davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1954-08-08
Modest Beginnings

It was white elephant legacy
OF World War I which put the
Government in the power busi-
ness in the Tennessee Valley.
For more than a dozen years,
the $3.50 million Muscle Shoals
plant had been the object of con-
gressional pulling and hauling.
Here, on the Tennessee River in
Alabama-to meet anticipated
war needs-the Government had
set up a chemical production
center and hydro electric
power plant to run it. With the
war at end, various important
interests wanted in.
Henry Ford offered SIS million
for the layout. He was turned
down.
Senator Norris, the Nebraska
Independent, twice piloted pub
lie ownership bills through Con-
gresS to the White House. Twice
he ran into rockbound presiden-
tial diSapproval-by Calvin Cool
idge and Herbert Hoover.
That is not liberalism, it is
degeneration!" So spoke Mr..
Hoover in denouncing the prin-
ciple of public ownership of util-
tiles in a 1881 veto.
But times change. In 1888, the
late President Roosevelt broached
a proposal to use Muscle Shoals
as the instrument for fashioning
the Tennessee Valley Authority
One month later. the completed
legislation was back on his desk
Serves 100000 Consumers.
One dam and one steam plant
made up the total of TWAS gen.
Grating facilities then. The Gov
ernment was to sell only the
''surplus" power that it didn't
need in the vast development
program contemplated.
That was 20 years ago. Today
iva includes an integrated sys-
tenn OF 30-odd major dams or
the Tennessee and it's tribu.
taries.. Eight steam plants anc
several minor installations-hy-
dro and steam-also are required
to meet the demands of about
100000 consumers, urban anc
rural-four times as many a.
had the benefit of electricity il
the region before TVA-and tc
supply power for the atomic
workings at Oak Ridge ane
Paducah.
The great electric network nov
covers 10000 square miles ir
parts of seven States, includins
almost all of Tennessee, north.
ern Alabama, northeastern Mis-.
sissippi, southwestern Kentucky
and small sectors of Georgia
North Carolina and Virginia.
Only two small privately.
owned local distribution system.
Evening star., 1954-08-08


advocates, however, want none
of that. They contend that the
iva has an obligation" to meet
all of the growing demands for
power. They insist that the sole
alternative to an expanding IVA
"a shift in part to private util-
ity operations not feasible.
A single integrated system,
they are convinced, is the only
satisfactory solution - and the
cheapest one.
The argument. over expanding
IVA through the construction of
more steam plants has resolved
itself along purely clean-cut POI
litical lines. When the G. o. P.
captured the Senate and House
in 1916, that lawful 80th Con-
gresS,' as President Truman Gus
tomarily described it, threw a
roadblock in the way of further
steam-plant building.
The Democrats started opera
tionS again after 1948, but while
provision has been made to au-
thorize additional units in exist
ing installations, there have
been no funds appropriated for
new projects in the two years
since the Republicans regained
control of the purse strings.
Pro and Con
Whatever may be said about
IVA elsewhere, its staunchest
foes admit it is the darling of
about 95 per cent of the people
of the valley. And there is plain
distaste in the area for anything
which would permit the private
power industry to cut into IVA
/ territory.
This has been forcibly demon
Strated in the current bitter fight
over President Eisenhower's pro-
posal to have the Atomic Energy
Commission negotiate with a pri-
vate syndicate for construction
of a steam power generating
plant at West Memphis. Ark, to
serve the Memphis, Tenn, area,
| just across the Mississippi.
That battle, however, is only
a small part of the story. Basic
ally, the people of the area are
/ afraid that President Eisenhower
and his advisers just don't like
the system which has given the
Tennessee Valley so large q
chunk of the good life.
Often recalled is the fact that
when Gen. Eisenhower, as a
candidate for President, spoke
on the Valley, he promised to
operate IVA at maximum eff
ficiency."
The people. liked that, and
Tennessee jumped the Demo-
cratic traces and went Republi-
can.
There has been definite dis
Observation-Disclosures to record
itself strongly in a poll taken
by the Scripps- Howard press,
/ which backed the Eisenhower
candidacy.
There was wide public dissat-
| isfaction in the Valley when the
President turned down TWAS
plan to build a steam plant at
Fulton, Tenn. There was more
of the same when Gen. Eisen-
hover refused to re-appoint Cor
don R. Clapp to the iva chair
manship.
Even some who didn't care
whether Mr.. Clapp was reap
pointed or not were annoyed by
the Presidents long delay In
naming a successor. The West
Memphis deal only added fuel
to the flames.
In short, the Valley people say
they were led to expect that
iva would get sympathy and
understanding from the Eisen-
Evening star., 1954-08-08
How Does 1t Work

How does this business work?
And how is it doing? These
questions are worth a little study.
OF all the IVA activities,
power alone is required to make
financial return to the Gov
ernment. The law provides that
TWAS power operation must be
self-supporting and self -llquidat-
ing. IVA has 40 years, under
the law. in which to repay it's
power debts. More than half
that time has passed, and it
still has a long way to go. But
IVA believers are confident the
deadline can be met.
Out of a total Government in
vestment of SIT billion in the
whole flung network of iva
activities, power is responsible for
slightly more than $500 million
according to IVA figures. The
repayment to the Governments
so far, amounts to about Sill
million.
The so-called "yardstick" OF
maximum use at MINIMUM
cost has been the guiding pre-
cept Of the IVA authorities, VINO
argue that volume sales have
been a highly effective weapon
for keeping rates down, ma1n-
tanning a solvent operation and
amortizing the Government IN
vestment.
The municipalities and CO.
operatives-150 in number-wno
buy IVA power. set their own
rates only after negotiation with
the iva. The rates they estab-
lish generally are about SO per
cent of those elsewhere in the
country.
Earnings Average $50
| Last year, these iva outlets
| had average earnings of 8.5 pei
cent-not bad by any standards.
The profits they made went for
only three purposes: To pay
debts-to expand service-to re-
duce rates still further.
To this record of accomplish
ment, the critics of iva have
one insistent answer. The tax
| payers of the rest of the coun-
try. they contend-who built the
IVA power installations are
| footing the power bills of the
people of the Tennessee valley
That, they contend, is why TVA
| rates are low. That is why the
/ region has been able to lift it.
self by its economic bootstraps
Turing new industries with the
promise of cheap power.
/ So say the critics. But the
people of the valley are not very
much impressed by the argu-
ment.
They admit they have beer
subsidized to the extent that tht
Government indebtedness ha:
not been liquidated. But. ever
on this point, they argue thai
the Governments investment i!
money borrowed at a lower ratt
of interest than it is earning or
the IVA debt per cent.
Pays SO of Gross to States.
Funds which IVA pays out tt
States and communities cir
lieu" of taxes, also are cited Il
! refute the argument that iva
beneficiaries are free.riders. Al
Evening star., 1954-08-08

a Federal organization iva is
not taxable. But it pays S per
cent of gross revenues to the
States which lost a source of tax
income when iva took over the
generating and transmission
facilities of private power opera
ton. Critics have agreed that
private concerns would be pay
ing four times as much in taxes
as IVA pays in lieu of taxes.
IVA, on the other hand, con-
tends simply it has produced
more revenue for the region than
the private operation did.
Finally, as a clincher to their
case, IVA boosters cite a local
investment in the power network
of $400 million-just half of the
Government ante. This, they
feel, clearly removes them from
the category of spongers.
One of President Eisenhower S
often =. expressed theories on
power development is that,
rather than have everything con-
trolled by the Federal Govern
ment, there should be a partner
ship arrangement, bringing in
also the States, municipalities
and the people themselves.
The partnership idea, say the
valley people, is old stuff.
Where Does 1t End?
The demand for electricity in
the Tennessee Valley area keeps
growing. And as it grows, so
does IVA. Water power no long
car. do the job. More and more,
the authority has been turning
to steam plants to meet its needs.
This is the point regarding
IVA operations of which the
Eisenhower administration has
been particularly critical.
Today, with the hydro electric
potentialitieS of the Tennessee
River and its tributaries yir-
tually exhausted, eight big steam
plants, built and building, are
furnishing 36 per cent of the
energy used in the Valley. Hydro
is responsible for 81 per cent.
The rest comes from other
sources. In a pinch, the iva
pulls in power from private op-
erations on the outside. 1t also
makes its own power available
to these other concerns in emer-
gency situations.
Uncle Sam as Power Salesman.
Within the next few years
unless the present expansion is
definitely checked. the IVA esti-
mates that about two-thirds of
its business will be Steam-pro-
duced. as demand heads forward
new levels.
This is the point at which
some in the Valley who are
friendly to the iva begin to
raise a question as to just how
far the Government should GO
as a power salesman, even
though they don't go for the
Eisenhower creeping socialism
tag.
| AS long as operations are con-
fined to the sale of the hydro
generated power. which is a by
product of f1ood-control and
navigation activities, this school
+, Of thought is all in favor Of
! iva.
! After that, however, doubts
begin to arise about the virtues
OF mushrooming Government
controls.
''I think we ought to build q
fence around the iva" is the
way q friendly critic in Knox
vile put it. That sentiment Is
not uncommon.
The Cheapest Solution.
The dyed-in-the-wool iva
Evening star., 1954-08-08
The IVA Riddle
By Joseph A. Fox

Is the Tennessee Valley pro-
gram an example of progressive
democracy-or creeping social
ism?
President Eisenhower pinned
the socialism tag on the priced
project of the New Deal, and
then set the fuse that touched
off an explosion on Capitol Hill
by moving to halt the 20-year
expansion of the valley power
empire.
The public power controversy
Is bound to boil up in this years
congressional election, and could
play a big part in the presiden-
tial balloting in 1856. What are
the facts behind the IVA de-
bate?
In search of answers to the
above question, this reporter has
just completed two journeys.
One was a trip from one end of
the iva area to another-from
Bristol, Va, to West Memphis,
Ark.-to talk to the people who
run IVA and the people who,
are served by it. The other was
a 20-year- excursion into his
tory-back over the records of
this remarkable experiment in
economics and government.
From these excursions, two
basic answers to the IVA ques-
ton emerge. The first is that,
in one sense at least, President
Eisenhower is right. IVA may
or may not be, socialism. But it
certainly is creeping. Indeed,
galloping might be a more ac-
curate word. Whatever IVA is,
1t shows no sign of recognizing
any natural limits, to it's expan-
sion. 1t looks very much like
phenomenon which will keep
going until it is stopped.
The second answer is that
whatever IVA is-the people it
serves like it. The inhabitants
of the Tennessee Valley area
show no sign of objecting as
long as IVA, by whatever name
1t may be called. just keeps
creeping along.
Evening star., 1954-08-08
Is Government Power Goliath
Creeping Along or Booming?

are left in the IVA area-at
Bells and Franklin, Tennessee.
! These buy their power from the
IVA which fixes the rate at
which they may resell. Every
thing else in the power network
is public ownership.
This is the creeping social
ism" against which President Eli
senhower has inveighed. There
is no denying that he has a
point.
Evening star., 1954-08-08

the parent Commonwealth
Southern, said that sale was
forced at 80 per cent of the TEP
value. 1--WE could not stay in busi-
ness against this subsidized Gov
ernment competition" he ex-
planned.
With the acquisition of Ten
nessee Electric and some lesser
units, IVA was really in busi-
ness.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-10

MISS AMENIE N. PHILLIPS
Engaged to
Mr.. Hans ID. Schweizer.
Col. and Mrs. Donald Boyer
Phillips Of Annandale. Va. an
nounce the engagement Of their
daughter Amenie Nelson to Mr..
Hans Donald Schweizer. son of
DR.. and Mrs. Mark Schweizer Of
Riverdale. Md.
Miss Phillips attended Mary
Baldwin College and Is now q
student at the University Of
Maryland. Mr.. Schweizer will
be graduated in June from the
School Of Engineering at the
University of Maryland.
The wedding will take place
next summer.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-10


Miss Virginia Cover Russell,
daughter Of Mrs. Harry Kerr
Russell and the late Mr.. Russell,
became the bride on January 16
Of MIR. Howard Arthur Holland.
He Is the son Of Mr.. J. Peter Hol-
land Of Norfolk, Va, and the late
Mrs. Holland.
The ceremony took place in the
Presbyterian Church In Win
chester. Va. There was q recep-
ton at the George Washington
Hotel. Following a southern we'd
ding trip. Mr.. and Mrs. Holland
will reside in Winchester.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-10
Pon7n7es SouffIes

Ever wonder how to make those
puffy French fried potatoes that
French restaurants serve? It's
easy-just q matter Of cooking
them twice. Cut your peeled
potatoes into uniform flattened
ovals, about 2 inches long and u
inch thick. Put these In ice
water. then drain and dry with o
CLOTH. Heat your deep fat to
Just below boiling. and immerse
your potatoes. in a wire basket.
Cook till they just begin to turn
golden. Take them out Of the
fat and set aside to drain and
cool. Now turn your heat up
and let the oil become hot and
smoking. Dip your potato slices
again. this time very quickly.
They should puff UP almost i'm
mediately. Drain and serve hot
on a paper napkin.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-10

Seasoning
Salt draws out Juice. so some
cooks like to season their meat
and poultry after 1t is cooked.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1954-03-25
Spirit of Truth

The most serious practical prob
lem connected with the guidance of
the Spirit of God in our daily lives
is this, first of all: How can we
tell the Spirits leading" from no.
tons of our own? When we have
an impulse to do or to say some
thing, to go or to wait, is this God
that gives us the impulse. or is it
only ours elves, or (chilling
thought could it even be an evil
spirit? Now we must remember
that God can and does speak to US
in quite ordinary ways. When
we are really hungry. we look for
food. We don't need any voice
from the sky But in the natural
instinct of hunger, God who made
us is saying to US, Eat if you
want to live" Admitting all this.
is there any good way of telling
when the voice is Gods and when
it is not? Yes. One test is this: Is
it the voice of truth? Does it push
you toward reality or away from
it? What would you say to
man who told you that God had
commanded him to marry five
wives?
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1954-03-25
The Spirit. Does Guide. But .

To begin with, it is most unlike
ly that God will reveal his plans
in detail to this gentleman. He has
never done it yet, not to prophets
and not to apostles, saints or
martyrs. 1t one of the greatest of
these who said we walk by faith
and not by sight. So it is not like
ly that God will give an elaborate
set of predictions to man who
does not want to believe in the
first place. In the second place, the
demand made by the agnostic as
sumes that the future is just as
fixed as the past, that there is no
such thing as freedom. Not even
God can predict one days events
in advance if there is any real
freedom in the person to whom he
makes the prediction. (This is a
different thing from saying God
cannot know in advance-that is
another proposition And yet. and
yet-the same Christian church
which would with one voice deny
that God promises to any man in
fallible knowledge in advance of
even one days happenings, has
affirmed from the very beginning
that God does guide his people by
His Holy Spirit. We believe that
Jesus promise that the Spirit
would guide his people into ''all
TRUTH has been fulfilled. It may
be a mistake Though this writer
thinks noD to suppose that the
Holy Spirit has more than we think
to do with mems discoveries in
science, in geography and inVen-
ton: it is certainly no mistake to
suppose that the Spirit guides men
and women in their daily lives and
problems. The Spirit does guide
us but not as voice from
between the clouds and the moon.
How long is it since anybody in
your church heard, with his ears,
a voice out of the sky? Yet Gods
voice is heard every day by Chris
tians, the still small voice" the
voice that makes no sound. the
sound of gentle stiffness" which is
the literal translation of still
small voice"
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1954-03-25
Along The Potomac
With Your Congressman
Dewitt S. HYDE

Washington, March 24--The 'ncw
look in our foreign and defense
policy has been the subject Of
much recent discussion between the
President. the Vice President, the
Secretary Of State and former Gov.
Adlai Stevenson. This is what
they've been talking about
Last year our foreign policy
shifted from an emergency to a
permanent basis. We decided the
Russian leaders are not changing
their views about expanding Com
munism, in spite of the Korean
War and the death Of Stain. So we
made om own long-range plans for
diplomacy, and, if necessary, mill
taly action.
These are our detectives: OD To
keep militarily strong without UNI
necessary expense; CIV to provide
insurance against world war; (3)
to show the value Of freedom to
the world and undermine the Red
dictators; (4 to assist backward
areas in technical ways so they can
build their own economic and mill
taly strength.
We have created a capacity to
retaliate swiftly against aggres-
sion, when, where and how we want
to. Secretary Dulles now says that
if the Reds start fighting again in
Korea, the U.N. won't have to stop
its planes at the Manchurian bor-
der as we did during the war Does
that sound familiar? Gen. Mac
Arthur tried to achieve that poll
cy four years ago.
We're building a free military
force just like a community fire
department. There will still be
local forces Just as you have
means to put out small fire in
your own house, or keep it from
spreading till the firemen arrive
With every kind of arms from pis-
tolls to H-bombs, the world "firc
department" stands ready to an
swer the call to action in case OF
more Red aggression.
Building a community striking
force is much less expensive thar
creating Il big force in every midi
vidual country. We're going t,
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1954-03-25

spend ten percent less in our own
budget nest year than we
did two years ago. We are eIIml-
mating foreign economic and as n
major part OF our foreign poilcy
because o'ntf nations "ie no" '''''
~,
ms d" ''''' W. ~ Nm l' ~ -"
i"'N' 40 ''
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1954-03-25

events then pro-
ceeded to happen.
l might perhaps
be convinced at
least of the exist
ence of some SUI
perhunan intelli-
gence." This ag-
nostic. who has a
brilliant mind and
knows a great deal
about many things,
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1954-03-25

has managed to lay bare a consid-
cradle ignorance about religion on
his part. If this is what he insists
on before he will believe in God,
he will never get it. If we all
waited for the kind Of thing he
wants to hear, no one would be
able to believe in God.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1954-03-25
Mill Run Mines
Inspected Recently

Elimination Of unsafe roof along
the main haulageway and improved
ventilation We're urged by the L.
s. Bureau Of Mines for the No. !
mine Of the Gary Coal Company
Mil Run.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1954-03-25
Guiding Spirit
Lesson for March 2s, 1854
stXXIHAT kind of evidence could

6XXT HAT kind of evidence could
wv convince you that God ex-
ists?" The question was put to a
famous agnostic who answered it
in a popular magazine last fall He
writes: Il think that if | heard a
voice from the sky predicting all
that was going to happen to me
during the next "a hours, including
events that would have seemed
highly improbable, and if all these
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1954-03-25

Secretary of State Dulles said
President Eisenhower has dis
cretionary power" to order instant
retaliation against surprise enemy
attacks on North Atlantic OF Lat
in-American allies.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1954-03-25
MT. LAKE BAPTIST. Rev. W.

{. Rogers. pastor. 10 Il. m, Sunday
School. I p. M, Junior Training
Union. 1880 p. m, Evening wor-
ship elvice with Vincent c. Park
en- preaching. Tuesday, 7:30 p. M,
Cottage prayer meeting as an
nounced. Ferndale-9:45 a. m,
Sunday School. II a. M, Worship
service in Deep Greek Church. $50
y. M, Wednesday, Union Lenten
service in the Nazarene Church at
Oakland.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1954-03-25
DEEP CREEK BAPTIST, Paul

s. Parker, pastor. 9:45 a. M,
Church school. IL a. M, Morning
worship and continuation of the
Week of Prayer services with Il
special sermon by the pastor on
"Freedom's Holy Light for The
Chmch." 7:45 p. m, Evening
vespers and concluding service Of
the Week Of Prayer with presenta-
ton of special program by the
G.. AS. All ladies Of the congre-
cation please be present. Wednes-
day, 7:45 p. M, mid-week Fellow
ship hour, followed by the annual
meeting of the church.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1954-03-25
AURORA-DAvIs LUTHERAN


PARISH. Rev. George c. Weirick,
pastor. St. Paul's, Aurora-9:30 a.
M, Sunday School. l0:45 a. M,
Worship. Sermon, "The Time For
The Nourishment of Our Souls"
Wednesday, 1870 p. M, Worship.
Sermon: what Is My Duty To
Christi" St. Johns, Davis-10 a.
m, Sunday School. 1870 p M, Wor-
ship. Sermon, The Time For The
Nourishment of Our Souls" Thurs
day, 1880 p. M, Worship. Sermon,
What Is My Duty To Christ -
Mt. Olivet. Lantz Ridge p. M,
Sunday School. , p. M, Worship.
Sermon, THE Time For The
Noulishment of Our Souls" Cen
tennial, Stemple Ridge-9:3O a. M,
Worship. Sermon, THE Time For
The Nourishment of Our Souls"
1918 a. M, Sunday School.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1954-03-25
The Spirit of Jesus

The Holy Spirit and the Spirit
of Jesus are not two Spirits but
one. This gives us further insight
into how we may identify the true
divine Spirit, as different from
our own. If ever we are tempted to
justify something we want to do,
by saying it is Gods will, let us
stop and think first: Is this what
Jesus would do? We know enough
about Jesus to know what sort of
person he was. We know how he
lived We can be quite certain that
the Holy Spirit will never lead a
man to do an un-Christlike thing.
BEAR CREEK CHURCH OF
THE BRETHREN, Accident, Rev.
Cornell T. CLANCY, minister. $3.50
a. M, Church School. 9:45 a. M,
Morning Worship. 2;3O p. M,
Sunday, Spring Council. Oak
GrOve-10 a. m, Church School.
1870 p. M, Evening Worship. 1880
p. m. Wednesday, Prayer meeting.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1954-03-25

UNITED PENTECOSTAL, Sang
Run. Rev. Ralph Jacks, pastor. 10
a. M, Sunday School. 1880 p. M,
Evangelistic service with special
singing. Wednesday,, 1870 p. M,
Bible Study. Glendale-11:30 a. M,
Sunday School. 1880 p. M, Tuesday
prayer meeting. 1880 p. M, Friday,
Worship service with preaching.