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

Chicago Tribune: We never have
been inclined to minimize the polit-
ical attraction and power of Henry
Ford. He has the sometimes sub
lime, frequently malign, appeal of
the amiable demagogue, admired for
| his benevolent intent, his altruistic
ideas, his love of his fellow man,
with all his destructive tendencies
| ignored, submerged, forgotten.
/ People love man of humane SEN
| timent. 1t is astonishing how far a
man may go by merely proclaiming
benevolent intent. The fact that
such proclamation gets the world
nothing is overlooked. Character is
established by proclamation. Acts
count for nothing.
We seldom put man to the test
to discover whether his sentiments
have effect. 1t is enough, in careless
democratic life, that man have the
sentiments.
| In Henry Ford's case there are
several benevolent accomplishments.
1t has made him rich to make the
small householder happy. A man
may take his wife and three children
and go forth Sunday morning in a
thing Of Mr.. Ford's manufacture, and
they may eat ham sandwiches In a
bosky dell and be glad because Mr..
Ford manufactures a useful engine
which, when incased in tin and prop
erly fed with gasoline, runs like mad
in any direction for any length OF
| time
This was a most important contri-
button to the sum total of earthly
happiness. Bosky dells and ham
sandwiches are something in human
life and Mr.. Ford made the conjunc-
ton of the two possible and pleasant.
Mr.. Ford also rid himself of labor
trouble in manner highly satisfac-
tory to the individual employed by
! him, slightly unsatisfactory to organ
lied labor and highly pleasing to the
| public, by paying extraordinary
wages to the men he hired
Here again he registered as a hu-
manitarian, and upon these two
| achievements Of putting the
ham sandwich and the bosky dell in
conjunction and that of treating his
employees as human beings-he is
running for the United States senate,
presented as a moral obligation by
the democrats of Michigan to the
republicans of Michigan. and the
moral demand in the Michigan pri-
maries Of this week is that the peo-
1
woman and child and cry hosanna
This may be lovely and it might
pc wonderful, but has it any element
of common sense in it Henry Ford
| is seeking public office Of great
responsibility. Michigan has the
filling of the office. The nation
stands the consequences OF the selec-
i ton.
Henry Ford wants place in the
nations counsels. He wants a place
where he can help make national de-
cisions. BY these national decisions
we are all controlled. Who Is Henry
Ford? A denationalized altruist.
What does he want to do? Level
down all nationalistic boundaries.
Does he believe in the American
nation as a spirituality of sacrament
| tai Importance to its citizens? He
has been quoted as saying that the
| flag is only a rallying point and that
after the war the three flags which
he, bowling to convention, flies over
his factories shall come down and
never go up again.
| Is he more of an American than he
/ Is OF a Hindustanee? II so, how can
he prove it? How many times has
he had sufficient interest in the po-
litical issues and arrangements of
his country to vote in the elections
Does he know what party he belongs
to? Has he ever had a party? Has
he ever felt an insistent American
emotion? If SO, how has he revealed
1T? What accomplishment stands as
Its evidence?
When 1T was mandatory upon the
country to prepare either to keep out
of the war in which it Is now en-
gagged, or to fight that war success
fully, what did Henry Ford do? He
paid enormous sums for advertise
ments advising the people that they
were being preyed upon by war
profiteers.
Are we in the war which Henry
Ford said was the fantasy Of NUM-
ton makers? We are-most as
suredly we are. Do we need every
bit Of preparation which Henry Ford
as a publicist tried to convince the
American people was unnecessary ?
We do. Have we been hurt by the
Ignorance with which we approached
this trial of war? We have been.
Are men being killed unnecessarily
because this nation was not able to
assert itself when it ought to have
asserted itself? They are.
Is anyone responsible for the state
OF affairs in which this nation has
found itself? There is responsibility.
| Upon whom may it be fastened ?
Properly upon the men whose influ-
ence upon public opinion deluded
public opinion.