Evening star., 1924-06-19

The Muscle Shoals problem will not
down. The House of Representatives
at it's last session favored acceptance
of the proposal to turn the develop
| ment problem over to Henry Ford
but the Senate refused to act. This
| insured the entire question being
made one of the chief problems for
the December sessions of Congress
The hearings before the Senate COM
nfittee developed the bitter opposition
to the Ford plan led by Senator Nor
ris. 1t also opened the door for Il
general discussion by editors of the
why's and wherefores of the shoals
and the great plant included in it.
| On this there is sharp division of
opinion and once more the question
of naturalization is debated from
various angles.
Newspapers which had been op-
posed to the acceptance of the Ford
offer approved Senator Norris at
titude toward the matter. A typical
expression is that OF the New York
Herald-Tribune (Republican) which
saws: Senator Norris deserves ap-
plauSe for having stemned that wave
of generous emotionalism under which
Congress was proposing to brihe the
farmer by forcing Muscle Shoals into
the reluctant hand of Mr.. Ford"
Norris has brought to light the utter
absurdity of the bid of the motor
manufacturer" continues the Bunalo
News (Republican) which believes
Ford never would have dared to sub
init so ridiculous an offer to men OF
affairs in the business world and
Morris gave the majority of the Sem
ate committee on agriculture courage
to deny the demand OF the Detroit
manufactures for delivery to him of
the United States" With this most
Objectionable OF all proposals out of
the way" the Chicago Tribune Gre
publican) suggests proponents or
the Norris bill and of other projects
in regard to Muscle Shoals can argue
out the matter for the country's best
interests" The defeat of the Ford bid,
the Reading Tribune Independently
claims, marks q return to the con-
servationist program orlginaliy adSo-
thermore, cit connotes a desire on the
part of the administration to operate
profitably a plant which Henry Ford
realized could be operated at a
profit"
Some newspapers favoring the Ford
proposal find comfort in the fact
that the project was not defeated
and that the matter will be consid-
cred at the next Congress, while 9TH
ers condemn the delay as inexcusa-
bile. The latter view is voiced by the
Charleston Post Undependent Demo-
cratic), which insists the time has
come when it should be determined
how the power plant at Muscle
Shoals is to be made operative,
whether by the government or by
rrivate capital" The Senate ma
fority "must take responsibility for
this piling of delay upon delay, de-
clares the New Orleans Tfmes-P1ca-
Vune independent Democratic), which
is hopeful, however. that eventual
disposition is not yet wholly cast
away, for the country has, from It's
riyen promise of action on Muscle
Shoals when the election hazards are
uast." If none of the bid "is good
Enough" the Springfield Republican
Gndependent) maintains, sit might be
worth while to have some author1ta-
tive statement made of what would
be good enough"
The question of the advantages of
government or individual ownership,
such as proposed by Mr.. Ford, is also
taken up with divided opinion. The
Ford offer is dead because Mr.. Ford
the Brooklyn Eagle independent
Democratic), which points out three
years ago when he made 1t the Mus