Evening star., 1938-05-27
MORGAN DENIES r:
BEING VISIONARY
0usted T.V. A. Head Takes
Issue With Former
Colleagues Story.
BY JOHN H. CLINE.

BY JOHN H. CLINE.
DR.. Arthur e. Morgan, ousted chair.
man OF the Tennessee Valley Author.
ity, today took issue In an open letter
with statements made by DR.. Harcourt
Morgan. appointed as his successor,
in testimony by the latter before a
joint congressional investigating COM
mittee.
DR.. Harcourt Morgan was addressed
in the letter as vice chairman"
presumably TO preserve DR.. Arthur
Morgan's contention that President
Roosevelt lacked authority to remove
him. The former chairman has not
announced whether he will file suit
to test legality Of his removal.
The former chairman denied as
sertions by Harcourt Morgan that he
was highly visionary" during the
early days Of T. " A.. and contend.
ed his actions saved more than a mil.
lion dollars on one contract and pre-
vented wildcat" real estate boom
at Muscle Shoals.
He also denied that his request to
be named general manager of the
Authority temporarily was a move to
dominate the agency, explaining that
he felt 1t necessary because neither
Harcourt Morgan nor David E. Lilien-
thai, the other director, were pre-
pared to begin active work after their
appointments.
Members OF the joint congressional
committe, meanwhile, were studying
the mass OF testimony submitted dur
ing the past two days by the three
men whose personal differences nearly
disrupted the work of T. v. A.
Chairman Donahey announced he
would try to call another meeting
after Tuesday of next week, but said
he did not know what the order Of
business would be.
1t had been understood that DR..
Arthur E. Morgan would be permitted
to take the stand in rebuttal if his for
mer associate directors preferred any
new charges against him, but at the
conclusion of yesterdays hearing the
chairman asked that he submit his
rebuttal in writing
May Inspect Projects.
It was considered likely the COM
mittee might make an inspection tour
Of T. v. A. projects before hearing
further testimony.
As yesterdays session neared ad-
journment. Mr.. Lilienthal charged that
Dr. Arthur Morgan apparently had
tried to secure decision adverse to
T. v. A. In the recent suit by 10 pri-
vate utility companies against the
power agency.
Constitutionality Of T. v. A. was
upheld by the lower court and the
matter is now pending in the ST.
preme Court.
THE documented record Of Arthur
Morgans conduct in this matter is dis
creditable," Mr.. Lilienthal said.
1T is a record which suggests he
was seeking to find a way to secure q
judicial decision against his own
agency. (Dr Morgan was chairman at
the time) 1t is a record of tamper-
ing with prospective Government wit
nesses and of obstructing and haras-
sing counsel and witnesses in the very
heat of the trial Of a crucial constitu-
tional case"
Decided Against Testimony.
He said T. v. A. attorneys had de-
cided not to call DR.. Morgan as a
witness after he had asked them II
there were not some way in which the
court could declare some Of the
asency's power activities unconStitu-
tional, while upholding the rest Of the
act.
Earlier, Mr.. Lilienthal had defended
his conduct and that of Dr. Harcourt
Morgan, present chairman, in the
handling of claims by Senator Berry.
Democrat. of Tennessee, for compen-
sation for supposed marble deposits
flooded by the waters of Norris Dam.
He denied any punches had been
pulled" in the attempt to prove bad
faith on the part of Senator Berry.
and said q conciliation agreement
made with him was merely a precau-
tionary move and in no way adverse
to the interests Of the Government.