Evening star., 1933-04-25

National comment on the advocacy
by President Roosevelt Of the develop
ment of Muscle Shoals shows new sup
port for the work in the Tennessee
Valley though opposition to the
project still is widely expressed. Pro-
ponents seeing it as an initial move
which may spread to other parts of
the country. stress its importance in
a public works program, providing en-
ployment in new fields, of fertilizer
and power production, flood control,
forest and soil protection, ETC., and ap-
prove OF 1t as means of regulating
power. Opponents base their argu-
ments upon objections to the outlay of
public money necessary to carry out
the development and to the entry of
private business.
''The President moves in obedience
to a splendid vision" thinks the Nash
vile Banner, with the statement that
nothing that Mr.. Roosevelt has pro-
posed bears so clear an impress of
constructive craftsmanship" That "he
sees the application of the plan to the
areas traversed by other streams, in
cluding the Missouri. Arkansas and Co.
lumbia," is the opinion of the Banner,
which observes "the opening of what
may easily prove to be a distinct
epochal advance in the development of
the Nations resources" The Omaha
World Herald records that Mr.. Roose-
velt believes he has found, in a great
national system of watershed, power
and forest development. means of
keeping alive the spirit Of the pioneer" +"
Before his inauguration" says the
Roanoke World-News. "Mr. Roosevelt
fn fhn
Valley, proposing a vast program of
public works to decentralize industry
and make available cheap power as
probably the widest experiment ever
conceived by government It is the
hrst step in that program that the
President now recommends-the utili-
zation of vast Government-ow
project that through the years has
been lying almost idle"
The Atlanta Journal quotes from a
speech by Mr.. Roosevelt in Oregon in
the course of which he held, as to
State-owned or Federal-owned power
sites, that private capital should be
given the first opportunity to transmit
and distribute power on the basis of
the lowest rates and best service, to
give reasonable profit only" The
journal concludes: THAT principle the
President now applies to the neglected
potentialities of the Muscle Shoals, and
with it he links a logical program for
flood control, reforeStation, soil protec-
tion and agricultural progress that is
worthy of Americas greatest pioneering
traditions"
There seems no good and sufficient
reason for Muscle Shoals not playing its
part in the Roosevelt reconstruction
program" declares the Fort Worth Star
Telegram, with the thought that the
message illustrates the distance Gov
ernment has travelled in the last IL
months" Regretting lack of adequate
information on the subject, the Oak
land Tribune recognizes in the project
"a single part of one plan which is in
itself separate portion of a public
works program calculated to put many
men to work" The Port Huron Times
Herald sees the possibility of salvaging
at least part of the Governments in
into condition to shift the burden of
operation upon the shoulders Of private
enterprise and without putting the
Government permanently into the manu-
featuring business"
If the Presidents proposal Is un-
derstood," according to the Newark
Evening News, lit means the creation
under Government auspices Of q body
corporate and polite which will have
authority to do q number Of things by
successive steps, each step pfedicated
upon the demonstration in advance
that it can be put and kept on q self
supporting basis. Given such q basis,
the realization of the power potentiali-
ties Of Muscle Shoals, its possible con-
tribution to nitrate manufacture, its
Relationship, TO the development Of the
Tennessee valley q an industrial area,