The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-04
CORPS OF CLERKS BUSY


 MT Ford's staff of clerks and man. agers were kept busy answering tele- grams sent from all parts of the coun- try and many of them from trains by guests who wanted to know if there was any prospect of postponing the sailing of the vessel. To these emphatic answers were sent announcing that nothing would stop the sailing
 Another group of clerks was detailed to the business of forwarding cable grams to various points in Europe. These cablegrams concerned hotel ac- commodations. Messages also were sent appointing local managers to provide automobiles and trains for the party
 MT. Ford said his guests had been invited for six weeks trip. but that the time might be consideraly extend ed. As for himself, even after mem- bers of his partY had returned to America, MT Ford said he intended to remain until peace had been restored ' He said he might go into Germany and England, if possible, and expend any amount of money in behalf of peace The preliminary expenses of the trip so far had cost s60,Oo0. he said, and in six weeks he expected to spend sev- eral hundred thousand dollars more.
 MAKES NEW WILL
 As an evidence of his intention to devote time and money to his expedi- tion, MT. Ford announced that he had made new will for the distribution of his fortune in case of his death abroad and had arranged to have his business affairs handled independently of himself.
 q am prepared to meet anything" said MT. Ford. If we fail this time we will try some other plan for end- ing the war. I'm not going to stop un- til the war is stopped I'm going to keep on trying until peace has come again. What I shall do next if this mis- sion fails, I do not know as yet; I haven't any idea. But I shall do some thing. am determined in that.
 q have always been opposed to war and opposed to preparation for war. I really don't know just where the plan for the peace mission came from The project of chartering ship and hold ing a conference on the other side situation. It simply appealed to me as the most suitable action now. so started carrying 1t out. If we fail in this we shall start over again from the very beginning; that is all. TO AROUSE PEACE SENTIMENT
 "The mission in reality is to arouse public sentiment against the horrors of war and in favor of peace It sets peo- pie to thinking and wondering about the war"
 Bryan said he was confident he would join Ford's party at The Hague prob ably within a few weeks. The state- ment dictated by Bryan after his talk with Ford follows:
 T came to New York to explain to Mir. Ford more fully than I could by wire my reasons for believing that just now I can render larger service here opposing the attempt to increase the appropriations for the army and navy thanI could by going with him on the peace ship.
 q have seen MT. Ford and laid my reasons before him and he recognized the weight of those reasons. I desire to add that I am in hearty sympathy and hope to join the party at The Hague As the date of their arrival at The Hague is not yet known, I can not fix the date for my departure.
 MT Ford is making an earnest and unselfish effort in behalf of peace, and he ought to have the good wishes axA sympathetic support of all who desire peace, even though some may not fully share his faith in the immediate suc- cess of this trip. Of course, those who want the war to continue ridicule the effort, especially those who speak for the big munition factories which are exporting war material at a large profit. This was to be expected.
 "Ridicule is the favorite weapon of those who desire to oppose any move ment when they find themselves un- able to support their opposition with argument If any of the people on the ark had been making money out of the flood they would probably have ridiculed Noah for sending out the dove Success to MT. Ford and com panions. May they return with an olive leaf."