The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1918-07-26

their protection. to ruin the dsfences
OF his country. and lay 1t open to Q
possible hostile world To this he ~.
Piled: 'whsa ne war b over. those
lags shall como dovh never - 90 up
again. doa't believe n the nag: Il
Is somsthing to rally Ground .e.s..
On October 81. 1915. Democratic
National Headquarters announced
|, that Mr.. Ford was 10 print advertise
msntsN In ave hundred newspapers
IN all parts of the country and gave
out In advance the principal state
ments which would be used to boost
/. Mr.. Wilson's campaign for re-slsc-
ton:
Although nominally . Republican
all my life, am for Wilson and urge
my fellow citizens to stand by him.
because he has kept us out OF war
and done much to bring about the re-
markable prosperity which we enjoy
and because Wall Street is against
him.
All other great nations are being
consumed and destroyed, but We have
peace with honor, and our boys are at
home. Special interests are demand
ing war and the President is being
criticized with many words. but
stripped of all unnecessary words
their real complaint is that he has
not plunged the country into war for
their profit.
After the sinking of the Lusitania,
Mr. Ford excused this premeditated
murder upon the ground that Ameri.
cans should have kept off the ship.
To a reporter of the New York
Times. nearly year after the event
(Aprii 23, 1870, Mr.. Ford gave an
interview:
"A man asked me my opinion In
regard to that" said Mr.. Ford, land
/ told him that before replying l was
going to ask the opinion OF five boys
l picked out five, varying in age from
IL to 16. To boy they answered:
What in h did they go on board
for'?"
AS already noted, Representative
Tavenner made two sensational
speeches in the Congress of the
United States charging that the pre-
paredness movement was due to d
conspiracy by the Navy League, and
the Government ranking privilege
was abused by mailing some two mil
lion Of the speeches containing these
outrageous charges which never had
a basis of fact. AS already seen, Mr.
Ford used his great fortune to adver
tise this libel and he was in conse
quence sued by the Navy League
Unable to substantiate the charges, in
stead of admitting his error AMI max
ing apology, he endeavored to retire
under the statement that he had be
lieved the stories to be true. ihe
Supreme Court of the District OF Co
lumbia on December Is, 1918, sus
tanned the Navy League in its de
murrer.
In June, 1917, Mr.. Ford is reported
to have bought $5,000,000 Of Liberty
Bonds and upon another loan $4,000.
900. Mr. Charles NJ Schwab bough
$25 5000, 900 Of Liberty bonds, and othel
men of great wealth have purchased
millions Of them as the best possibl,
investment in war time.
In August, 1917, Mr.. Ford's onl!
son, Edsel Ford, was drawn for the
army and claimed exemption upor
the ground that his services we're in
dispensable to the Ford plant thei
engaged upon war contracts. o.
August 7th, the exemption board de
MED this claim but granted the con
cession of transfer to a class which
would delay indefinitely the call t,
the colors. Due to the prominence o
Henry Ford this incident has beer
given wide publicity and has quite
unjustly been interpreted to shov
that the sons of rich men are genor
ally doing less than their part in tn,
war.
Colonel Roosevelt. without men
tioning names, in his Detroit speed
on Memorial Day stressed the fac
that 1t is especially the obligation o
men OF wealth to serve with tn
colors.
On August 16, 1917. Mr.. Ford de
clared himself in favor Of pushing
the war until Germany Is crushed
and on November 18th he was re
ported in favor of universal militar.
training. would like, however, t,
point out that the kind of trainin,
which he contemplates is really tina
OF an industrial rather than a mill
tary army, and that his plan coul'
not possibly commend itself to an.
competent military authority.
have seen no public statemen
which would indicate that Mr.. Fore
is today other than pacihst q
heart, or that he has betrayed an!
contrition over the pitiful role which
: he has played in the greatest ocrisi
Of his country's history That hi
money and his prestige as a captain
Of industry we're really effective II
=, lowering the morale 4 Of the countr,
scA Nolsvlu~ tho sutrv unOu To -