The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-03-18
FORD WILL USE EVERY RESOURCE
 ID BALK STREET
Will Fight to End to Keep Wall Streets Hands Off Mus cIe Shoals, Is Mes
 sage to South
By Associated Press

Detroit, March 17.-Declaring that If it's the last thing l do in this world, I'll exert every resource and influence at my command to keep the hands of Wall street off Muscle Shoals" Henry Ford today broke his silence. maintained during the last two months with regard to his offer to lease and operate the government waterpower project in Alabama.
 Mir. Ford made u statement to the Detroit News in response to an intimation reaching him to the effect that because of his silence, t.'e peo- pie of the southern states had begun to wonder whether he had lost inter- est in the project.
 Tell the people of the south" MT. no part either in financing or operat- in- Muscle Shoals if can help it.. If it's the last thing I do, I'll exert every resource and influence at my street off the Shoals project and per petuate as great example to the American people-a living example of what they can do if they will safe guard the country's water power and develop it.
 Freedom of Industry
 Tn Muscle Shoals lies the freedom of American industry" Mir. Ford con- tinued. During the wa the country turned it's every resource to help free the world from militarism-a mili- tarsm fostered by international money power. Now, in the same way, we are going to fight to the last ditch to free American industry and American agriculture from that same money power. If the American peo- pie once can catch the idea of what waterpower means-how it can be put to service in a thousand ways, cutting th4 cost of industrial power to minimum nd thus through bet ter service make possible a his her standard Of living for all people at greatly reduced cost-they never again will submit to the proposition that to get power they must pay tribut. to Wall street.
 All the people need to catch the idea is an example. A potential ex- ample lies at Muscle Shoals. In a sense the destiny of the American people for centuries to come lies there on the Tennessee river because who- ever controls a nations power con trols that nations people.
 Americas power today is de- pendent on the steam power of coal. The great private financiers own the bulk of the country's coal mines. These financiers, eentered in Wall street. have strangle hold on the industry and transportation of the country. Nation Would Benefit
 If Muscle Shoals is developed along useful lines, 1t will work so splendidly and So simply that in no time hundreds of other waterpower developments will spring up all over the country and the days of American industry paying tribute for its power would be gone forever Every hu- man being in the country would req the benefit I am consecrated to the principle of freeing American indus try. All want is a chance at Muscle Shoals and if it's the last thing I do on this earth, I'll fight for that chance.'
 In speaking of the fight being waged against him on the Muscle Shoals project, Mir. ord said:
 Work should be going on at the shoais thls spring and summer, be- cause If the thing isn't settled so work can be done when the river is low, a great part of the project of completing Dam Number nd build ing Dam Number must be put over urtik l92. T. would be tragic to hold off employment of /so many thol5ards of men for another year when the need of work is so general and so great
 Asked if he beIievc1 Congress would consent to lease the property to him, he said
 All | have to say to that is that l have great faith in tn, sound iudg- ment of the American pople and tr, # they will not stand silert and let Wall street put anything over on their representatives at Washington. l am not worried a bit"
 MT. Ford declared he had no doubt but that the governms had the power to give him clear title of inc Muscle Shoals property.