The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-22

great, and to the farmers of the country immeasureabiy greater.
 Hundred-Year Lease
 If the Ford offer should not be accepted by the Congress (and it would seem at this time that the chances are against it), 1t will be due to tho 1o0-year lease provision that is requested and the influences 1t work against the man, personally making the proposal.
 While Q 100-year lease for the governments resources is ordinarily too long, and tho policy of the Con gress, as heretofore expressed, has been in tho disposition of water power rights to limit lease to so years, tho Muscle Shoals project dif- fers from all others.
 The Tennessee river and its trib- utnries offer water power possibil- ities second only to Niagara. Its com mercial possibilities are great. The government undertook to develop these possibilities and has expended approximately s1o0, o00,o0 Without additional expenditures upon the part of the government to complete the project, the benefit of this enormous expenditure is of no avail. When the House of Representatives, during the last Congress, refused to make additional appropriations to complete the plants at Muscle Shoals for the manufacture of fertilizers and re- fused to make additional appropria- tons to complete the dam in the Tennessee river, it looked as if this great undertaking would bs aban- doned. If that action of the Congress is to be taken as conclusive, it has been abandoned.
 Areused Interest
 "In the circumstances, MT. Ford s offer to complete this project under the terms of his proposal, aroused renewed interest, focused the atten- ton of the country upon it and spur red the. Congress to give the Ques- tion immediate consideration. It took the Ford offer to influence the Con- gross to hasten to an understanding that the Muscle Shoals project must not be abandoned, but on the con- trary, should be immediately develop ed.
 Many proposals have been made to the committee. all of which have been carefully considered, and several of which would insure the comple- ticn of that development. The Ford offer has. perhaps, received more att. tention than any of the others, and there Is unquestionably a large mum Der of Senators as we'll as Represen- tatives of the House. who will insist on the acceptance of the Ford pro- posal. l am confident. however, in the circumstances, that whether or not the Ford offer or some other pro posal is accepted, the development at Muscle Shoals is assured and this Congress will either accept some proposal that will insure the success of the project or will see that it is done through direct appropriations from the Federal Government under Federal supervision.
 Receive Assurances
 "It has been very delightful to those of us who have been so inter ested in this development, to re- ceive assurances of cooperation and support from so many of tho Sena- tors and Representatives of other sections of the country. The Ford offer may be turned down and that action may be influenced by the var ious clements that are opposed to Henry Ford personally, but I am quite sure that both in the Senate and in the House. Senators as a rule as well as members of the House. are looking at the question In broad sense without respect to section and without respect to party.
 "I do not believe that there Is a single member of the Senate commit tee on agriculture. who Is not now in favor of completing this project. They will differ as to the various proposals that are pending before the committee, but for the most part these Senators from other sections. who are on the committee having this matter in charge. have taken a deep interest, cooperating in the full est. and, are interested in the compile ton of the development as much as those of us whose constituencies are