The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-02
THE MUSCLE SHOALS PLANK


 To Alabama and the South, and indeed to the entire United States, one of the Democratic platform blanks of foremost importance is that endorsing the devel- opment of Muscle Shoals and pledging the party to prompt action by congress for the operation of Muscle Shoals plants to maximum capacity in the production, distribution and sale of commercial fer tilizers to the farmers of the country" The plank does not, of course, specify any offer by name, but the record of the sufficient testimonial of the party atti- tude, to say nothing of the overwhelm- ing popular endorsement given in South ern cities to the Ford offer whenever there has been given opportunity for the expression of popular opinion.
 A refutation of the efforts of the Ala ical trust to defeat and obstruct the Muscle Shoals development for the pub lie benefit is decisively given in the Democratic platform pledge to "oppose any legislation limiting the amount of power" to be assigned at Muscle Shoals for fertilizer and kindred purposes. It is of record that the Alabama Power Company at first rejected the opportun- ity to lease Muscle Shoals, and found merit in the project only when Ford made it evident that he would bring into the field competition in both power de- velopment and in fertilizer manufacture. Since that time, the power trust and the fertilizer trust have left no stone unturned to defeat the public purpose with respect to Muscle Shoals.
 Dispatches from New York relate that in the sessions of the resolutions com mittee of the Democratic convention the Alabama member of the platform com mittee charged that the power company had employed certain members of the senate and house of the Alabama legis- lature to represent the company in legal capacity, and that the company had of fered newspapers advertising, provided the newspapers would support the poli- cies of the power company. The Ala bama member is also reported to have declared the power company, through improper activities, selfishly sought to advance its own interests, even though such action obstructed legitimate devel- opment in a state that had Been generous to the power company in the grant of water-power sites. Stress was also laid on the efforts of the Alabama Power Company "to control the voice of the press in the state by financial assistance to certain newspapers and through the expenditure of money"
 But the Democratic party has not per mitted itself to be swayed by such i'm proper influences from doing it's public duty. The operation of the plants at Muscle Shoals for the manufacture of fertilizer in time of peace and of ex- plosives in time of war is the primary purpose of the undertaking. For this purpose there should be no countenancing of any effort to curtail the amount of power that may be devoted to it, nor of hamstringing any prospect of such manufacture by assigning to it secondary power, which is available only at cer- tain times in the year. Henry Ford is the only one who, up to date, has pre- sented fair and square proposal that takes primary account of the public wei fare and the agricultural welfare of the South and of the nation.
 The Democratic party has committed itself unreservedly to the development and operation of the project primarily for it's most important objectives. Con- alterations of power distribution are sec ondary, for there is an enormous quan- tity of power still going to waste in sites already assigned to the Alabama and other power companies. Any apprehen- sion lest the industrial development at Muscle Shoals would deprive any other section of power is absurd and without foundation. Such an argument is hypocritically put forth by those spe- cially interested. If the Democratic party is returned to power, the future of Muscle Shoals along it's legitimate and essential lines of development is assured.