The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-10-14
POLITICS AND MUSCLE SHOALS.


will prove most expensive to this ma
ton and to the American people, was it's
destruction of the opportunity to turn the
Muscle Shoals project over to Henry
Ford The people of the South and the
farmers Of the entire country view with
Unreasonable regret the withdrawal of
the Ford offer from the consideration of
congress. Although Mr.. Ford says that
the plans Of his enterprises have passed
Muscle Shoals" yet there is some en-
enlargement in his further statement:
eve have made our bid Now let them
make bid. And they will not have to
wait three years for their answer. We
can tell them in five minutes.''
Mr.. Ford makes no secret Of why his
bid was defeated. He says: IA simple
affair Of business which should have been
decided by anyone within week has be-
come a complicated political affair. We
are not in politics, and we are in bust
ness. We do not intend to be drawn into
politics." There in nutshell is the whole
pitiable story: Political effort to keep
privilege within the power Of those who
now enjoy privilege, no matter. at what
cost to the public welfare, was the cause
Of this forfeiture Of public enjoyment Of
the benefits that would have come from
the proper operation of the Muscle Shoals
project. "a a'
1t has been suggested in various quar-
tiers that Mr.. Ford would be an active
supporter of the Coolidge candidacy. Mr..
Ford, at the time, denied any interest in
politics. No act of his could have been
more disastrous to the Coolidge chances,
nor better timed to undermine the Re-
publican appeal for votes. It is not be-
Ilieved that Mr.. Ford, however, had any
such result in mind. 1t is believed that
he withdrew his bid for the simple rea-
son given, namely, he saw no chance of
it's being accepted. The water-power
trust and the fertilizer monopoly are the
two influences that were potent in Gre
ating the political impasse that DISTRACTED
the acceptance of the Ford bid.
Mr.. Ford repeats that his bid was the
best his company 'knew how to make"
It was better for the public than any
other bid, for, says Mr.. Ford: "Our bid
was intended to develop a method by
which the public's money could be made
productive and eventually returned to
the public treasury at profit, while at
the same time we should produce nitrates
at sufficiently low cost to sell them to
the farmers at fraction Of what they
now have to pay. Also, we intended to
create a plant which would not only
make US Independent Of Chile for nj
trates for explosives, but would give US
an independent supply possibly equal to
that of all the rest of the world put to-
gether." It was precisely because they
were convinced that Mr.. Ford would do
this that the trusts spread the propaganda
that he would not do it. They feared the
passage of the Ford offer more than any
other one factor, for it meant the de-
struction of their own monopoly and
housekeeping position.
1t is significant also that Mr.. Ford de-
clares that he can produce electric cur
rent from his own coal mines cheaper
than he could have wrested the current
from Muscle Shoals. That proves that
his interest in Muscle Shoals was not
wholly selfish. The same thing is proved
also by his warning to the American peo-
pie not to permit the project to be broken
up, as the Alabama Power Company, for
example, would have it broken up, for
Through its nitrate production it can be
our greatest guarantee for peace on the
ne hand and for the farmers on the
other. believe the army engineers can
carry it through if they were allowed to
exercise their own judgment and work
unhampered-for they are fine lot of
men. But probably the best course is that
suggested by the president, that is, to ap-
point an impartial commission"
There are fatal flaws in this, however,
for the army engineers would not be cal
lowed to. exercise their own judgment"
but would be continually hampered by
political Vaccinations and insufficient ap-
preparations, as Mr.. Ford himself knows
very well. That is why he suggests an
impartial commission" But perhaps he
also knows that an impartial commission
is unlikely and that Muscle Shoals would,
like so many other public undertakings,
become the spoil of politics. Altogether,
the Republicans have struck blow at
the public welfare and the national safety
which deserves the penalty of defeat in
November. 1t will mean their defeat, if
the people once fully comprehend what
their destructive policy has cost the
country.