The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-06-20
ATTACKS FORD
SHOALS OFFER
AS MISLEADING
Representative Kearns, Ohio,
Says Propaganda Used to
Enlist Support of Farmers,
Labor to Proposal.
QUESTIONS PROMISES
fBy Associated Pressl

10y HASSOCldleQ HEeSSD
WASHINGTON, June 20-Henry
Ford's offer to purchase and lease the
governments power and nitrate prof.
ects at Muscle Shoals, Ala, was at
tackled early today in a report to the
house, prepared by Representative
Kearns, Republican, Ohio, and signed
by several other Republican members
of the house military committee The
report declared dissatisfaction with
opinions already presented to the
house by other members of the COM
mittee and announced that the sign
ers were determined to tell "the peo-
ple' the real facts about Muscle
Shoals and the so-called Ford offer"
Representative Kearns said Repre-
sentatives Parker and rockingham
signed the report, although they pre-
viously had indo:sed another minority
opinion. He expected two other COM
mitteemen would sign later, making n
total of eight representatives sigma
lures on the report
Declaring the belief that "the coun-
try little understands what it is that
Mr.. Ford is offering to do, or what,
if anything, he is offering for the
great plant" the signatories first de-
nounce what the describe as "one of
the most insidious propagandas that
the nation has witnessed for many d
day"
Many of the Ford advocates, the re-
port says, are honest and conscien-
tious, but have been misled as to facts
of the offtr. In this connection it
points to the provision by which fer
/ tiliZers would be manufactured and
| says that despite persistent reports
that he will compel the fertilizer
manufacturers of the country to sell
their product at one-half of what thev
are now selling it." Mr. Ford docs
not agree to make fertilizers at all un-
less he can make them with a profit
to himself
/ Says Promise Hollow
4 The committeeman declare this is
a hollow promise made to enlist the
support of the farmer and not founded
on any fact, either contained in the
contract or existing outside the con.
tract" and challenge propagandists to
tell the people that "the principle OF
Mr.. Ford should be to get this plant
: would be the manufacturing of other
articles which he would be allowed tC
sell at any price that he might see
: fit"
"The only thing that is kept before
the public" the report continues, "is
that he is to make fertilizer and sell
it cheaply to the farmer, only charging
for himself a profit of per cent or
the production. No one has ever sug
gested how he could make fertilizers
and sell them cheaply, or what means
he would employ. The bold claim is
made. and congress and the country
must take the statement as absolute
. truth or be forever condemned BY
. this crowd of wicked propagandists.
= PropagandIsts also have attracted
the unemployed the report says, ad
, ding that they "do not only try to thu:
y bribe the sympathy for the farmer
! but try thus to elicit the attention O
the unemployed by painting a ros.
! picture of the great activity that is t
be started overnight at Muscle Shoals
: where they promise million men vii
! be given employment"
9 After explaining their attitude II
opposition to the Ford offer, the com
> mitteemen declare they are not "be
a levers in fables" nor do they thinl
} that Mr.. Ford is the reincarnation o
I Alladin plus his lamp"
. The properties for which Mr.. Fort
offers the government S5,000,00, tn
report says already have cost the gov
n ernment 85,487900 1t declares tn
/ amount offered seems wholly made
n quate when it is remembered that Nj
! Ford could Immediately dispose of th
\ Gorgas plant to the Alabama powe
company for s2.5O0000," and thereb
c obtain the Waco quarry, nitrat
. plants No. and No. ., with all thei
| jnnumerable railroad engines an
|, steam freight cars, steam shovels
/, concrete mixers and other surplu
property that could be readily sol
, Tor several additional millions"