The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-03-20
O'NEAL REPLIES ID
 MARTINS CHARGES
 ABOUT HIS MOTIVE
Says Martin Has Failed to Deny Allegations Made About Alabama Pow
 CT Company

| yesterday formally replied to the
 speech of W. L. Martin. general coun-
 sel of the Alabama Power company
 in Montgomery Saturday in which the power company official had charged
 that Governor O'Nears advocacy of
 Henry Ford was due to the fact that
 the former governor owned so much
 land in the Muscle Shoals section.
 Governor O'Neal contends that Mir.
 of his charges against the Alabama
 Power company but instead has
 sought to impugn his motives by call
 ing attention to property which the | governor says he acquired many years before Henry Ford was ever heard of in connection with Muscle Shoals.
 His statement in full is as follows:
 From sense of public duty have
 seen proper to present to the people ! of Alabama plain, simple, but { truthful narrative of the record of
 the Alabama Power company Every
 statement was supported by the un-
 contradicted records, and not inspired 1 by personal hostility, and from the 1 day uttered in a public address at
 Montgomery in 1914, and afterward
 in my closing message to the legis- lature, no officer attorney or stock =
 holder of the Alabama Power com
 pany has ever controverted the jus
 tice and truthfulness of a single
 statement
 "The recital of the record of the 1 Alabama Power company constitutes the most terrific indictment ever lev eled against a public service corpora l tion in Alabama-a record of greed. I of selfishness, of sinister and despic- able methods almost without para1- lell If I did the Alabama Power
 company any injustice, it Is singular
 they made no reply and that their
 unbroken silence for so many long fession of every charge. I challenged
 them then and I challenge them now
 to controvert a single fact or charge that I uttered.
 Has Grown Reckless
 l Mir W. l.. Martin, chief counsel l of the Alabama Power company.
 grown reckless and desperate by the
 rising tide of sentiment for the Ford
 offer, has bitterly attacked my mo- I tives attributed to selfish reasons, 1 because I happen to be so fortunate as to own property in the Muscle Shoals section. The merits of the ntroversy-whether it Is better to support the Ford offer or that of the Alabama Power company-accordin 1 to Mir Martin, must be Ignored. If Ford wins, O'Nears property will be enhanced; and if the Alabama Power company wins, O'Nears property will be lessened in value: and hence, in supporting Ford I am governed alone by selfish considerations In the view of MT. Martin.
 ct in the Tennessee valley is supporting 1 the Ford offer, as well as the over whelming majority of the people of Alabama, and they honestly believe that if Henry Ford Is allowed to l carry out his splendid plans of in- dustrial development, the value of their property will be enhanced.
 They also as firmly believe that if the l,id of -the Aiahama Power com ;
 pany is accepted, there would follow
 no increase of population, the loca- tion of no new industries. the at traction of no investing capital, and
 that there would be a decline in- stead of an increase in the values of their property. Hence according
 to Mir. Martins logic, all who are supporting Ford are controlled by selfish motives and therefore are not entitled to any consideration.
 "The wage-earners and millions of
 unemployed. as well as business men, are supporting Ford. not because they own property, but because they be- lieve his operation of Muscle Shoals will create an industrial revolution and give every workingman decent wages at a living price. I do not be- lieve that myself or other property
 owners in Alabama. in our efforts to conserve and protect dVr interests
 from threatened ruin anf confisca-
 tion. by opposing your bid, are con trolled by selfish motives .as you
 declare. On the contrary, l hon estly believe that the success of your corporation would bring only benefit to the Alabama Power company and their allied trusts, would only in- crease the grievous tolls you now inn pose on the consuming public and only enhance the dividends of your foreign stockholders, would intensity business stagnation. decrease the value of our property. and that in opposing your company's bid. in- stead of being actuated by selfish
 aims, We are controlled by the lof-
 tiost motives that can inspire human action
 Without Foundation
 "Mr. Martins attempt to create the public impression that all the prop
 erty I own in the Muscle Shoals dis trjct was acquired by me for speca- ls tive purposes, with the hope of win ming great profits from the accep- tance of the Ford offer, is absolutely without foundation in fact. What n, operty I own in the Muscle Shoals district has been slowly accumulated from the labors of lifetime. Nearly all of it was secured long years pe- fore Ford's name was ever mentloheu in connection with the Muscle Shoals and while I was a practicing attorney
 a- Elorence. There is no stain upon inc methods by which it was ac- o,,ired as there is upon those your company pursued to accumulate their erormous wealth. You assert be- cause own property in the Muscle Shoals district that I am supportins the Ford offer from purely selilsh and personal reasons
 "uave you overlooked the fact that
 in letter written to the stockhold- CTS of the Alabama Power company bv vour own president he is now call ing upon them to use whatever lhiiu- cree they may command to write iee- ters and to institute other propa- i ganda whereby the representa'seS | and senators in Congress may De In fluenced to support the bid or tns 1 Alabama Power company against tnde 1 If MT. Ford, and all for the purpose
 ,Eat the property of that corporation may be increased in value? Yet Tn the same breath you condemn as selfish the action of any property 1 owner in Alabama in preferring MT.
 Ford to the Albama Power company. twill you attempt to explain why the farmers of this country are united in supporting MT. Ford's offer and are
 bitterly opposing the bid of your com pany? Is their motive in desiring