The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-07-18
HEART, OF FORD
SUIT REACHED
Alleged LibeIous Editorial,
"ford Is an Anarchist"
Read in Court.
EXAMINATION PEPPER
AS Magnate's Counsel OBJ
jected often to Tribune
LAWYERS Questions.

! For the flrSt time since tne sirlai
began ten weeks ago, the heart
Henry Ford Chicago Tribune 4
suit was reached today whf ie
editorial entitled Ford is an : r.
chist" was read in court. Fc :. rho
thinks the publication of tf Sito-
rial did $1,O00.000 damage, on
the stand and listened quie the
reading.
! In connection with the ing OF
the editorial he asserted 'eading
of newspapers seldom Y x lin be-
yond the headlines, but ared his
belief that a headline, Id accu-
rately represent the contents of the
| story.
| Introduction of the editorial came
suddenly when Attorney Elliott Ste
venson asked:
Are you familiar with the, edito-
rial captioned Ford is am Anar-
| chist'"?
well, I've heard 1t thirty or forty
| times" Ford answered.
Stevenson then read the editorial
| and asked:
| 'Is there anything IN that about
| throwing bombs?" referring to Ford's
| definition of an anarchist as man
who would throw bombs"
Ford's counsel objected TO the
question and Stevenson said:
This man says his feelings nave
been injured and we want him to
point out where"
"They printed an editorial cap
! toned Ford is an Anarchist but the
! story following the title does not bear
| it out" interposed Judge Murphy,
| one of the attorneys for Ford.
Only Read Headlines.
At this iuncture Ford volunteered
some information.
81 seldom read behind the head
| lines" he said. However. l believe
the truth should be told in the story
| in back of it,"
/ "In back of it?" asked Attorney
! Stevenson.
"Well, behind it, then" retorted
Ford.
Stevenson again brought up the
Ignorant idealist" question when he
| inquired of Ford If he was an '1g-
norant idealist."
| "Oh, do you want me to admit that
again? If you do. | will" retqrted
| Ford.
ITS in the record"
Attorney Lucking, Ford's counsel,
objected and said 1t was the easiest
thing in the world to get an admis-
sion from a retiring, modest man of
the Ford type" He followed this
with the charge that Stevenson ex-
animation was the most brutal and
inhuman he had ever heard.
Stevenson replied that Ford was a
very difficult witness" and that he
was conducting a very considerate'
examination.
After the reading of the editorial
the examination swung into the mat
ter of Ford's knowledge of military
affairs.
Merely to "Take Sides"
Ford admitted he knew little of
military matters.
DO you know much about the
army?" inquired Stevenson.
mo" answered Ford.
"Yet you were conducting huge
campaign to educate the people rela-
tive to overpreparedness"
Ford then stated that his campaign
in 1916 against overpreparedness was
for the mere purpose of taking
Sides
ut was for the very purpose of
stopping appropriations for the army
that you launched that campaign
Stevenson said.
mo, it wasn't" Ford answered
"You said so yesterday" Stevenson
charged.
"Wen, 1 have said so many things.
However, | did that merely to take
Sides" Ford replied.
Previously Ford had been ques-
toned at length concerning the re-
port submitted to the house commit
tee on military affairs in 1916 deal
ing with the subject of coast de-
fenses, which the defense charges
was garbled and distorted in a pam
phlet Humanity and Sanity" which
was put out by Ford. The defense
is trying to show the irresponsibility
of Ford relative to military matters
when he spread his antipreparedness
writings broadcast. Ford testified
the pamphlet was written by Theo-
dore Delavigne his publicity man.
"Why didn't Mr.. Delavigne put
that in his report?" Stevenson would
ask after reading some provision
about our coast defenses.
"I told DeLavigne to get the facts
and print them" Ford replied.
Thought Things Were True.
do you want the world to under
stand that you put out this vast edu-
CdllOH CdInpdlsll anu YOU ului Nh'N !
what was given out?" Stevenson |
asked.
"T don't understand your question"
Ford said. "I thought things were
going out true"
"Are you charging Mr.. De1avigne |
with being dishonest" stevenson
asked.
"No," said the witness.
"Then why did he leave out some !
of Gen. Weavor's testimony"
"T don't know" Ford replied.
"What do you know about mo-
bile army" was the next question.
TITS a large army mobilized," an
swered Ford.
"Well. if that's all you know about
It I won't proceed further" Steven
son said.
Stevenson then turned again TO the
Ford is an Anarchist" editorial
reading line after line of the famous
document
Not in Opposition TO Service.
Wasn't your attitude in opposi-
ton to the men joining the service?"
he inquired.
mo- Ford answered.
what did you mean when you
said You started your educational
to stop men from joining
The service?" was the next question.
Fords attorneys objected and
Stevenson then read from a pamphlet
which showed that only ten men out
n 10000 in the employ of Ford were
members of the national guard in
t91G
Ford again referred TO DeLavigne,
his former publicity agent.
Il thought I was hiring experts In
every line" he said, II thought De-