Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-07-17
Employed Delavigne to Write of
the Wasteful Horrors of War
and Then Paid No Further
Attention to Him
AUTO MAKERS STORY
Delavignc In Peace Essays Put into
His Employers Mouth Historicnl
AIIusions OF Which Mr.. Ford Admits
He Never Heard

Mount Clement, Mich, July 1s.--Henry
Fords testimony to-day in his S1,000OO
libel suit against the Chicago Daily
Tribune presented the picture of one who
cast a pebble into a body of water, then
turned without a look at the ripples
Mr.. Ford. It appeared from his story,
felt that war WAS q wasteful horror i'm
posed on the common people by self
seekers. munitions makers, bankers and
others who might profit. Accordingly he
cast his pebble by employing q profess
siona writer in the person of Theodore
Delavigne. to educate the public. and
then very largely left the writer to
ripple about by himself.
AS witness Mr.. Ford remembered
scarcely anything that Mr.. Delavigns
published. and rarely knew what was
to be published. While he worked over
his favorite puzzle--the way of dror
of gasoline with a motor-Mr. Delavigne
using Mr.. Fords name, prosecuted the
peace campaign with vigor and pic
turesaue phrase. often putting into his
employers mouth historical illusions o.
which the great manufacturer admitted
he never heard.
Questioned to-day by Elliott G. Stew
enSOn. senior COUNSEL IIc utItHudHt
Mr. Ford repeatedly took refuge in tn,
statement that ''if it is the book "a com
pilation of Delavgne's). I'll say that /
gave the public my view
WHAT DELAV1GNE WROTE
Following are some of the statement
published by Delavigne and for whicl
Mr. Ford assumed full responsibility:
1T WAR is the same Old scarecrov
talk by the same old, lazy vultures VIII
make human lives, seldom their own. tn
stake in their ao-called battle Of brains
Il feel that this cry for the training
Of men to kill other men and for tn
placing Of the army and navy as a bur
den on the backs Of the people is
false conception of patriotism and trea
son to the life of the people.
"The United States has spent more tina
billion dollars on navy and arm
that would cope with an invasion tha
never occurred and never will Occur
and yet the very war experts who ar
responsible for that burdensome arm
and navy admit that our army an
navy never would have been able t
meet, with any hope Of success, those @
other so-called powers
Pressed by Mr.. Stevenson as to wha
he meant by such statements Mr. For
repeatedly remarked that IL il was i
, the book IL was true. The whole effec
of his replies was. that by prepare dnes
| he meant a preparedness greater tina
| was needed for defense and he regarde
| the army and navy of 1916, when Presi
dent Wilson was making "a tour of tn
| country urging the necessity for increas
ing the army and navy. as quite adequate
"SCARECROWS" EXPLAINED
| BY scarecrows and vultures he near
those who adocated an army and nav
greater than those of 1916. and this, a
| Stevenson interpreted it, must neces
sarily include all preparedness advo
Gates from the President down.
| The lawyer never was able. howeve
to persuade the witness to say ju.
that in so many words.
| Throughout the session the air wa
| thick with the objections Of the For
lawyers, Alfred Lucking and Alfred {
Murphy. Attorney Stevenson state
that by actual count there were /.
objections raised on behalf of the plair
tiff yesterday and he said he though
In arguing one of them Mr. Luckin
said:
Il desire further objection tn;
counsel has been told by the witne.
several times that he hired an expe
to write this book, that he gave hi
his general views. that he told him
he careful of his facts. Questions
| this court which might be called q,
pert questions, should go only to- ii
man who wrote it. not to the man WI
il is admitted. had the right to hi
a man to prepare the facts. He h;
told counsel repeatedly that he d
not prepare the language"
| MI Stevenson in reply said:
The comments OF the Chicago Tr
bune were not based on what Mr.. D.
avigne did. nor anybody else. but VIII;
Mr. Ford gave to the public. Th,
knew nothing about Mr. Delavign
These articles claim the support
history. and history is something NJ
Ford knows nothing about"
Mr., Stevenson stated that he regard,
Mr.. Ford as the most important wi
ness of the case. testifying at the mo
important stage OF the proceedings TT
Tribune characterized Ford as an n
archlst, the attorney argued, and adde
Il conceive 1t to be my right and n
duty TO examine Mr.. Ford thoroughly ,
this subject so that the jury may unde
sand Just what Mr.. Ford's views We
in order to determine whether he wi
what we called him or not"
IGNORANT IDEALIST"
In the course Of it's alleged libelous &c
torial. headed Ford Is an Anarchis
published June %, 1916. the manufactur
was also referred to as IAN ignorant idea
ist." This directed one phase of the e
animation. Mr. Stevenson replying
objections arguing that as Mr.. Ford $
himself up as an educator. he had
right to prove that Mr., Ford was igno
ant" The lawyer asked witness for d
finitions Of anarchy. idealist 'bally-ho,
; and some historical questions, all in co
nection with the Delaigne propaganda
In the course Of his answers. while Il
lawyers were arguing excitedly Mr.. Fo
r interjected:
, III It will do any good I'll admit tn
I am an ignorant ideal!st"
"rf you admit 1t that will foreciose 4
, question" said Mr.. Stevenson.
r ~ viii admit II Just to close IT,"
+. Not Just TO close II II you will adm
II aR a fact We will stop the inquiry
pursued Mr.. Stevenson eagerly, amid 81
prised objections from Mr., Lucking a
u Mr.. Murphy,