The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-08-27

Is person, SO proved mistaken
and in error, so determined and OBJ
stinate in such course, such per-
son as might safely be trusted with
issues of great national consequence?
We only wish that the people who
think he is person to be SO trusted
might by themselves bear the conse-
quences of his mistakes. That would
make the issue simple.
Has Henry Ford any nationality in
handling or in considering affairs
which involve nations? Are we to
take his peace ark venture as an evil
dence of this nationality? Would
anyone vote to elect to the respon-
sible position of senator of the United
States a man who could be hood
winked by a Hungarian hazelnut,
Rosika Schwimmer, and under her
to whistle the boys out OF the
trenches?
Is Henry Ford now, whose COM
pany is making profits on what he
does for the nation, whose exempted
son Edsel is kept out of the service,
into which he ought to have been in
Quoted with the other available sons
of Michigan, is this Henry Ford, the
peace ark skipper, the wild alarmist,
the maker Of gasoline engine which
joins the ham sandwich to the bosky
dell. is he the fitting representative
which the nation could ask Michigan
to send to the senate?
If he Is, then a man is qualified
for the presidency of the United
States If he can make a superior
button hook and is good to his folks,
even If he does believe that the moon
is made of green cheese and that it
Is possible to improve housing condt-
tions on Mars.
If we had senate full Of Henry
Fords, the best thing the people Of
the United States could do would be
to put to sea in rowboats.
What is about to be done here is
indelicate. 1t offends that sensitive
ness which instinctively tries to pro-
tect a man from certain acts and the
consequences of certain thoughts.
There are revelations of man which
are equivalent to stripping him to,
OF even Of, his underclothes. Delicacy
hunts up a berrel for him. The in
stinct is to protect him. hustle him
behind the bushes, get him bath
robe
We apologize for what is about to
be done to Henry Ford in this edi-
done but it is unpleasant to do it.
We should much prefer to get Mr..
Ford a barrel than to have him
hustled out in this shameless fashion
thought. From this naked absurdity
intelligence and common sense finch
in flush Of shame.
Mr. Ford i- candidate for the
United States senate in Michigan
He may be elected and if he is elect
ed 1t ought to be knowingly. There
fore that there may be wider
spread of knowledge concerning
Henry Ford, this editorial is pub
lished. What follows, with the ex-
ception of two words in conclusion,
is taken from authenticated inter
views with Mr.. Ford:
THE word murderer should be
embroidered on the breast of every
soldier and every naval sailor.
Bismarck! Bismarck! / guess that
is a matter of history. / don't know
much about that.
II don't know anything about his
tory and wouldn't give a nickel for
all the history in the world. The
only history worth while Is the his
tory we are making from day to day.
History is more or less bunk. It's
tradition. We don't want tradition.
We want to live in the present, and
the only history that is worth a tink-
er's dam is the history we make to-
day.
Il am going to keep the American
flag flying on my plant until the war
is over and then / am going to pull
it down for good; l am going to hoist
in it's place the flag of all nations
which is being designed in my office
right now.
Il don't believe in boundaries I
think nations are silly and flags are
silly, too. Flags are rallying points,
that's all. The munition makers and
the militarists and the crooked poll
ticians use flags to get people ex-
cited when they want to fool them.
\ Personally I have been voter
thirty-one years, and in all that time
have voted only six times and then
because my wife made me.
Il used to go to church once
year-on Easter Sunday. I don't do
that now. The churches probably do
go and are all right for those who
want them. The best work. the
churches do is in the country. There
they furnish meeting place for the
boys and girls to get together and
mate up.
"a pacifist I shall always be.
81 changed my mind only once in
my life"
Enough! ENOUGH.