The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-06-19
SOME SIDEIIGHTS ON HENRY FORD-AND ANARCHY
By E G. Qearborn

that the Tribune based its charge that
Mr.. Ford is an anarchist.
| recall the winter of 1915-February
1t was cold. ana Detroit was having its
worst time of many years caring for
the needy. Every day men and women
gathered by scores ut the city hall seek
ing enjoyment, food, anything
The city poor commission, well or.
gani2ed, was taxed to the umost of its
capacity | was editor of The Detroit
News at that time and we We're print
ing stores about conditions, about the
appeal for help.
Mr.. Ford sent word to me that he
would furnish the money up to $50 900
to feed anyone in need if | would ar
range to have the family investigated.
would act quickly, and would leave his
| name out of it,
That was on Saturday night BY
Sunday we had an organization of 1G
women at work, and on Monday morn
ing notified the city that we would care
for any for whom they could not pro
vide. The city officials listed all appli-
cants on cards and each day sent us
cards of all needy who were not provided
for
Our investigators went out prepared
to give relief on the spot and to report
conditions. Others were enlisted in the
work and 494 families were cared for
out of the fund, We're made warm and
their hunger satisfied until work could
be found for them
1t did not require the $50 900. only n
small part of it, but that quiet mans
practical way of solving a bad problem
was impressive, and the 494 families
did not know to this day who it was
that helped them out.
was interviewing Mr.. Ford one time
for the paper. After the subject at
hand had been gone over. I asked about
the working of his profit sharing plan.
1t was a year or two after it had been
in operation.
"I don't deserve any credit for that
now" Mr.. Ford said. "Of course, felt
we We're taking some chances when we
started it, but if you want to refer to it
now call it one of two things" selfish
benevolence" or "ebenevolent selfish
ness" We would be fools not to con
tinue it for it pays so well. Nothing
pays better than paying men good
wages.
Il believe it their due. \ man should
have enough to live according TO the
American standard, to raise his family,
to lay some aside against hard luck.
l don't believe in giving men free hos
pitfalls, but | do believe in paying them
enough of the wealth they create so
that if they have need of a hospital
they can pay their way and feel under
obligations to no one"
Get that and you set the logic of
many of Mr.. Fords sayings, many that
are sometimes misquoted and misun
derstood when he talks about not be
lieving in charity. He believes that If
the industrial world would deal with
fairness in dividing up the wealth that
is created there would be no need of
charity.
Never Saw Mr.. Ford Angry.
Yet, would you believe that men even
now are trying to prove him an an
archist? Henry Ford is the most pa
tient, even-tempted man l ever met.
1 have never seen him angry or even
ruffled, although 1 have heard of his
being angry, very angry, once. He had
told the men in charge of one of his
new organizations to put all the en-
ployes on a basis of five dollars a day.
A little later he was driving toward
the plant and saw an old woman trudg-
ing her way along the roadside to-
ward town. He gave her a ride and
ha, oh xr Gha lived
her means of support and the like. He
learned that her son worked at the
Ford plant and was about to leave |