Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1922-08-16
WHAT HENRY FORD WANTS;
WHAT He PROPOSES TO DO
Mortal Man Never Before Asked So
Much and Offered So Little
in Return.

| in Return.
Many people throughout the South
have gone hog wild" to use common
expression, over their desire to have
Henry Ford get and operate Muscle
Shoals. In order to show what he
wants and what he proposes to give in
return we here give extracts from the
report made by the committee before
which the Ford offer was placed for
consideration and reported to congress
The report says:
"Of all the bids that were made for
| Muscle Shoals by private individuals
and corporations, the only one that
has received serious consideration by
the committee or by the country has
been the one made by Mr.. Henry Ford
of Michigan.
"In considering the bid made by Mr..
Ford we ought at the beginning to
realize that Mr.. Ford makes no prop
sition by which he is bound in any
particular as an individual. His propo-
sition is that he will organize a corp
Grafton with a capitalization OF $Io,-
ooo 900, and it is with this corporation
that the government must deal if 1t ac-
cepts Mr.. Fords offer. There is no
agreement or even implication that
Mr.. Ford will retain control of this
corporation even during lifetime. He
would not violate his bid if i'll the or
ganization of the corporation he did
not own any of the stock. Neither
would he violate his proposition either
in letter or spirit if after the organi-
cation of the corporation under his
control he should at once sell part
or all of his stock.
Ford Not Obligated Personally
Regardless of this, however, and
assuming (Which is probably tair 10
Idol that Mr.. Ford intends to and Will
~ long as. he lives retain controihng
interest in the orporation. it Will De
but a few years until Mr.. Ford Will
have to surrender its control, and the
corporation will be, as Tar as anyone
can see now, the same as any other
CORPORATION. 1t will be in the business
for what profit there is in it tor the
cornoration. 1t will sell, if it can, to
an advantage, and it will operate with
view of making as much money as
nossible out of the business. This is
not mentioned as one of the cold facts
that confront us when we are trying
to solve the question of the best IN
terests of the country. Mr.. Ford Is
between 60 and 70 years OF age. II tne
government should turn this properly
over to his corporation, it would ploD-
ablv be from four to six years before
The dams would be complete, and by
tho time the corporation got INTO ac-
tive operation Mr.. Ford would be Ill
the neiphborhood of 70 years OF age
Il ;s quite evident, therefore. that MS
conn ection with Muscle Shoals woufo
he Int small fraction OF the time
Included in his bid for 100 years.
continuing the report analyses MT
Fords bid under two headings rns.
. the property to which his corpora!'oi,
would get absolute title by outrigh,, !,
sale and second, the property wmcn
, his corporation would secure lease
for Coz term of 100 years. This part OF
The ANALYSIS of the Ford bid in every
, aar+;cr1ar the ommittee draws the tel'
: lowing conclusion
Ford Guarantees Nothing.
"The wonderful propaganda that ma :.
been carried on over the country II
., favor of the Ford offer has lea tn'
5 neonle to have an entirely erroneous
;dea az to what the Ford offer reaii!
. ;s Il is difficult to harmonic ou
\ idea of Mr.. Fords fairness with III
silence on this subject, when his nam
n ;s ca often used in exaggeration an
:. ,n;srenrese entation as to just wnat II
does offer to do. The country has pee
3 a;ven to understand that Mr.. FOR
e. Guaranteed to reduce the cost o
fertilizer by one-half: He mas aon =,
nothing of the kind. He has mace !.
S guaranty of any kind in the way .
= the reduction of the cost OF tertiiizel
e The country has been given to unoei
e stand that he pays the government, II,
f nercent interest on investment IN IN
l. two dams. He does nothing OF Tn
lind. He has not made any such o. J:
Co. and no such proposition is IT
GUIDED in his bid. Giving this corpo'
st;on credit for every dollar that
$ pays, he will be paying to the ne. 'anpas ,nans
IS ers less than 8 percent on tne .no"e :
which he uses out of the treasury
, the limited States, and when we COZ
- .;d.r that this loan runs for 100 yea
d T. requires even the stretch OF IN
At ;ma pination to understand the eno'
NOUS profit that his corporation 81
cures in this one item alone.