The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-06-04
THE MUSCLE SHOALS CRISIS

As far as the people of the South art concerned the problem of Muscle Shoals now holds the stage at Washington. Two plans are now before the senate for con sideration. One is the remarkable Nor ris document which purports to be g plan for government operation, but ir reality is nothing definitely. The other is the minority report favoring the Fore offer and introduced by Senator Heflin Unless the senate entirely forgets it: traditions and tits public responsibility the Norris plan, which involves uncalled for government competition with private industry, will be rejected. There are many who believe that if the Ford offer comes to square vote it will not be de- feated.
 The bitter and vehement attack of Mir. Norris upon both the Ford offer and the president will have the effect of consolidating Republicans to the sup port of the Ford offer, an effect which will enable the Democrats to realize the great vision of Muscle Shoals develop n1ent. To show the degree to which MT. Norris departed from the facts in his report it may be we'll to quote him: "To sppease Ford's anger Cat the sale of the Gorgas plant) vacillating administra- tion publicly announced that the amount received for the plan would be credited upon the five million dollars which MT. Ford agreed to pay for Muscle Shoals in case his bid was accepted by congress. This kingly favor, perhaps superinduced by other considerations, so pleased MT. Ford that his anger at the administra- tion was not only turned into love and admiration, but he became so violently friendly that he himself withdrew as can dIdate for president and announced his support of the executive who had made such a liberal concession"
 Now as any knows who has made the least effort to keep up with events, MT. Ford was never an avowed candidate for the presidency. On the contrary, the various Ford clubs were much grieved and expressed their grief publicly that Mir. Ford failed to support their efforts either by word or check. Further than that, last August or September, months before his interview with Mir. Coolidge, Henry Ford allowed himself to be inter- viewed by a national magazine, and in that interview declared that he was not and had at haI int z becoming a candidate for the presidency. Mir. Norris must have known that.
 And when MT. Norris upbraids Mir Ford for refusing to come before his committee to testify, the senator's per sonal pique is very indifferently con- eealed. In the public view, however, Mir. Ford's refusal to be pilloried by a committee the majority of which was already pfejudiced against him and bent on casting discredit upon him was the sensible course for him to follow. The whole purpose of the committee hear ings, as far as the public is able to judge, was to defeat the cherished program of a great industrial development in the Tennessee Valley, no matter how ire vocably the public welfare might be dis sipated and lost.
 But it seems that the committee over reached itself. It displayed it's selfish purpose too obviously. The reaction upon observers has been to make them thoughtful and to look with keener dis cernment upon the committee majority $ evident alliance with the selfish monop- oIies seeking to keep MT. Ford out of the competitive field. They know that MT. Ford will make good when he says that he will produce commercial fer tilizers and other commodities at a cost that will bring down the present market price. The people also know that an industrial development at Muscle Shoals, with the congregation there of working men, will be the only possible way to insure the fundamental purpose of the whole project, namely, the maintenance of source of war explosives for use in any national emergency.
 It is hoped that the senate will pro- ceed at once to dispose of the Norris plan by, rejection and to award the project to Mir. Ford, the only bidder in whom the majority of the people have the utmost confidence.
 COONIDCE nN TAv DCCOpM