Evening star., 1933-10-01

The strAngeSt phenomenon OF Amer
lean political history is in process Of
exhibition-the functioning of Q prod
uct of long political wrangling which
was created in such curious and un-
precedented fashion that it automat-
ically turns upon its creators and defies
them. The phenomenon Is the Ten
nessee Valley Authority, the permanent
agency of the Federal Government
brought into being at the behest Of
President Roosevelt to develop Muscle
Shoals, the mammoth Tennessee River
power project, and also an empire
tributary thereto.
Since the days Of George Washing
ton Muscle Shoals has been the object
Of attention Of the Federal Govern
ment. It was duri,g the World War.
however, that 1t b. Inc q real political
foot ball. Preside 1T Wilson wanted q
vast power development there for the
purpose OF producing nitrates for fer
tilizer and for war use in the manu-
facture Of explosives. Huge sums Of
money were appropriated and the great
Wilson Dam built. Whenever the
Treasury Golfers began to discharge
funds. political influences begin to be
felt and Immediately there began Q
controversy lasting for more than .
decade over whether private enterprise,
through leases, should operate Muscle
Shoals or whether the United States
Government should take over the whole
project.
Senator Norris Of Nebraska added to
q fame already firmly established by
waging q protracted fight in favor Of
the public ownership and operation Of
the project. At the insistence Of Presi-
dent Roosevelt a measure, even more
comprehensive than anything previous
ly proposed, was passed by Congress
1t embodied Senator Norris ideas OF
public operation and set. up the Ten
essee Valley Authority. In contrast to
the various other agencies established
by the last Congress in connection with
the effort at national recovery. the
Tennessee Valley Authority Is q perma-
nent fixture. It Is to develop not only
the Muscle Shoals power project. but
Is to extend operations in reforestation.
conservation and general betterment OF
the whole Tennessee Valley.
Politics Il Taboo.
The Democrats who finally brought
to fruition the Muscle Shoals project
there were hordes of them seeking jobs.
The many new Federal agencies have
supplied thousands of such jobs In ad-
dition to those already created and
useful as patronage plums. As the
Tennessee Valley Authority set to work
more deliberately and, certainly, more
quietly than other agencies, at first the
politicians paid less attention to 1t. But
as jobs got scarcer in other directions,
Senators and Representatives in Con-
gress as well as other political powers
began referring applicants to the Ten
nessee Valley Authority with strong
letters of recommendation for appoint
ment to this Job or that. Nothing
seemed to happen to these applica-
tions.
Finally. Postmaster General Farley,
hierarch of the Roosevelt patronage
machine, whose word Is presumed to be
the last word on the placing OF deserv-
ing Democrats in jobs, sent In batch
Of appointments. In his mind there
was no question about his nominees be-
ing taken care Of But his appointees
reported back that they were coolly
met and nothing developed tn put them
to work. This touched him on the raw
and he saw DR.. Arthur Morgan. chair
man of the Tennessee Valley Authority,
about it. He had blood in his eye.
The learned Dr.. Morgan, former
president of Antioch College. IN Ohio.
and an eminent engineer who neither