Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-05-27
HOKE SMITH LAUDS
PLAN FOR SHOALS

Muscle Shoals can produce $780,
700 horsepower, making it the larg'
est water power development east
of the Mississippi river, declared for
mer Senator Hoke Smith in an in
terV1ew given out in Atlanta Wed
nesday night.
He was on his way back to Wash
1nGton from the Southern CONNER
ciel congress, held this week at
Muscle Shoals, and his address at
the congress concerning the devel-
opment Of the project was one of
the features of the program.
Senator Smith stopped over in At
lanta a few hours Wednesday night
to visit his family here, and con-
densed his views regarding Muscle
Shoals in a very interesting state
ment, as follows:
with dam No. completed and
dam No. built, 100000 hydro-elec
trio horsepower can be produced at
Muscle Shoals. It will be far the
= largest hydro-electric horsepower
that can be produced in the United
States, certainly east of the Missis-
Sippi.
cit is a national asset which
should be used for the benefit of all
the people of the United States.
War Munitions
Nitrogen can be produced from
the air economically only by the use
of great water power. This is the
one place in the United States where
air nitrogen can be produced eco
nomically. Limestone must be used
in the process. The government has
already acquired large limestone
quarries right alongside the nitrate
plants at Muscle Shoals. 1t has
spent $50 100000 in the construction
of nitrate plants for the fixation of
nitrogen from the air. If the dams
were completed and simply used to
produce power for manufacturing
plants and public service companies,
these nitrate plants would be
waste. These nitrate plants must
be used, or they will rust out.
with the dams completed this
plant would furnish the means of
producing in time of war munitions
of infinite service. It would make
US independent of importations
from Chile, and would constitute g
great national defense. 1t would be
a powerful influence to preserve
peace, for it would be recognized the
world over that with this plant, the
readiness of the United States to pro-
duce explosives would be complete.
1.-THE plant should be kept at work
that it might be ready at any time
as a military defense in order, and
the nitrate plant must be continu-
ously operated in the fixation of
nitrogen from the air.
Plant Food
Nitrogen is enc of the three great
elements of plant food. Phosphorus
is another. Phosphate rock in vast
quantities is located all along the
Tennessee river in close proximity
to Muscle Shoals. So, two Of the
three elements required for plant
food can be produced more econim-
ically at Muscle Shoals than any
where else in the United States.
1T is also believed that potash
can be obtained from the rock of
north Alabama, Georgia and Ten
nessee. Cheap fertilizer will help
the farming interests Of the entire
country, help produce more food
stuffs, and serve all the people OF
the country.
"There is no way to give to all
the people of the country the full
benefit from the wonderful assets Of
water power at Muscle Shoals, ex-
cept to devote them primarily to the
fixation of nitrogen from the air.
This also will give us, first, pre-
parednesS for war, and thereby
guarantee of peace; second, cheap
fertilizers, aiding in the production
of abundant foodstuffs.
"The only bidder for this property
who turned his thoughts towards the
broadcast use of the power in the in
terest of all of our people was Henry
F'oro. The bid of Henry Ford alone
recognizes the great service to the
public which could come from this
property. Congress ought to approve
a lease to a corporation directed by
Henry Ford along the lines of his
bid. + shall do what I can to help
bring about such a result"