170406 260, HEARINGS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AFFAIRS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEVENTY-THIRD CONGRESS FIRST SESSION APRIL 11 TO APRIL 15, 1933 UNITED STATES WASHINGTON: 1933 CONTENTS 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- 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 Mrs. Harris T. Baldwin, National League of Women Voters.. Hon. John Young Brown, Representative in Congress from Kentucky- III MUSCLE SHOALS TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 1933 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AFFAIRS, 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 1 |