Evening star., 1916-01-03
Confers for an Hour With VIII
liam J. Bryan, Following Ar
rival in New York.
SAYS VIEW HAS CHANGED
AS TO CAUSE OF THE WAR
Leader Of the Pacifcist Party Ex-
presses Opposition to MI. Will
sons Preparedness Program.

NEW YORK. January 3.-Henry Ford,
who led the peace expedition which left
here December on the steamer Oscar
II for Copenhagen in the hope of bring
ing about a conference of neutral ma
tions that would end the war. arrived
here yesterday on the steamship Ber-
gensfjord. He confirmed cable reports
that his return had been fastened by
illness. but said it made difference
of only few days, as he intended,
when he left. to come back this month.
William Jennings Bryan conferred
for more than an hour here last night
with Mr.. Ford. Mr.. Bryan declined to
reveal the nature of the discussion. but
said he had come to New York from
Washington on receipt of telegraphic
message from Nh. Ford.
Mr.. Bryan denied that he would sail
for Europe January 4, as previously
planned. declaring that he has more
important work to do here for the
present.
Mission Achieves partial Success"
Asked what he thought of the Ford
peace. mission, Mr.. Bryan said he be-
lieved it had achieved partial success
even before it started.
The mere discussion of peace" he
added, sis in itself an advantage. and
the presence of the peace party abroad
will stimulate discussion there.
No doubt the members of the party
Will get information while in Europe
which will be of advantage to them
here. There is an advantage in the very
fact that a man in Mr.. Ford's position
should devote himself SO whole heart
edly and disinterestedly to a movement
Mr.. Ford denied himself to inter-
viewers after Mr.. Bryan departed. 1t
was said he had retired for the night.
Changes Views as to Cause of War.
Mr.. Ford declared upon his arrival
yesterday that his views regarding the
cause of the war have undergone a
marked change. When he left he said,
he was of the opinion that bankers,
manufacturers of munitions and ar
mament were responsible, but he re-
turns with the belief that it is the
people themselves. those now being
slaughtered. who are responsible. The
men doing the fighting have been too
content to let those who rule them do
their thinking, and they have not TAX
en- advantage of their divine right to
say for themselves what they shall
do and think, the pacifcist asserted.
Republics are no better than mon
arches in this respect" he said. Even
in the United States we let those whom
we have elected to Office be swerved
from their duty. We do not assert our
selves. Personally, I have been a voter
thirty-one years and in all that time I
have voted only six times. and then
because my wife made me-"
OF the eventual success of the peace
mission, Mr.. Ford declared he had no
doubt.
The movement is now organized and
under way" he said. People are talk
ing about it, and. while some criticise,
when people talk they think. and when
they think they think 1,,Is right: t,,tn rssnsct
to the peace expedition were uncertain,
he said. While he had several ideas in
mind, he deemed it too early to speak
of them. He left the party in charge
Of CASTOR Plaintiff. he stated. in accord
ance with his original plans. and de-
spite all reports to the contrary. when
the party left the Oscar II it was as
harmonious as could be desired.
Main Idea of His Mission.
''The main idea of the mission" con-
tinued Mr.. Ford, was to crystalline
into concrete form, il possible, the va
rious ideas and hopes for peace which
prevail all over the world. Phe ma
tions doing the fighting would be glad
to stop it If they could, I believe, but
they are afraid to let go.
Those who accompanied me on the
Oscar II were as fine a body Of people
for that particular mission as l could
ask, and the interested delegates that
met us at Christiania were all good
men. l am simply financing and carry
ing out as far as possible the work
set under way last year at the meeting