COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AFFAIRS JOHN J. McSWAIN, South Carolina, Chairman LISTER HILL, Alabama W. FRANK JAMES, Michigan JAMES M. FITZPATRICK, New York HARRY C. RANSLEY, Pennsylvania JED JOHNSON, Oklahoma THOMAS C. COCHRAN, Pennsylvania NUMA F, MONTET, Louisiana EDWARD W. GOSS, Connecticut ANDREW J. MAY, Kentucky VINCENT CARTER, Wyoming R. EWING THOMASON, Texas WALTER G. ANDREWS, New York WILLIAM N. ROGERS, New Hampshire THEODORE CHRISTIANSON, Minnesota THOMAS C. COFFIN, Idaho DONALD H. MCLEAN, New Jersey PAUL J. KVALE, Minnesota J. B. KNIGHT, Clerk CONTENTS Page 10 SOM 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 108 Hon. John E. Rankin, Representative from Mississippi.--- Hon. Sam D. McReynolds, Representative from Tennessee. Hon. Russell Ellzey, Representative from Mississippi.--- Allison R. Williams, consulting engineer, Washington, D.C. Hon. Miles C. Allgood, Representative from Alabama-- Hon. John Taber, Representative from New York.------ Hon. Gordon Browning, Representative from Tennessee- Hon. Charles A. Eaton, Representative from New Jersey -- Edward A. O'Neal, president American Farm Bureau Federation... W. L. Willkie, president of the Commonwealth & Southern Corpor- E. A. Yates, vice president of the Commonwealth & Southern Cor- Preston S. Arkwright, president of the Georgia Power Co.------ ------- James A. Longley, vice president of the Tennessee Electric Power Co. J. M. Barry, vice president and general manager of the Alabama Hon. J. Will Taylor, Representative from Tennessee.- Wendell L. Willkie, New York, president of the Commonwealth & Mrs. Harris T. Baldwin, National League of Women Voters-- Hon. John Young Brown, Representative in Congress from Kentucky- Charles J. Brand, National Fertilizer Association -- Hon. Homer T. Bone, United States Senator from the State of 0 Washington------------------------------------------- Judson C. Dickerman, Federal Trade Commission -- E. K. Murray, director of Department of Public Works of the State Hon. Riley J. Wilson, a Representative from Louisiana------ Judson King, director of National Popular Government League. MUSCLE SHOALS TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 1933 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D.C. The committee met at 2 o'clock p.m., Hon. John J. McSwain (chairman) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. A quorum being present for the purpose of conducting a hearing, under the rules of the committee, the committee will come to order for the consideration in open hearings of H.R. 4859, a bill to provide for the common defense; to aid interstate commerce by navigation; to provide flood control; to promote the general welfare by creating the Tennessee Valley Authority; to operate the Muscle Shoals properties, and to encourage agricultural, industrial, and economic development. We have with us the Hon. John E. Rankin, a Representative from the State of Mississippi. We should be glad, indeed, to have a statement from him. STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN E. RANKIN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI Mr. Rankin. Mr. Chairman, I first wish to thank the chairman for giving me this opportunity of appearing before your committee in what I trust is the last stage of a battle that has covered a long stretch of years. I only regret that my distinguished friend and former colleague, Hon. Percy E. Quin, the former chairman of this committee, who spent so much of his valuable time and so many hours of hard labor and probably hastened his death struggling with this project, cannot be here in this hour of the fruition of his dream. I live closer to Muscle Shoals than any other man in either House of Congress with the exception of the distinguished gentleman from Tennessee, Mr. Turner, and the distinguished gentleman from Alabama, Mr. Almon. Therefore, my interest is not only nationial, but it is local and, from the standpoint of a citizen of that country, it is personal. I have often called attention to the fact that the average American, and even the average Member of Congress, had never fully appreciated the capacity of Muscle Shoals. I made the statement some time ago that the power that can be generated at Muscle Shoals now exceeds the physical strength of all the slaves freed by the Civil War. Senator Norris challenged that statement once. I called his attention to the fact that it was possible, even without the Cove Creek Dam, to generate 300,000 horsepower of electric energy. One horsepower is equal to the physical strength of 10 able-bodied men. That would equal the strength of 3,000,000 men. There were only |