The vidette. (Iuka, Tishomingo County, Miss.) 1912-1967, 1922-02-23
Opponents Of Muscle Shoals
Project Are Not Seeking
The American Welfare.

The real fight for Muscle Shoals
began last week when Secretar
Weeks referred the Ford proposal to
Congress. Before that was "ex-
tended order" as the -militaris s
say, and skirmishing. Now comes
the actual fight.
Against Henry Ford is ranged a
mongrel group Of industrial corpora
tions. Some of them are fighting
the Detroit manufacturer in the
open, others are firing from covets.
Vicious and subtle efforts are being
made 70 show that Henry Ford is
merely a. sharp, shrewd trader seek
ing only greater measure Of pl b
LEFTY, or standing ready to wi h.
draw his offer at a moments notice.
The country is flooded with circulars
trying to show that lease Of the
governments properties would es-
tablish a dangerous precedent.
Others are pointing out the enorm-
GUS danger of government subsidies,
when nobody has discussed govern
ment subsidies. Henry Ford has
simply made clean, open-and-
above board bid for properties
which none of his critics, with mil
lions of backing, have shown any
disposition to better,
If the government is morally obli-
gated as to any portion of the prop
critics, doubtless those differences
can be ironed out with Mr.. Ford.
He has shown himself a fair and
reasonable man.
Reports from Washington state
tlat the Military Committee, Satur-
dly was marking time; that hear
ings would be resumed on Monday
when the Detroit manufacturer
representatives would appear before
the committee which is expected TO
ask for certain charges in the
contract submitted to Congress,
Meanwhile anything may happer.
What the country knows is that the
influences working against this
great industrial manufacturer are
sparing neither, time nor money
in their endeayors to show that
Ford is an idealist, impractical,
and al thai. The greatest indus
trial genius of modern times is be
ing fought cover ly and openly by
those who do not give a tinker's
dam il the farmers of America are
exploited and oppressed during the
century in which Ford hopes to aid
AID comfort them; by representa-
tives of those who fear that Ford
will demoralize the labor situation;
by those who fear that his magnifi.
cent genius will be directed to pro-
dlcing necessary commodities now
m lnufactured by great corporations
.tlat have grown fat through mon
opolies.
What Alabamians and South ,rn-
ers should do in this hour when
Muscle Shoals is at issue is TO COM
municate with their representatives
and Senators, charging them to
throw every energy and every leg
mate influence in pursuading tn .ir
colleagues who may, be touched
swayed by the invisible fingers OF
anti-Ford propagandists, to know
that it is not the South alone whose
welfare is in the issue. The devel-
opment of one section and its pros
perily inevitably works for the good
Of the whole nation.
Under Voice of People heading
there appears today a telegram
from L A. May, in Washington; de-
claring that opponents Of the Ford
offer are lighting desperately to OBJ
struct the plans of the great indut-
trialist.
The time is come for action. The
South must declare itself strongly
and in sistfntly, The opposition to
Henry Ford and all his works
comes FROM large interests not from
the masses of Americans that will
be served through Henry Ford's
success. birmingham News.
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