The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-05-19
Carmichael HurIs Charge At
Power Company In Hearing
OF Public Service Commits
sion In Session Until Nearly
Midnight Friday
TUSCUMBIA MANS WORDS
CLIMAX ALL-DAY BATTLE
Opposition To Project In All
Its Vigor Shows Itself When
Night Session 0pens-Day
Devoted To Hearing Wit
nesses Advocating New Line

The Alabama Power company's
only desire in petitioning to lay a
transmission line from Sheffield to
Huntsville, Ala, is that they may get
on the ground and use it as a talking
point through their flock of lobby
lists, who will flood washington when
Congress convenes in December in
their fight to keep Henry Ford away
from Muscle Shoals. was the chal-
lenge hurled at attorneys for, ana
officials of the Alabama Power COM
pany Friday night by A. II. Car
michael. Tuscumbia, Ala, at night
session of the Alabama public serv-
ice commission in the hearing OF the
Power companys petition to be al
lowed to construct TRANSMISSION
line from point near Sheffield, Ala,
loop line through Huntsville and
thereby establish better service to
customers there.
Mr.. CarmichaePs address came as
the result of long day of testimony
given before the commission hear
ing by proponents, and opponents OF
the issue. The matter was taken I'M
der consideration by the commission
and a decision is to be given later.
In his address, Mr. Carmichael took
the stand that the immediate inter-
ests of the people of Huntsville
SnoulQ De neiu as secondary " tHc
interests of the people of the entire
state, and that the Alabama Power
company should be required to curb
their Impotence until after the Con-
gress of the United states shall have
reached some decision in regard to
the disposition of Muscle Shoals, in
order that no hinderances might be
placed before Congress In just set
Element of the issue.
Pre-cmpt The Ground.
The Alabama Power company will
only build line from Decatur to
Sheffield in order to pre-empt the
ground and use it as talking point
in Congress-" Mr.. Carmichael de-
clared. "rhe Alabama Power COM
pany is fighting Henry Ford. and In
so doing they are fighting the pub
lie welfare of Alabama, which Is
merely the welfare of the people of
Alabama. They want to get in at
Muscle Shoals or as near Muscle
Shoals as they can get, and hold the
ground as an argument to Congress
to keep Henry Ford out.
THE great sin of the Alabama
Power company is that it is con-
trolled by people who don't care to
see any Industrial development in
Alabama. All of the acts of the Ala
hama Power company are toward
a monopoly of power in the state
Tennessee river. There is only one
class of people not represented at
these hearings-the farmers. l have
seen several of the proponents of
this issue smile in derision when
references have been made to Gray
Silver. Claudius H. Houston and J.
w. Worthington, representatives of
the farmers who have declared that
the Muscle Shoals proposition
should be left strictly alone until
Congress shall have some decision
with reference to disposition of
the shoals.
Public welfare Paramount.
Gentlemen Ct the commission the
simple proposition is this. We ,e, can
Power company in the Tennessee
valley. Big business is what is
wrong with the country now. Pub
lie welfare is paramount to the In
terests of big business and Madison
county. My worthy opponent has de-
clared that the cotton manufactur-
ers of Huntsville who are his
clients want more money to be OBJ
tanned through industrial develop
ments planned there. These cotton
barons have agreed to buy their
supply of electric current from the
Alabama Power company which is
desirious of selling this current to
them. Pursuant to this he declared
that only these two parties are in
terested in the issue. His attitude
has been the public be damned. we
end the Alabama Power company
only are Interested
THE Alabama Power company has
of a sudden a great desire to sell
their electric current to some of
these little cities in the northern
part of the state. Why have they not
sold this power throughout the past
ten years having had the power all
that time. They wish to build line
to tie in with line running from
the GorEas plant at Warrior to Shef-
field which is not theirs and which
was built with government money.
They don't own that land and 1t
might be taken away from them
within thirty DAYS notice on the
part of the government.
Ford H.. Seen vision.
They have no way to buy il IL the
government does not want to sell
it to them. Henry Ford has seen a
vision of the possibilities of develop
ing Muscle Shoals. He has dedicated
his life to the interests of the farmers
of the country, to the manufacture
Of a cheap supply of fertilizer and
the government has thought enough
of the vision to listen to him. Our
own senators, Underwood and Helm.
and others of the country have taken
the stand of helping the farmers of
the country to cheap supply of fer
tilizer through listening to Ford S
proposition"
Following Mr.. Carmichaels add ass.
j. l.. Andrews. Sheffield. made a short
talk in which he accused the Alabama
power company of either controlling
all sites where hydroelectric power
is being developed or all undeveloped
sites in the state of Alabama. All
that the people of Alabama ask. he
declared, Is that the Alabama Power
company be required to wait until