The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-06-23
HOUSE WILL ADOPT
 APPROPRIATION BILL

Washington, June 22.-(Special.) The House will vote tomorrow on the Senate amendment to the army appropriation bill providing for the completion of Wilson dam across the Tennessee river.
 It is understood tonight that the House. will adopt the amendment promptly although an effort will be made by advocates of the Henry Ford bid for Muscle Shoals to amend the amendment In such wise that the money could not be expended until Congress had accepted or rejected the Ford offer As Congress will not pass on that offer until the next session it is probable that the House will not agree to the amendment to the amendment. Immediate resump- tion of work on the dam while the water is low in the Tennessee river. Is regarded as highly important.
 Minority Assaulted
 Gray Silver, Washington repre- sentative of the American bureau federation circulated this afternoon a statement inquiring into the mean ing of the proposed $7,500,000 appro- priation: he advocated withholding the expenditure of the money until action had been had on the Ford offer. In addition, he bitterly as- sailed the eight members of the House committee on military affairs, who. in a minority report. attempted to expose the alleged deception in the Ford offer. His statement in greater part fp'iows:
 "What is the meaning of the
 s7.bOO,000 appropriation. The
 House, having failed to adopt
 government operation md not
 having accepted the Ford pro-
 poaaI for private operation, is
 without policy for either the
 dam or nitrate plant. We ask
 thnt a limitation be placed upon
 this s7 ,500,0O so that it will not
 become available until the Ford
 offer has either been accepted or
 reflected. If the Ford offer IS
 accepted, then the appropriation
 should be applied to 1t under the
 terms of the offer. 1T the roro
 ptan should be rejected. we ask
 that this fund be applied under
 n plnn of government operation
 with distribution through far
 merx organizations.
 IA minority of the military affairs committee of the House have circu- lated report in which the con scientious supporters of the Ford nronosal are referred to NeTher as wicked propagandists or pictured as simple jollible victims of the "Hollow Promise of cheaper fert'- lizers. We resent the statement that the Ford offer contemplates "a fraud" 1t seems to be the familiar cry stop thief whife the seirish interests get away with the goods. We have studied this Muscle Shoals proiect and have investigated t carefully from every angle. The farmer we'll knows what can be done at Muscle Shoals under the Fora plan. and does not need the protec- ton of lf-appointed guardians from the big fertilizer distributing centers and those who represent the selfish interest groups in the upper eastern section of the country, a sec- tion which, although 1t raises but one weeks supply of cereal and meat for itself. has continually undertaken to block the farmer in his efforts to secure cheaper food production and better living condl- tions.
 Burns for Ford
 We state again that. in view Of the known facts. the reasonable ex- pectation, if the Ford offer is ac- cepted, is that 1ertlilzers can pc produced at Muscle Shoals and de- livered to the farmer for about one half what he would otherwise pay for them, and this can be done under the Ford plan by methods that are already ins commercially successful operation in this country
 Before the Senate committee on agriculture today, Major Burns of the nitrate division of the army. recommended that the Gorgas steam plant be sold to the Alabama Power company. that Wilson Dam be com