Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-23

The Norris Muscle Shoals bill which
Congress is presenting to Mr.. Hoover
close on the heels of the bonus loan
bill in its political aspects of even
more momentous consequences. Norris
and those who think as he does on the
power question have been battling for
10 years to secure Government operation
OF muscle Shoals as power plant
Norris fought the Ford offer in the ear
lier years-a lease to Ford would have
taken the power out of the Govern
ment's hands. Norris, though he sugar
coats his bill with some fertilizer pro-
visions, is the first to concede that large
scale fertilizer production at Muscle
Shoals for the benefit of the farmer is
mirage. The Norris bill when all is
said and done is generally rated as a
power proposition pure and simple. A
Hoover veto has been quite generally
forecast. One version current in Wash
tngton is that the President welcomes
the bill, that he passed a hint to end
the deadlock on the Norris bill and to
let 1t come up to him so that he might
blast it. Unlike the bonus bill situa-
ton, Mr.. Hoover has reason to expect
that Congress will sustain a veto for the
Norris bill II he gives it a veto. The
power issue will then be clearly drawn
for 1882. This week will tell the story.
***
The forthcoming resignation of Chair
man Alexander II. Legge from the Farm
Board seems TO be the signal for a
general exodus of the directing heads
OF that mighty farm relief organiza ton.
Samuel r. McRelvie of Nebraska, wheat
member of the board, will retire on
June IS, when his present term ex-
pires. G. G. league of California, like
hoc al Cty of,,o a
longer in the Federal service than the
year which he promised when he was
originally drafted" Mr.. league is to
retire shortly to resume the presidency
of the California Fruit Growers Ex-
change. The term of William F. Shill-
ing Of Minnesota, representative of the
dairy interests on the board, expires
June Is and he is expected to retire
at that time. That accounts for four
members of the board of eight. Vice
Chairman James C. Stone of Kentucky,
the tobacco member, Is being widely
doomed as probable successor to Mr.
Legge as chairman. Clearly the Presi-
dent now faces a harder task than he
had at the outset to staff this billion
dollar farm relief agency with first
grade business ex2cutives-and he had
hard enough time when the original
board was appointed.
4
Comment in Southern newspapers in
dicates that Mr.. Hoover showed good
judgment in sending native Southern
erS to do his fact-finding in the drought
stricken States of Arkansas, Louisiana
and Texas. Had these emiSsaries been
of different antecedents their reception
might have been less cordial For this
mission the President chose his military
aide, Col. Campbell B. Hodges, who was
born and reared on a farm in Louisiana
not far from the Arkansas border. Ac-
companying Col. Hodges on this trip
which just has been completed, were
Maj. Oliver S. Wood, whose home State
is Arkansas, and Capt. Lewis A. Pick,
a Virginian, who had had a recent tour
of duty at New Orleans. These on
Gals did much more than observe.
They sought to stimulate the local
communities TO assume their full share
Of responsibility in connection with the
relief work. Col. Hodges reports that
the Red Cross Is functioning in every
community and has provided for those
in distress. Conditions are expected to
show further improvement as the crop
loan money becomes available.
Though Mr.. Hoover is still one sec
rotary short, he is managing very we'll
since the departure of George Akerson
ard may do nothing further with re-
spect to filling the vacant post for some
months to come. This at least is the
appearance of the matter around the
executive Offices at the present time
Upon Secretary Walter Newton has de-
volved the duty Of meeting the press"
formerly Mr.. Akerson's task. To Sec
rotary Lawrence Richey has been as