Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1916-02-10
P. MONROE SMOCK OF
FORD PEACE PARTY
RETURNS FROM EUR0PE--RE'
LATES SOME INTERESTING
INCIDENTS OF THE
TRIP.

~. Monroe Smock, the only mem
Der of the Ford European Peace Elk.
pedition from Idaho, arrived at his
home in, New Plymouth last Friday
evening. The editor of the Enter
prise got in communication with Mr..
Smock by phone and was given an
interesting though brief account of
the trip that has gained worldwide
notoriety through the public print.
The division of the party with
which Mr. Smock sailed gathered at
New York early in December and
took passage on the ship Frederick
the Eighth, which sailed Dec. 8th.
All went lovely until the party
reached one of the Orkney islands,
twenty-four hours while English Of
ficers examined their passports. At
that place two German physicians
were taken off the vessel, to be held
as prisoners of war in England un-
til the close of hostilities.
At Christian Sand, an important
seaport city of Norway, two German
stowaways, who were returning
home to the fatherland to fight mid
|, der Kaiser, crawled out of their hid
ing place where they had been sand
wiched in the luggage, subsisting on
crackers and water for fourteen days.
Upon reaching Christiana, where
the party spent four days, large and
enthusiastic meetings were held and
much interest was manifested in
the peace plans of the Americans by
the citizens of the place. While in
that city one of the members of the
party, Lloyd Bingham, husband of
the celebrated actress Amelia Bing-
ham, died and his body was sent
back to America. Henry Ford left
the party at this place, being a very
sick man at the time, Mr.. Smock
states, to return to this country.
Mr.. Smock repudiates the published
stories about dissentions and bicker-
ings among the leading personages OF
the party having driven Mr.. Ford to
take his departure for America in a
moment of desperation and disappoint
ment. He says the most friendly rela-
tions existed and that there was the
deepest regrets expressed at having
been required by necessity to bel
separated temporarily from their
chief.
At Stockholm, the capitol of Swe-
den, the party was most cordially re-
ceived and great interest was shown
in the peace movement, the mayor
of that city being made one of the
delegates to The Hague. At Copen-
hagen, the capitol of Denmark, the
people were friendly and extended
every courtesy, but the authorities
would not permit public meetings or
speeches. This, Mr.. Smock thinks,
was through fear of what construc-
tion might be placed upon such &C.
ton by the warning nations.
The party first put foot on German
soil at Warnemunde, where their
passports were examined and tenn
porarily taken up by the German
officials, but later the members Of
the party were permitted to pro-
ceed on their way through German
territory, on a special train, the first
to pass over German railroad since |
the beginning of the war. The train
passed through and stopped at the
principal cities such as Hamburg, |
Bremen and. Lubbock, where mem
bers of the party were allowed to
leave the cars and converse freely
with the people about the stations.
When the train reached Benthern,
passports were returned to the peace
party, by the German officer in
charge of the train, who bade them
a hearty farewell, before they cros-
sed into Holland on their way to
The Hague, where permanent or
ganization was formed, composed Of
three members from Norway, three
from Sweden, three from Denmark,
three from Holland and five from
the United States, the members Ser
lected to represent the United States
being w. ]. Bryan, Henry Ford, Jane
Adams, DR.. Charles Faxed and Mr..
Joseph Fels.
Mr.. Smock returned to New York
on the ship Noordar of the Holland
American line, which left Rotterdam,