The Detroit times., 1916-03-25
Doesn't Take Wizards
Preparedness Talk
Seriously
MOTOR KING NOT
GOING FISHING
Too Busy Making Trac-
tors Just Now, He
Says

Henry Ford Is not going hshing
with his friend. Thomas Edison;
he's too busy manufacturing imple-
ments OF peace In the form OF farm
tractors, at his Dearborn plant. So
Mr.. Edison will have to forego. for
the present at least, his effort TO
convert Mr.. Ford 10 the cause OF
preparedness.
Mr.. Ford gave out statement.
Friday morning. In reply to the
statement credited TO Mr.. Edison
anent the proposed conversion. II
follows:
see where my good friend Edison
10 going 10 get me down to Florida.
and while We hook cells. viii try to
convert me TO this preparedness
proposition. Well. n we do not get
tos ether soon l am going TO ho'd
little revival OF my own and see X l
can make MIR. Edison hit the trail Of
peace. from which he seems TO have
been misled.
IL nc should rock the boat. a. he
saws he would. he would ind that l
know low to swim. But my kind OF
preparedness in knowing how to
swim doesn't get the mGnition MAX
swims can thank his own ability and
effort TO protect himself I'm the water.
hut the munition makers want 20
teach the people how to save them.
selves by pliing up hard-earned
money for tho financial or political
benedt of few seif-appolnted pa
triots
ders than any man who ever lived
before but in tho Job OF converting
me - this scheme think he VIII ma
one problem that viii not work out
Just the way he expects IL TO.
remember that Mr.. Edison once
told me that IL was the greatest JOY
Of his life to think that he had been
working for years making things
that would help people TO be happy:
but In all that time had never turned
hts hand to the construction OF any
thing designed To Kill men. j hope
ne hasn't forgotten that.
OF course. living az he does across
the river from the battery of New
YORK newspapers that hurl their fear
bombs daily towards him. he must
into his systcm. Hut he isn't the only
one for | saw recently that the Ho-
bokcn board OF education ran up the
white nag under the same bombard-
tary training In the schools. i won
der who the children will conquer
nrstr The informed Germans
Mr.. Edison must have been mis-
up his bait. First. they say he said
that Germany would last only one
year more Then he ia supposed to
have said that somebody Is going 10
clean US up. But. according to our
best newspaper and magazine ex.
perts. Germany IL the only one that
wants To jump on poor. defenscless
America so IL Germany Is 20 last
cerned. for she will be busy for at
least that long.
Mr. Daniels. our secretary OF the
navy. showed his real earnest desire
10 make the navy efficient when he
called on Mr.. Edison to help In the
work. And the dIssatisfaction with
which the war.,preaching press OF the
forts Is proof i'm Itself. that the secre-
tsry IL sincere and true 20 his oath
OF office to act for the best inter-
ests OF the people.
II we let the newspapers OF the
New York kind fool us into this
prepa redness proposition we can eS.
pect them soon TO be proving that
the moon Is going to fall Ihen, wncn
necks are sore from looking az the
sky. no doubt the srmor plate pa
triots Will bob up with a proposition
10 contract for the buildlns OF
us from the danger. That " the way
g. u works. ana It's neat little scheme:
but, the people are beginning To nnd
" out. -.
I will admit that we need some cfh.
cheney In this country. but " u no.
efficiency In building new armies ana
navies What has happeued In Mex
co recently shows that We need ell
cheney I'm handling what We already
have. more than anything else.
wish my good friend Edison WOULD
give the Newspaper men an inter
View on what he really thinks OF the
munition makers and the hnanciers
who have been exploiting the people
and are now trying To put over
supreme exploitation in this "prepar-
edness" scheme.
hope the Florida fishing Is me
and the weather good, go that the
lingo fog may clear away from inc
nnest brain In tho world. hope MT
Edison will send me a couple OF hsn,
too. for I don't think | Will he able
to go fshing just now, ] am 1000
busy working on my farm tractor.
which hope will be one of the nnest
peace weapons In the world. ~ ] can
only get II going just right ] believe
Will have a machine that VIII make
people so busy getting money ana
comfort out OF the soil that they viii
get angry every time anybody starts
talking about the BENEFITS OF war
and Of how the killing OF a million
makes the rest OF the worlds people
better men and women.