Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-05-08
FIXED COMMITTEE
FOR FORD CHARGED
IN SHOALS HEARING

ndH OIL the mousse app opIldllon
committee, had promised c. II. Hus.
ton, president of the Tennessee Riv-
er improvement association, that
'he would see that all members APP
pointed on committees dealing with
the Ford offer will be favorable to
it, was made by Chairman Norris
at the Muscle Shoals hearing of the
senate agriculture committee.
Chairman Norris read what he
said were the minutes OF meeting
of the associa ton on March ~,
1928, is follows:
He made a short address after
his acceptance of the office Of pres
ident, in which he stated that the
majority of the members of con-
gress and of the senate were very
decidedly in favor of the acceptance
of Mr.. Ford's offer during the first
session if the house rules had al
lowed it to come to vote.
(''He stated that in the next session
of congress, Mr.. Madden, chairman
of the committee, will. take care to
see that all members appointed on
committees dealing with the Ford
offer will be favorable to it, so that
the question may be put to a
straight vote before both houses of
congress and the senate. He had no
fear of the result)
Paragraph Confidential
1.-The parag graph in brackets was
in confidence, and he requested the
representatives of the press not to
make it public"
Representative Madden later de
MED that he planned to have placed
on the agriculture committee mem
bers favorable only to Ford's bid.
There is not a single word of
truth in the statement" Mr.. Mad,
den said Il never gave anybody
the authority to make it. [ have not
the power to make committee desig-
nations"
w. G. Waldo, representing the
Tennessee River Improvement as
ISOLATION and favoring Ford's bid,
declared before the senate agricul-
ture committee that he did not be-
lieVe new bids now coming in should
be given the consideration that
Ford's offer should.
ct is simply d sWeetening up of
some parts of the bid and looks like
a reflection on the sincerity of those
making the OFFERS" Waldo said. SEN
ator Norbeck, Republican, South Da-
kota, suggested that some of the
bidders finances might not have per-
mitted the offering of a bid three
years ago.
New Bids Cause Delay
Waldo declared the new bids were
delaying settlement of the question
and Senator Norbeck countered
with charge that Ford supporters
had blocked for one year the dis
posal Of Muscle Shoals in an at.
tempt to force acceptance of the
Ford bid
Chairman Norris said all bids of
them would b. given equal consid-
Grafton, and Waldo expressed the
opinion chere were only two solu-
tons for Muscle Shoals-Ford' bid
or government operatio"
Waldo elaborated on rec testi-
mony against placing Ford's bid un-
der the jurisdiction of the federal
water power of saying:
'If attempt is made to apply fed
eral water-power act in Alabama you
will find Alabama in the courts
fighting it as is being done In New
Jersey now"
nesota, asked if any attempt had
been made to develop navigation on
the Tennessee river or had it been
blocked by the railroad trusts"
Waldo said nothing had been done
because it was under the federal
government" and in reply to Chair
man Norris he said he had no better
solution to offer.
Farmers Seek Help
Farmers in the northwest, he said,
"were going broke and they did not
feel like helping people in other
parts of the country until they
themselves were helped.
Waldo said fertilizer production az
Muscle Shoals would more greatly
benefit the public than would power
distribution, and added that Ford
would "revolutionize the fertilizer
industry if it needs revolutionizing. :"
Waldo, in reply to Chairman Nor
ris, denied that the Tennessee River
improvement association had devot-
ed all of it's time since organizing
to efforts to have Ford's bid
accepted.
Chairman Norris then read what
he said were the minutes of meet
ing Of the associat ton on March 30,
1928 quoting a speech m-1e by G.
II. Hurston, president of the asso-
citation, stating that Martin B. Mad
den, chairman of the house military
affairs committee, would see that
favorable action was taken on the
Ford bid at the next session Of con-
gress."
"You are not connected in any
way with Ford?" Norris asked.
mot in any way"
Norris then read a Glitter on Ford
Motor company stationery to Will
bur A. Nelson, state geologist of
Nashville, quoting r. T. Walker, Of
the Ford Motor company 8 saying
a process had been referred to
Waldo, whom the letter referred to
"as one of our technical staff"
Written Through ErrO~
Waldo said that letter was writ
ten through a misunderstanding as
he had been studying processes for
Ford, but was in no way connected
with the firm.
The letter to Nelson said:
"In reply to your letter OF October
"a to Mr.. Henry Ford, which has
been referred to this Office for atten-
ton, relative to your process, would
advise that we have forwarded same
to our Mr.. w. G. Waldo, 205 Third
street, southeast, Washington, D. c..
who is one Of our technical staff
and is investigating matters of this
nature for us.
FORD MOTOR c. lPANY.
'R. T. WALKER, Secretary to W.
D. Mayo"