The Holly chieftain., 1924-03-27
FORD AND MUSCLE SHOALS

y
, in turning Muscle Shoals over II
Henry Ford. This paper brings the
following accusations against Ford
for The Rape of Muscle Shoals
Ford made his own iron-clad
terms for the project.
/ Pile is the richest man in the
world an dhas used his wealth to
dominate the people and even Wall
Street.
3-Ford has no party and yet has
the greatest pOliticO-industrial or
ganiZatiOn in the world
/ 4-FOrd's advertisements are in
nearly every magazine and news
paper in the world.
| 5-TO give Ford Muscle Shoals
it was necessary to nullify the wat
er power conservation act limiting
contract to so years Ford got .
contract for 100 years.
6--He pays far less for, the pro-
perties than would have been Civ
en- by certain power companies.
Let us quote, He has created
| by his brilliance of advertising
his genius for publicity and orgsni-
zation the great fiction of Ford the
superman, >the Aristides the friend
of the average man. the modest
possessor OF untold money used
for the benefit of people who with
out him might be unfortunate"
This is very comprehensive and
succinct arraignment against the
great Ford.
Perhaps it Is true-every word,
except one. The Chicago Tribune
says. The great fiction of Ford,
the superman." We would say the
great FACT. No man has so i'm.
pressed himself upon this age as
Ford. He is the greatest Industrial
figure of this age This Is remark
able In Democracy. Still more re-
markable is it that Ford can do
what he has done without scandle.
unless this Muscle Shoals project
is "scandle' as the Tribune says.
Admitting as practically true
everything this Metropolitan
Daily says yet the writer and mil
lions more of American citizens
are not dlsmayed.
The people have learned to have
confidence In Henry Ford and but
little confidence in other indust-
rial of financial giants of this age,
and still less confidence In the
agents Of the government. But It
is not only confidence In Ford's
integrity, but great reliance on his
wisdom, genius and ability. The
people may be fooled but they do
not think they are. They trust
Ford! That is the secret of the
campaign OF silence of which the
Tribune speaks--the secret is not
fear of Ford or selfish favor for
him.
The people believe that Fords
terms are the only basis on which
he could make the project succeed.
They glory in his domination over
Wall Street. Never before has Wall
Street had so valOrous an antago
mist Between Ford and Wall Street
the people will risk" Ford.
Neither is 1t to the discredit OF
Ford that he has no party or rath-
er has all. parties. He is no mere
politician of party but states
man of social progress. He may
have a great politico-lndustrfai
organization but there is no con-
spiracy to exploit the people nor
her interests.
That he got more from the govern
ment that the power companies
asked Is only because the govern
ment felt the higher cOntractural
price would give the country the
greatest value in the end. 1t Is
no uncommon thing to award a
contract to the highest bidder. 1t
is not always the amount of the
bid that cOllnts-the character OF
the bidder counts as well.
Millions may be mistaken but
they conceive of Ford as the friend
of the people.
The Tribune's strongest point is
that Ford will die some day. Then
what? We can only trust that the
great intellect that built up the
machine may have go infused 1t
with his spirit that 1t will keep
going centuries after the Master