The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-08
ACE-HE RALD WILL TELL FULL STORY 0F B|G BATTLES
Its Friends And Enemies And Their Methods Revea!eod
 In Thrilling Narrative
Continued from Page one1

lToh dBe OnCsJ nessee would make them rich, that forlCrn stretch of jagged rocks was held curse. It was seriously in quircd why God had done fine days work in making the river. and then in q strange mood, destroyed 1t. When the pioneers gave up in de- spair, some doubted the omnipotence of the Divine Mind and many were prone to admit that God had blun- dered. The more enlightened, how ever, concluded tG surmount the diff ficulty. Long and serious study of the problem, strenuous and endless work, brought out the truth.
 Muscle Shoals was created for the excitation of mans ingenuity with the promise of an infinite reward for the successful solution of the great problem. Had modern day foolish servants permitted their sin gle talent always to remain buried, there is no question but that that talent would have been taken away from them. But when that talent Is eventually put entirely into use, IT, how many hundred-fold will 1t be returned to them.
 The Muscle Shoals problem Is solved. When the Wilson dam, to be one of the wonders Of the world, Is completed Muscle Shoals as an ob- struction to navigation will be ellm- mated, and water power of infinite possibilities will be immediately available. How best to take adVan- tage of that which hangs like rich fruit hangs, ready to be plucked, IS the sole point regarding which the national government is in doubt. IL Is a difficult point in the opinion or official Washington. It is a contro- Versial point when considered py politicians. It is an economic point capable of hurling business into per manent maladjustment when 1t IS characterized by the trusts.
 The First Railroad.
 The question has always been, How can we get around Muscle Shaals?" When men stopped railing at the impediment and went to work, results readily followed. There was constructed short narrow gauge railroad running west out Of court land in Lawrence county, said now 10 have been the second constructed Tn the United States. which. in that oay' was a notable achievement within it. self. The object of this construction was to transport freight from boat to boat around the shoals. The railroad. to certain extent, served us purpose, though the difficulties en- countered in it's operation were nec- es.arily great. That short length oi rails. incidentally, is now an intesrai mart of the Southern railway system and serves in transporting to Wash inrton and return innumerable tran aients on the Memphis special. ono or tbe fast trains out of the south.
 Tn 1880. the federal government long importuned. inclined for the first time favorably toward improV, ing the Tennessee, as 1t was attecteo by Muscle Shoals. Congress srah.eu 100000 acres or pupnc ianua o,,tsinn state of Alabama with the proVlsioh -tbat proceeds from the sale of this nToperty should be applied 10 the conouering of the shoals. The atti- tude of Congress can easily De I'm agined. o,,oa
 we know little of this so,cailed ,r,psdiment to navigation and care ,,ch .r,p iass" 1t doubtless declared within itself. But we have no use for this 100000 acres of land. rake it, sell 1t and spend the money as Sou deem wise"
 And in emulation or that liIsI mas m ter politician, Pontius Pilate, con aress washed It's hands of the affair ;rbe people of Alabama were delight ed. praised their public servants Tn Washington who had put the dead over, rejoiced at the liberallty or Congress hearts that all their troubles had been eyaporated just as mist disap- pears before the rising sun IL ue- velopeds however, that people In Ala hama were almost as ignorant or the proper method of procedure as the coneress. At any rate, their dream was of only a few years endurance Then they returned to Washington and informed Congress-thought IL hegred rather than demanded-that if was all a mistake about that hand washing, that, as a matter of fact. it was imperatively required that the Congress return instantly to the Joh But before Congress gave MuscIe> Shoals serious attention, the great war god had gone abroad and bathed the soil of Europe in blood. Perhaps even then the Congress would not have acted but for positive knowi- edge that war was gazing with coVet- ous eve on the United States as Vir- gin territory prepared for destruc- ton.
 State Built First Canal.
 The state of Alabama. with the proceeds from the sale of the 4OO,OOO acres of public lands donated by the federal government, constructed from 1881 to 1886 the first Muscle Shoals canal. It contained IT locks each 12O feet long by 32 feet wide. Each lock had lift of almost five feet.
 Only then did 1t become apparent that this canal, to serve It's purpose,
 The First National Bank / of Birmi1gham. Ala.