The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-01-15
CONTROL
OF SHOALSIS
PR0BED
Congress viii Be Asked to Go
Deeper Into McKeIlar's
Charges.
BY JOHN T, LAMBERT,
COslnOpOlltan News Service.

A resolution asserting Lnat the
Alabama Power Company is con-
trolled by British gold and asking
for an Immediate investigation. of
the danger Of Muscle Shoals falling
into alien hands will be introduced
in Congress as a result of the sen.
sational charges made by Senator
Mcclellan OF Tennessee. '
The Alabama Power Company re.
Gently bought the Gorgas Plant at
Muscle Shoals from Secretary Of
Daugherty had declared that the
ontion which secretary Weeks said
the company had to buy the plant
was not worth the paper 1t was
written upon. q I
It. is now one of n combination
of nine private companies that has
offered ito buy the great power
plant at Muscle Shoals, presumably
to prevent Henry Ford from De.
veloping cheap power to supply the
people Of Alabama, Tennessee.
Georgia and Mississippi =
Senator Mcclellan declares that
the Alabama Power Company Is
dominated by British capital. Muscle
Shoals Is in danger, therefore, OF
falling into the hands OF an alien
nation which, in the unhappy event
of war. could in one blow destroy
the greatest potential electrical
force in all the Southern States.
Evidence Supports Claim.
Evidence tending to support Nc
Kellar's charge is already In the
possession Of Congress. 1t appears
in the records that the citizens u
| Florence, Ala, at a mass meeting
under the auspices OF the Chamber
of Commerce, Rotary Club, and Elk
change Club, adopted resolutions
which declare:
THAT the Alabama Power Com
pany. doing business in this State
is owned principally by a foreign
corporation, with its official domi
cile in Canada; that the majority d
! its stock is owned in Canada anC
England, and the policy Of the com
pany is, therefore. necessarily
alien"
The people of Birmingham also
| assembled in mass meeting and
after protesting against the influ
i ence exerted by "the Fertilizer
Trust, power monopolies, supported
by the money powers OF Wall
| Street" to prevent the lease Of
! the Shoals to Ford. declared IN
resolutions:
"a sexual to this great opposition
is shown by the submission OF
bid by the Alabama, Power Com
pany, a foreign corporation. that
has never been of material benefit
to anyone other than the stockhGld
ers, who are citizens principally OF
foreign countries"
President Thomas w. Martin, O.
the Alabama Power Company. ad
mitted to Congress that the com
pany was financed by British CAPT
tai until 1914 when. he said, Will
the outbreak of the war $23. 600 ,OOC
Of American capital was advanced
and this, with 1.-The condition OF ex'
change and whatnot," finally LEFT
the British controlling only 30 or ~
per cent Of that corporation.
Real Ownersllips British.
Congressman Bankhead of Ala
bama declared, however:
IT think the evidence before this
committee justified the assertion
that when Mr.. Duke tobacco mag
mattel the owner of the Southern
Power Company, condemned the
Muscle shoals project, ne spoke
for the great family Of interests We
find here condemning the offer Of
Henry Ford.
"In that family we find the
American Cynamid Company and
its child, the Air Nitrates Corpora
tion, which corporation, some evil
dence showed, consisted Of ten men
who put up 500 each and drew
down more than $1,000 from
the TreaSury-yet they, too, were
great patriots in time Of war.
I'VE find the Virginia Carolina
Chemical Company, a member OF
the National Association Of Fer.
tilizer Manufacturers, whose presi'
dent, Mr.. Mcdowell. appeared here
in protest against the Ford offer
We further find in that family che
Southern Power Company, and next
we find the Alabama Power Com
pany, the child Of the Alabama
Light and Traction Company If the
Dominion of Canada. I say 1t ID
the child of the light and traction
company because all Of its common
stock, its voting stock, Is owned
by that foreign corporation, which
is probably the great big daddy Of
them ALL"
The resolution for an investiga-
ton will also be attended by de-
termined fight by the Senate
liberals to provide that the final
lease of Muscle Shoals shall not
be made to any corporation, which
has the appearance Of being
dominated by foreign capital.