Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1922-03-01
FORMER GOVERNOR
Of ALABAMA SAYS
NEW OFFER CRIME
Issues Statement on a
Proposal of Alabama
Power Co.
MOVE Of FRONTIERS
God Pity Farmers" Who
Depend on This
Concern
(By Associated Press)

montgomery, Ala., mar. l.-For-
mer Governor O'Neal. of Alabama,
has issued statement on the offer
of the Alabama Power company to
purchase or lease Muscle Shoals pow
er plant which is caustic in the ex-
treme, and which has been quoted in
the debate in congress.
"The action of the Alabama Pow
er company in making a bid at the
last moment for Muscle Shoals was
no surprise to those who are familiar
with the devious and sinister meth
DDS which the company has always
pursued" Mr.. O'Neal's statement
says. "To secure control of the
Muscle Shoals-to exploit it, not in
the interest of the farmer or the pub
lie, but solely to swell the dividends
of its Canadian and English stock
holders-has from the beginning al
ways been the secret but cherished
plan of this corporation, even when
the force of public opinion compelled
it to publicly announce that it would
not be a competitor of Henry Ford.
1t announced that it was financially
unable to undertake so mammoth an
enterprise.
"All things come to him who
waits, and the Alabama Power COM
pany then recognized that it could
not openly enter the list against the
wizard from Detroit, behind whom
was gathered the most united and
powerful public sentiment that had
ever favored any industrial enter
prise Delay, a propaganda of mis-
representation, were to be the weap-
ons by which Ford was to be un-
done.
Realized Something Must Be Done.
"The time had come when some
thing must be done or the interests
, the profiteering interests-would be
lost. 1t followed that on yesterday
that the Alabama Power company
suddenly discovered that it was hope
less to expect congress to heed their
futile plea that the option which
; they claimed the government was
under a moral obligation to recog-
nize for the Gorgas plant would be
ignored. They discovered what ev-
iery intelligent lawyer knew, that
their alleged option was void and
mon n-enforceable.
"With the support of their allied
interests they appeared in the oper
and submitted a bid They offered
with their usual generosity, to con.
struct the Wilson dam at their owr
expense, and to furnish the govern.
ment 100000 horsepower for the
manufacture of nitrates. 1t is well
for us to remember that at about the
time the Ford offer was made the
lwater power companies of the south
and southwest met together ano
through their engineers prepared q
memorial to the congress declaring
that the entire Muscle Shoals prof.
ect was visionary, impracticable, anc
without value.
"While the Alabama Power com.
pany aided in the preparation of that
report and gave it their endorse
ment, am informed they asked tc
be excused from signing it on the
ground that it might affect their po'
llitical fortunes. Now this same
company that aided in preparing 6
memorial to show that the Muscle
| Shoals project should be junked i:
suddenly converted to the belief thai
the Muscle Shoals is so valuable tha
it can afford to construct the Wilson
dam without cost to the government
and present it with power necessar!
to manufacture nitrates. 1t will b.
noted that the Alabama Power com
pany does not propose to manufac
ture nitrates. If their offer is &C
Icepted, the secretary of war win b
compelled to reverse his well-declar
ed policy against embarking the gov
ernment in the manufacture Of fer
. tilizer in competition with privat
interests, but to organize > govern
, ment corporation to manufsctur
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