Evening star., 1923-10-12
GRAVE CHARGE BY FORD
PUT BEFORE PRESIDENT
Weeks Goes to Coolidge With Accusations
That He Sold Farmers in
Muscle Shoals Deal.

tiating with Mr.. Weeks we have not
been negotiating with the United
States government. John w. Weeks
repeated assertions that Henry Ford
would never get Muscle Shoals,
neither with the Gorgas plant nor
without 1t, is evidence that the par
ties to this matter are not the bidder
and the government, but other parties
best known to the man who is at
present Secretary of War.
Long ago Mr.. Weeks matured in
his mind the plan to break up Mus
Gle Shoals and dispose of it piece
/ meal. When he sold the steam plant
at Gorgas he pulled the first stitch
prospect ever held out to the Amer
lean farmer and manufacturer.
Next Steps Plain.
1.-The next steps are so plain that
child can see them. 1t only re-
mains to sell the gigantic nitrate
plant No. / and then nitrate plant
No. 2, and finally the Wilson dam IT.
self, and that is the end of Muscle
Shoals as a possible demonstration
of the cheapness with which power
and fertilizer can be produced.
This plan was formed by John w
thought. thought Of injurins Henry Ford
Which shows how much a Boston
bond broker. in politics for a pas.
time. knows about industrial prob
lens.
But the injury has shot past Henry
Ford and has landed on t e farmers
1 was willing to demonstrate at Mus
Gle Shoals that power and fertilizer
would be produced at much lower cost
than now and that the government
ply of war nitrates. Muscle Shoals
intact would be the greatest ntunition
plant on earth - Muscle Shoals
In it's nitrate production is our great
est insurance against war, or, il war
comes, our greatest assurance of VIC
count with the head of the War De-
partment. The Ford Motor Company
never had needed Muscle Shoals. We
have water power sufficient for all
our purposes. The only thing i could
do at Muscle St oals which / am not
, make fertilizer for the farmer And
| that Is the sole reason why John w
/ Weeks and scores of corporation law
,~yers have exerted their cunning to
prevent me- The same influences that
prevented vote in the House last
spring are responsible for the sale
OF the Gorgas plant to prevent vote
on Gorgas.
They may get other offers for other
pieces of Muscle Shoals. and the to-
ably, with the initial payment called
for under my offer, but the sales price
Is the smallest item at Muscle Shoals
Even IL the friends of John w. Weeks
should pay the original cost, dollar
for dollar. Muscle Shoals would still
be complete loss to the people, be-
cause John w. Weeks friends will
not develop its matohless possibilities
and will not use II for the public
benefit. It would be well worth
while for the water power and ferti-
tenn to pay S100,000.000. IL Thereby
they can retain the endless millions
which they now make through ex-
orbitant prices Of power and fertil-
izer. The demonstration which we
could make at Muscle Shoals would
be deathbiow to all such exploita-
tion.
!, my offer is still before Congress
shall not withdraw 1t. There Ia
There Is nothing that John w. Weeks
can explain, though he should talk
from now until he leaves public life
but want to say this: II get Muscle
Shoals we shall run power lines zoe
miles In every direction from Muscle
/ Shoals. We have been. working and
have learned how to send power Ions
distances without losses by leakage
say this now for the benefit of the
| International financiers, who, with the
Alabama Power Company, have Mus
Gle Shoals almost hopelessly in their
1T is not to mo that John w
Weeks has anything to- explain.
know Just how much vaiue 70 attach
Ito his explanations Let him explair
! TO th6 farmer" "