Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-03-06
FORD SHOALS BID
VOTE ASSURED IN
HOUSE THIS WEEK

WASHINGTON, March 4,-The
house today began consideration of
Henry Fords offer for Muscle
/ Shoals.
A resolution was adopted giving
right of-way to the Mckenzie bill,
which would authorize acceptance Of
the bid with general debate limited
to ten hours.
This action, taken after an hours
discussion. leaders agreed, assures
house vote before the end of the
week on the Ford offer which has
been pending before congressional
committees for several years.
Debate, which the house decided
must be confined to the bill is to be
divided equally between proponents
and opponents of the Ford bid. On
! its completion, the Mckenzie draft
will be read paragraph by paragraph,
under the five minute rule permitting
amendments.
OP1'OIASAt - VI INC Jill pau ~ lIiclNS
no effort to defeat it. but will seek
to put through amendments mate
rally changing terms of the offer.
Representative Mckenzie, Repub.
lican, Illinois, author of the bill,
charged on the floor today that ode
ceptiVe stories" regarding the Ford
offer had been published, and he
quoted several headlines to prove
| 1Oic contention ;ol, !, 4
had appeared in the Chicago Tribune,
said:
mckenzie Bill Makes Great Gift
to Ford"
Another, which he said appeared in
the New York Times, said:
"Offer 500, goo for Muscle
Shoals"
The obvious intention of this
headline, Mr.. Mckenzie declared,
was to convey the impression that
Ford was to get the properties for
100000 while southern power COM
panies were willing to pay $100,000,-
600 for them.
"such information given to the
American people," added Mr.. Mcken-
zie, "has only one purpose, and that
is to deceive them. The purpose of
the deception is to start a propa-
ganda having the defeat Of the Ford
offer in mind. and this is the object
which the power companies have
been striving for from the begin
Ring."
Opponent Hastens Action
The resolution to give the McKen-
Eie bill right-of-way was presented
! by Representative Burton, of Ohio.
Republican on the rules committee,
who announced his opposition to the
Ford offer. The proposed contract
with the Detroit manufacturer, he
declared, violates the policy of the
| American government toward water
| power development. The offer of
Mr.. Ford, he added, was 'ridicu-
| lousy Inadequate"
After Mr.. Burton had discussed
the proposition briefly, Representa-
| tive BanlheGd, of Alabama, q Demo
crat on the rules committee, took the
floor to urge adoption of the resolu-
ton He declared himself heartily
in favor of the Ford bid.
81 am unreservedly in favor of
the unconditional acceptance of the
! Ford offer to the government" Mr..
| Bankhead said.
Some people feel this is a sec
tional proposition" he added, but
| as l see if, there is involved a great
! economic problem confronting the
nation"
The truck growers OF Connecticut,
Mr.. Bankhead said, use three times
| the fertilizer of Texas, and Ohio'5
fertilizer bill of $13,26,000 is more
than the amount paid by Alabama
! truck planters. Farmers in CalifOr-
MAS famous Imperial Valley, he
;. added. use alfalfa valued at $35 per
| ton for fertlizires.
Mr.. Banzhead declared that cheap
ening the cost of fertilizer would
| cheaper the cost of cotton, adding:
IF New England cotton mill own
ers want to help southern farmers
and cotton-p producers, here's the OPP
portunity to do it.
Representative Hill, Republican,
Maryland, member of the house mill
! tarly committee. who sgned the
minority report. said:
OF National Importance
1.-The whole question of the dispo-
/ sition of Muscle Shoals is not only
of interest to the southern states,
but is of Importance to the future
! of this country. 1t is not a sec
| tiol.al or partisan question. There
! are two propositions aimed at the
! sane EOal-all Muscle Shoals should
| be regarded for fertilizer in time of
/ peace and nitrates III time of war.
"When we began the study of
! this project, I was entirely in favor
Of the Ford plan. At that time
! there was no other offer or PROPOSE
! ton. | personally favor passage of
/ the full bill now. The only guaran-
/ tee on the part of MIR. Ford is that
/ a ten-milIion dollar corporation shall
/ be created. I desire especially to
I call the attention of the house to
/ the great decline in Muscle Shoals
/ in the last two years. When we
visited the plants we were told that
number one had not produced nj
/ trates. We We're told that this plant
/ would have to be scrapped. We were
/ told two years ago that No. 1 plant
was not one that could be used"
/ Representative Almon, Democrat
. Alabama, in whose district Muscle
/ Shoals is located. said that though
tn eWater power might affect only
( a section of the country, the fertil-
+ iZer interests involved concerned
the nation.
Teacher Who Kissed
. L Dol DI