Evening star., 1924-12-07
LONG SHOALS FIGHT
BELIEVED NEAR END
Underwood Bill, With Amend
mentS, Is Held Likely to
e Pass Both Houses.

Republican leaders in the Senate
are hopeful that the end of the long
fight over Muscle Shoals is near
They expect President Coolidge to-
morrow to indorse the Underwood
bin provided Senator Underwood
Democrat, Alabama, consents to GER
tain amendments. The Alabama Sen
Ftor, in the view Of Senate leaders,
will accede to amendments and the
hill will pass toward the end OF the
week
This would send the issue back "a
the House, which adopted at the last
session n bill to lease the property
70 Henry Ford, who has since with
drawn his offer. With adminiStra-
Gon support behind the measure, lead
Ars of the majority party believe il
will pass the House, and end a con-
troversy that has been raging in Con-
EreSS for nearly three years.
-, If an agreement cannot be reached
between the Republican ma jority and
senator Underwood, the administra-
tfon forces plan 10 have voted down
both the Underwood and Norris bills
and draft a new bill.
Underwood Is ConciliatOry.
Senator Underwood said yesterday
reasonable amendments. The Senator
conferred with Secretary Weeks dur
jug the preparation of his bill, and
since President Coolidge Is expected
70 he guided somewhat by the War
Departments report on the Under
wood bill, il is likely that a COM
promise can be reached.
However, Senator Norris, chairman
of the Senate agriculture committee,
snh Ii IL 60
disposition OF Muscle Shoals, is un-
yielding in his position, and is deter
mined TO fight to the las- ditch for
the passage of his own measure. He
plans to make another speech in the
Senate and declared he did not un-
derstand how any Senator from the
South could vote for the Underwood
sill."
New Measure In View.
Also, Senator Smith. Democrat
South Carolina, is engaged over the
week end in the preparation of an en-
Hrely new bill for the operation Of
Muscle Shoals, and expects to intro =
duce it in the Senate tomorrow. This
bill is understood to provide for the
production of both power and fer
ttlizer and is described as a combi-
nation between the Underwood and
Norris bills. The Smith bill would
require the government to maintain
control of the property until it is as
Sured that marketable, commercial
fertilizer could be manufactured at
Muscle Shoals.
Some opposition has arisen to the
Smith bill from friends of the Under
wood measure, who fear that the in
PRODUCTION of another bill would con-
fuse the Muscle Shoals situation.
Plan TO Force Action
Senate leaders plan to hold the
Muscle Shoals issue before the Senate
until some definite action is taken.
and although the Isle of Pines treaty
is slated under a unanimous consent
agreement to come up Wednesday.
the Muscle Shoals question will have
the right of way.
Since number of Senator's have
expressed intentions of speaking on
The subject, il is not believed bv
leaders of either party that a vote
can be taken until after "Wednesday.
The Underwood bill dedicates Mus
Gle Shoals to national defense. pro-
Tides for perpetual Government own
ership and favors, first, private oper-
Ation, and in the event of failure to
procure a suitable lease, Government
operation. 1t demands the produc-
non of certain amounts annually of
hxed nitrogen to be converted into
FERTILIZER in time of peace and into
explosives in time of war.