Charlevoix county herald., 1918-08-16
ford ASSAILED
AS FOES DUPE
DETRoiTER's RECORD AS PAcl-
FIST FLAYED eY SECURITY
LEAGUE.
CANDIDACY FOR SENATE SEEN
AS PERIL TO PREPAREDNESS
BY William Herbert Hobbs, Member
Executive COMMITTEES, Nst'ona'
Security League.

Reprint from the Detroit Free Press
Of June %, 1918.
THE National Security League az
result OF unanimous action by us
Executive Committee has undertaken
to inquire into the records OF can
didates for Congress at coming cleo
tions. Mr.. Elihu Root, Honorary
President of the League and a Ire-
l2g Republican, states with great
earnestness, II don't care whether
man is a Democrat or a Republican
or a Progressive or Socialist or a
Prohibitionist or what not, he must
have a loyal heart or 1t Is treason
to send him to Congress-" So far as
Michigan Is concerned / do not be-
lieve that a candidate known to be
disloyal would be so rash as TO oner
himself for political office; but there
is far more involved than the ques-
ton OF loyalty. To quote from an
announcement by the Security League
under date Of June 9Th:
"The conduct of the war and, In
fact, the very future of America, are
dependent, not only upon the cleo
ton OF a war Congress that will enact
necessary laws, but upon the pres
ence in the National Legislature of
men OF vision, ability and broad ex'
perience, who are the best qualified
Of our citizenship to correctly solve
the great internal and international
questions which will come before the
next Congress"
Inasmuch as vision" and dream"
are sometimes synonymous terms, II
is we'll to stress the fact that the aim
Of the Security League is not to put
dreamers into Office, but rather men
who can understand the relation be.
tween cause and effect In the politi'
cal world and have vision, discern
ment, or prescience-call 1t what you
will. 1t is the statesman. as opposed
to the mere politician who possesses
this gift, and It would be the undoins
of the nation to admit any other into
its<seou1cils in this crisis.
6r0pose to examine the record OF
Henry Ford since he came into poll
tical prominence; in doing which !
shall make use of events, dates and
interviewed statements as they ap'
pear in the columns OF the New York
Times. 1t is essential to determine
whether his record indicates that he
possesses vision in political matters,
and whether he Is in other respects a
worthy and safe candidate for the
United States Senate. 1t Is time to
try mems souls, and man Of stern
fibre as we'll as one of foresight and
wise judgement Is what the crisis de
mands.
In political affairs, Mr.. Ford frs,
came into prominence through his bit
ter hostility to the movement for pre-
pairing the nation to meet the great
struggle in which 1t is now engaged
In September 1915 he contributed the
sum of one million dollars to the cam
paign which the Kaiser's agents
German alien residents, German
American citizens and misguided paci
fists-were conducting in order to de
feat preparedness; and he promised
$4,000, 900 for peace propaganda. Or
September 18th IL was announced thai
he was to consult concerning his
peace policy Hermann Ridder and
Jeremiah OLeary; the former the edi
tor of the New Yorker Staats-Zeituns
and the latter connected with the
American Sim Fem movement, wht
has edited an abominably seditiou'
newspaper and who, fleeing from jus
tice under the sedition law has nov
been captured. Somewhat later, IL
Nofember 1915, Mr.. Ford came under
thsInfluence of Madam Schwimmer
a German agent who seems to hav,
had much to do with planning his
notorious peace argosy. David Lama
confessed upon trial MAY 16, 1917
that he had sent agents to Mr.. Fore
who had been able to influence hin
in favor OF nefarious peace ventures
No sane man believes that Mr.. Fore
was other than the dupe of thes,
agents of the Kaiser, and the fact
: are mentioned here with viey
merely TO show how easily he wa
exploited because Of his abnorma
penchant for impractical peac
schemes.
On September 16, 1915, Mr.. For,
was visited by General Nelson A
Miles, who somewhat later with Ad
miral Blue made public statement
contrary to those generally held b
nn>dary and naval experts regardin
the danger of invasion of the cour
try, and these statements we're e,
tensively made use Of for peace Pre-
paganda.
On September 18th Mr.. Ford cam
out in open opposition to the Unite
States loan to the Allies, and was r,
ported to have said that he woui
withdraw his deposits from any ban
which subscribed to the loan, thres
like those openly made by prominen
Germans throughout the country. Hi
action in this respect aroused gres
resentment In Canada, and a threa
bexhe made officially to boycott th
Ford firm and cancel its Canada
n