals. The sue cess of the Kahn offer would mean that commission composed of the Secretary of War-who has always opposed the Ford offer and now ef- fers the bid of the Alabama Power company. the Secretary of tho Treas ury--the acknowledged head of tho aluminium trust, would constitute a majority of the commission: and that they would immsd iatsIy and cheer fully expunge. reject and disailow the Ford offer. If such & commission were created, they would, with equal promptness and with equal unanim- ity, award the contract to the Ala bama Power company and their allied interests, and thus secure the tri- umph of big business and special interests.
 kahn's Opinion
 MT. Kahn seems very much dis turbed because he says the contracts for option by the Alabama Power company and the American Cyana- mid company. although pronounced illegal and void and enforceable by the judge advocate Eeneral--the leading legal authority of the war department-wou1d be taken into the courts and draE theix weary way through court afSer court until some day the supreme court settles the question of the rights involved, thus preventing tho speedy completion and operation Of the Muscle Shoals project.
 "It seems to mo tho chairman of the House military affairs committee woefully mistakes the sentiments. the courage and the spirit of the Amer lean people. They are always ready to deal justly and with impartial honesty and fairness with all bid ders for the Muscle Shoals project But MT Kahn should understand that before they will be coerced by the threats of protracted litigation, by arrogant and selfish corporations, to yield to their demands and award them a contract, the consequences of which involve such vast results, and basely surrender at their threats the constitutional duty of Congress, the American people had rather see the Muscle Shoals project junked or awarded to Henry Ford on any terms he might offer.
 "The American people are not mis- led: they know that the Kahn offer. however sincere. is . last desperate attempt to defeat the Ford offer and sratify big business by carrying out the selfish purposes of tho Alabama Power company. Let mo say that God pity the congressman who ia willing to surrender hts sense of duty to cowardly expediency, to defy pub lie sentiment and to betray the in- terests of the people in order to ad- vance the purposes of a favor seeking, unpatriotic and monopolistic corporation.
 General Dam Acts
 ''The Alabama Power company has strenuously insisted that the Ford offer violates the policy of the fed eral government, Es shown by the General Dam Acts, in asking for a lease for 100 years. Yet 1t is well known that by the legislation they have procured in Alabama they &C., quired not for term of years, but In perpetuity,' all the valuable water power sites in the state.
 If they are now sincere that no water power company should be in- vested with the control of a water power Slt0 TOT OV6T bU y6afG. are they willing to surrender back to the state for that term all the power sites which they have heretofore &C., quired in perpetuity--sites which they acquired through paid lobbyists, by secret and sinister methods and without tho knowledge of the public? In Alabama, by tho act found in Section 3627 of the Code. the state, In effect, made an absolute gift of all of its water power rights to the Ala bama Power company without exact ing ono cent of toll or revenue. Be- fore the passage of these laws no dam could be erected across any nav igable stream without the consent of the state legislature, and the result of this unwise legislation was to en- able the Alabama Power company to acquire all the water power sites in Alabama practically without cost
 "As shown by Poe's Manual of 1921. on pages 2o53-2o5s, the Alabama Power company acquired by merger or purchase the property of the fol- lowing corporations: The Alabama Electric company. wetumpka Power company, Alabama Power and Elec- tric company. Alabama Power Devel- opment company, Anniston Electric and Gas company. Huntsville Rail- way, Light and Power company. Pell City Light and Power company, Sell ma Lighting company. Il was some time before the people discovered the sinister purpose of these purchases. Although 1t was producing power far cheaper than the public had ever believed possible, it was against the policy of the Alabama Power com pany to sell their power directly to the consumers and give them the benefit of the low cost of tho produc-