Cleveland County herald., 1919-07-31
STAYED AT HOME DURING WAR TO HELP IN PLANT-REFUSE
 TO TAKE UNIFORM.
FATHER WAS RESPONSIBLE
Declares He Told Edse That War Work in Factory Needed Him Would Not Accept Safety
 First Commission.

Edsel Ford's, claim for exemption from the selectiye dratt me wanted to enlist" said Mir. Ford, but 1 told hlm that he could do more good where ne was. He was offered several commis- sIons which would have permitted h4m 10 wear uniform and stay right in the factory, but he wouldn't accept them."
 having made their decision, 1t was shown, both MT. Ford and his son re- used to camout1age it behind a swivel chair comlnlss4on carrying ooo,s and spurs.
 This subject, the introduction Of which has been awaited ever since the trial opened, did not develop along the lines which had been generally ex- pected. MT. Ford s inclination 10 shoulder full responsl bility, his state ment that his son was absolutely essential to the war work being done ln the factory and his revelation of the fact that Edsel Ford turned down several offers of commission, dis armed criticism. The charges, spread during a political campaign, and re- gently repeated on the floor of the United States senate, to the effect that the young president of the Ford Motor company had shirked his duty were so 1 fully refuted that Tribune counsel lid not pursue the point.
 tbo planation of the facts in connection with Edsel Ford's war work has been made public and 1t was easily the feature of the eleventh week of the trial.
 Henry Ford spent seven days on the witness stand and of this time he gave less than two hours to his oNI lawyers. AS long as counsel for The Tribune was hammering him Mir Ford sat quietly ill the witness chair an- swering the constant fire of questions with great patience. But the instant his own lawyers took him in hand his attitude changed. He became self. conscious and diffident. He would not accept the efforts of his counsel tc provide him with an opportunity to reveal the full extent of his patriotic work during the war, his humanitarl- an views, or his advanced ideas of the relations which should exist between capital and labor.
 Tt is all in the records" said MT. Ford. T have told 1t all here once." He avoided, with care, anything that verged on boasting. He would not even describe the extent of the war work which his fac+ +ories did and when record breaking performances in the production of munitions was mention. ed he declared, i've did all we could, let it go at that. 1 want to forget all about 1t. I feel just as the sol. diers feel. don't want to talk abou! my war work
 The witness did, however, after te- ing pressed, explain that his son had bought out the minority stockholders of u @ Ford Motor company because these inte, ests had insisted on MT. Ford squeezing the last dollar out of the public, the government. the work. CTS and the product lie wanted to cut lOoso from his ass 1ciates, he sail, so that he could carry out his ideas of the distribution of profits to en- pioyees through increased wages and to the plblic through lower prices. It was either buy or sell and MT. Ford had com dered selling and organizing a new company His son, however, took ur the task of buying out the dispite the general belief in the finan. cial world that this stock could not ho purchased.
 One of the most interesting develop ments of Mir. Ford's testimony came out when it was testified that the only Legislation fe has ever sought WIS th't fer the pro ection ot birds. Otn.1 men ot millions, it was shown, keea lobbyists In the national and stato capitol to urge and wo'k for special privileges, but the one favor that MT Ford has ever asked from the law maker lad nothing to do with h:s own in erests. It was curious bit of testimony and left dsep impressi on on the audience in the court chambc,
 1he srhieet was result of ques. tions concerning MT Ford's list of friends He named Thomas Edista and John Burroughs, the naturalis', as Lis best friends outside of his i'm mediate associates.
 Litigation in which Mir Ford has been interested was another subject of interest. It was shown that whoh the automobile business was in tcc first years of its growth all manufac- turers of motor cars were compelled to pay tribute to what was known an the Selden patent on internal combus ton engines. Mir Ford fought this patent for seven years and won and by his victory freed the entire industry from its shackles and made possibl, the wonderful growth which has mark ed the last few years.