The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-11
OUR SECTION FIRsT-ALwAYS


 esteemed afternoon contemporary, the News, permits itself to mislead its large number of readers in this section with respect to the legislative status of the Muscle Shoals question, now definitely before the Congress of the United States. We have particular reference to the headline in the Evening News of Sat urday which says Ford Offer for Shoals Opposed in House Report" appearing over an article which in reality said that seven Republican members of the mili- tary affairs committee O. the House had made a minority protest against the favorable report on the Ford offer which had been made by a distinct and large majority of the military affairs commit tee of the House. It is not disputed that any newspaper or any citizen can show it's sympathy for the Alabama Power Company effort to grab Muscle Shoals, but such position should not lead our es- teemed contemporary to an action mis- leading to the public. It is particularly so in this instance because the minority report as filed emanates, as the article shows, from Congressmen Hull, Morin, Ransley, Hill, Frothingham and Vain wright, every one of whom is a Repub- lican, none of whom is from the South, but from sections attuned to the Repub- lican party disposito never to con- sider the interests of the South, but all ways through legislation and otherwise to keep the South from that great era of industrial development that is inevitable, and that when it comes will enable our own section to dispute the industrial supremacy of those sections sympathetic with Republican ideals and Republican party policy.
 Instead of being what the Evening News caption stated, "House report" Opposed" to the Ford offer, it was 8 minority protest of a small portion of the House committee, and in no way was in opposition to the Ford proposal ex- cept for small Republican minority on the committee. To disseminate under misleading caption this sort of effort, which comes from party administration out of sympathy with the ambitions of the South to grow and expand, does not seem to The Age Herald as either becom- l ing or legitimate, and prompts The Age Herald, not from any desire to enter into controversy with the Evening News as to the policies of that newspapers mat ter entirely according to the judgment of the News-to correct and clearly define the situation with respect to the legisla- tive status of the Ford offer before the 1 Congress.
 There can be no doubt of the real sem timent of the people of Alabama and of this section with respect to the disposi- tion of Muscle Shoals. The referendum vote taken in Mobile and South Alabama last week, the result of which was an- nounced in The ge-Herald of yesterday morning, is more than adequate proof that the Alabama Power Company's ef- fort to get atimonopoly control of Ala bama is without public following. Fol lowing the appearance before the Con- gressonaI committee in Washington of R. V. Taylor, the mayor of Mobile, who, assuming to speak for the public in his official capacity, opposed the Ford offer and supported the power company offer, the Mobile Register, in order to ascertain the true sentiment of the people of South Alabama, published ballot upon which any citizen could vote for the Ford offer or for the Alabama Power Company of fer Over twelve thousand ballots were cast by the people. They were counted, and certified to, by two presidents of civic organizations of Mobile and showed the outstanding result of 1856 votes for the Ford offer and only IF votes for the Alabama Power. Company offer, a ration of 700 to 1.
 ! It is the opinion of The Age Herald that the wide sentiment of the people of this state would show public attitude similarly, if not. as conclusively, parallel to what was shown by the referendum in South Alabama. Recognizing such sentiment, it is unmstakably true that whatever might be the inmost sympathies of public newspaper, the duty of that newspaper is impartially, accurately and faithfully to present the true picture of the status of Muscle Shoals as it actually exists in thatlegislative body in Wash ington now Ghng before it the final answer to thisequestion. If the answer is for Ford, it means one of the greatest and the most potential industrial develop ments in North Alabama eyer witnessed in the industrial growth of any section of the United States. Should the Repub- lican minority, as reflected in the protest of some of the Republican members of