The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-03-15
LETTERS TO EDITOR
ITO HAVE AND TO HOLD.

Jnlck With loSt opportunities, dead hopes and unrealized ambitions. Fear and hesitation are the twin bandits and nocturnal thieves who be- set the highways, sandbag and blackjack the fearful and hesitant traveller and rob him of his possessions. This is as true of nations and states of men. Fear insures failure and hesitation leads to poverty and serfdom.
 One who is afraid to trust his own judg- ment, to assume responsibilities and obligations will ever be found taking the hireling's pence while his more aggressive neghbor takes the masters pounds. Fear of failure drives us to grotesque positions and forever warps our fu- ture. Therefore, I hold it to be an unpardon- able sin, colossal blunder, and irretrievabe miscarriage of statesmanship, and an act of blinded indifference and hesitant assininity to allow our Muscle Shoals property to be put up at public vendue to become the batted ball of alien interests, the bone of contention between financial and possibly political giants and eventually, national joke.
 Neither Henry Ford nor the Alabama Power company should have any lot nor part in 1t, but it should become and remain the property of the state of Alabama. Its mighty power should flow to turn the wheels of industry in the development of the natural resources of She state.
 No state east of the Mississippi river has a more valuable piece of property. Electrical science is as yet, scarcely more than an un- born child in it's application to human living. Let us set down here that the mind of man cannot conceive of the multitudinous benefits that cheap electrical energy would bring to our people. It is the blind Sampson turning the mills of the world.
 If we had a hundred thousand acres of the finest wheat land in the union, would we give it to Henry Ford for the blowing of it? If we had like area of the finest forests of virgin pine, would give it to the power company for the cutting of it on the sole condition that it sell us the slabs at their own price? The wealth locked up in the laws of nature, as they operate at Muscle Shoals, is greater than the measure of mans mind, and shall we barter it away, and in after years, buy it back thou sand times and yet not own it?
 We are told that Esau sold his birthright for something to eat sold his gift from God to i'll his belly with mess of pottage. I ask you, men of Alabama, whence came this great water power? Who carved out the hills of Ten nessee and north Alabama that the waters of the Tennessee might come down through our state in that marvellous sweep of beauty and power? Was it Henry Ford? Was it the power company? Or was it the Great Father? And shall part with this gift from His hand and that too, for consideration little in advance of what the wiley Jacob paid the thrifty Esau?
 Shall we sell or give away our water power as we have our iron, coal and timber for the privilege of working by the day for the new owners? Let the shouted "No" of thousand men, shouted and echoed and shouted again, be our answer to that suggestion.
 He who says that Alabama cannot raise the money to develop this property is chattering the conventional nonsense of business towards.
 recent showing of the Alabama Power company disclosed that our people have fr-- nished a large part of the money for the de- veopment of that institution. This being true, what is to hinder raising our own money for our own proposition?
 Governor Kilby never wrote his name higher on the walls of statesmanship than when he said that Alabama could, and of right ought to own, this property.
 It is high time that we of the south cease to fall down and worship the $50 of today D the exclusion of interest in the thousand dol lars of tomorrow.
 Now is the time to act; it matters not who is governor now or who will be then, delay will never get us anything; there are, as yet no private vested rights to block the way. The fearful and unbelieving will say; "It can't be done" but men of blood and iron lead the way to accomplishment as they ever have
 Sleep on our rights and lose this jewel of the Tennessee and our children will curse us for fools; grasp this opportunity, and with our own might and money, harness the mighty river to the necessities of the people, to the treading out of the natural resources of the state, to beautify, strengthen and make more lovely life in Alabama, and we will have re- deemed ourselves from the mputation that we are "passel' of hirelings the pay rolls ef men who are not afraid to back their judg- ment with their cash.
 Let the state of Alabama own and operate Muscle Shoals for the benefit of all the peo- pie, giving light, power and fertilizer at price that will maintain and support the prop erty and keep the wheels turning as long as water shall run down hill
 Does Alabama need an industry like this? Do we need the revenue and benefit from it? Yes, our sorest need is our greatest hope; our public school system lies at deaths door, bleed ing from every pore from lack of revenue; and our agriculture is fast becoming the last ex- pedient of the thriftless and incompetent. Dear God, how we do need it! w. B. LADD.
 Talladega, March 13, 1922.