Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-02-06
CHAIRMAN MADDEN
URGES FORD SHOALS
OFFER ACCEPTANCE:

WASHINGTON.' Feb. 3.-Convic-
ton that the government should
accept Henry Ford's offer for Mus
Gle Shoals was expressed today in
the house by Chairman Madden, of
the appropriations committee.
Analysing the Ford offer, Mr..
Madden said it was mot a bad
proposition at ALL" adding that he
felt congress, in accepting it, will
have acted so as to better provide
for the common defense and for the
promotion of the general welfare"
The Illinois representative, who
disclaimed any interest in the mat
ter other than a desire to lay the
"unvarnished facts before the
house, was given an ovation when
he concluded, many members from
the southern states rising to ap'
pIaud him.
Declaring the government owed
it to the nation to see the Muscle
Shoals project through to compile
ton, Representative Madden said
the sole question was whether there
should be federal or private opera
ton.
Calling attention to the fact that
$107, 100000 already had been ex-
pended on the project, he estimated
that the government would have to
sink" another $S4,000,000 to COM
plete it, before we can function on
an economical basis, excluding, of
course, let me emphasize, any re-
turn whatever on the investment"
Ford Offer Better
Under the Ford offer, he contin-
ued, the government would invest
only S50,000,000 to complete Wilson
dam No. 8, which would end the
demands upon the federal treasury
and be an investment of 1857, 100000
instead of S191, 900, 000"
For period of 100 years." he
went on, "the government would
be freed of any expense in connec-
ton with these dams, locks, power
houses and machinery. Throughout
that period the farmer will have
been getting his fertilizer, and the
disposal plant fully and modernly
equipped and ready to produce ex-
plosiVes and other war materials.
The government will have been
freed from all the hazards attendant
upon such a vast enterprise; it will
have been saved the expense of re-
search and experimentation, and the
burden will have fallen upon others
to keep these plants equipped to
conform with the march of prog
ress.
Now it is not my purpose to urge
you to align yourselves on one side
Or the other of this proposition. /
have striven to give you the plain
facts as 1 have found
them so that you might be the bet
ter equipped to determine the mat
ter for yourselves.
1T is a business proposition with
NE, purely and simply. I feel that
we owe it to the taxpayer, to the
farmer, and to the nation to finish
the undertaking and get it into op.
Grafton at the earliest date practical
Bile, and so believing my chief aim
has been to get for you the facts so
that you would be better able to de-
termine upon that course which will
work out to the greatest advantage
Of the federal treasury, not just at
this time, but throughout the years.
Concern NOn-Partisan
L have no concern, if we choose
to let others act for us, as to who
hey are, what section they hail
from, or what their policies may be,
other than to be certain that their
past business record is beyond re-
proach and that sufficiently guaran.
tees are given.
Il am perfectly frank to say that
[ know of no person or group of
persons who have demonstrated a
bigger capacity to handle a, large
Mr.. Ford.
Therefore, gentlemen, it resolves
itself into just this: Do you wish to
sink another $109,000,000 in the Mus
Gle Shoals project, in the light of
experience thus far, to incur all the
hazards incident to the conduct of
the business, to commit the govern
ment to the continual expense of
upkeep of such a vast project, a
large portion of which has only po-
tential value, and to the expense
of keeping the entire plant in a mod
ern productive state. or do you think
the wiser course would be to ac-
cept Mr.. Fords offer; put only
enough additional in the venture to
complete both dams, and sell and
lease under the terms that he has
proposed.
my own conviction is that we
should accept the Ford offer and get
out of the business. I feel that by
so doing we will have acted so as
better to provide for the common
defense and for the promotion of the
general welfare"
Senators to Start