The record. [volume] (St. Maries, Idaho) 1913-1918, 1916-01-11
HENRY FoRD's FUTURE

=
sion was mentioned there was a |
concerted attack upon him by the |
subsidized newspapers, dating !
from the announcement of his !
wage increase plan. 1t would
not have mattered what his plan
was-they are against him. If
Henry Ford had only been worth
several thousand dollars and had
been only the employer Of a dozen
men, his liberal and voluntary in
crease in wages would not have
been attacked. But a man who
is the employer of 10000 men
and makes a voluntary increase
in wages is a menace to big
Business" rules. It creates
sensation, fathers a new prece-
dent, brings discomfort among
those laborers who are not treat
ed so we'll in nearby vicinities, TO-
ments unrest and raises a rum
pus generally.
When the subsidized newspaper
speaks, it is only the monograph
ic reproduction of big business
thoughts, smoothed over to seem
plausible.
The wealthy automibile manu-
facturer probably knows big bust
ness-it would hardly be possible
for a man who has succeeded in
the face of such militant oppOsi-
ton as has Ford i'm his cOmpeti-
tive business of manufacturing
cheap automobiles not to under
stand the devious workings of
1.-THE system as it operates thru
the press. He gaind great fl
nancial strength before he bold
ly smashed the rules of the
powers that be in New York City.
The personal fortunes of one
Henry Ford and his success or
failure with this peace mission or
any other mission are only inn
pOrtant to the public in one way
it is an object lesson in diVining
purposes and showing the read
ing public who have wits suilic-
iently keen to reason how the men
who have gained control of our
business direction in the United
States operate in order to turn
public sentiment against a man
who seems a danger to them. They
probably have nothing personal
ly against Ford, they do not fight
him from malice and they are only
interested in destroying his in
fluence from fear that his here
sizes will be the means of weaken
ing their power to humbug the
masses through a venal press
High wages to the average work
CT in FOrd's factories would not
interest them in the least-they
would not care if Ford paid out
all his profits to two janitors.
They are only concerned with
the fact that Henry Ford's way
of thinking and acting is a dan
ger to their power, because he
has sufficient financial strength
coupled with keen intelligence, tC
make his actions felt over a wild,
area.
Henry Ford is the only promi-
nent millionaire in the countr!
today who has shown democrat.
ic sympathies or practical com.
mon sense in philanthropy. Hii
only two predecessors in thii
line we're Tom L. Johnson an,
Joseph Fels, both gone to thei
reward. Tom Johnson was fur
iously attacked and finally bank
rupted but Fels' work, while NOR
important than either Johnson O
Ford, did not clash with the mon
opolists directly and was purel
educational. It was also inter
national, and as the great soa
manufacturer spent much tim
working for the benefit of tn
single-tax in England he wa
overlooked by the Plunderbund.
I would very much like to Sc
Ford enter politics-his bushes
instinct and keen intelligence i
organization is needed to replac
the outworn, vacilating and un
businesslike procedure that ma
grown up in public business an
his former non-interest in poll
tics would not be a handicap bJ
on the contrary would be an ass
in his favor. No one who ha
worked continuously at polite;
promotion for the sake of graft
flying ambition can keep the tru
business instinct-he operates i
an environment that dulls tn
vision. What is needed MOI
than anything else in this countI