The daily morning oasis., 1919-07-28
FORD EXPLAINS
SONS EXEMPTION.
EdSeI Ford Wanted to Enlist But
Stayed to Help Father on
War Work.
TURNED DOWN COMMISSIONS
Refused to Compromise His Deci-
sion by Wearing Uniform Far
Behind the Firinu Line.

Mt. Clemens, Mich, July 24.-Henry
Ford had spent less than two hours tes
tiSing in his own behalf when he
stepped down from the witness stand
Wednesday, but he did not leave until
he had cleared up the point for which
everyone has been waiting since the
trial opened, the exemption of his son
Edsel Ford, from the selective draft
The questions which led up to the
subject were introduced by the Tribune
in the last minutes of Mr.. Ford's testi
mony.
"Mr. Ford" said Elliott Stevenson
"your son wanted to go to war, didn't
he?"
eyes, he did," replied Mr.. Ford.
"He wanted to enlist?"
eyes, SIR"
"You were opposed to it?'
81 told him he could do more good
where he was'
Mr.. Ford's own attorneys then took
up the point.
did you feel that you needed your
son in the war work?'
eyes, he was a great aid to me-"
"He personally was willing to go to
war as stated by Mr.. Stevenson"
"Yes, he wanted to CO."
"Mr. Ford, was he offered commits.
sions in the army which would have
permitted him to wear uniform and
stay right in the factory?"
he doo1i,od %ha,,,
would there have been any dificulty
about getting uniform for Edsel Ford
If he had been willing to take it that
way?"
"No.'
"Do you remember stating that there
would be no camouflaging about that,
that you did not wish him to take a
uniform and appear to be in service
when he was merely attending to work
in the factory?"
eyes, said that"
1t was the first time that complete
statement of the conditions surround
ing the request for the exemption of the
young president Of the Ford Motor
Company has been made. Those who
had expected grilling attack on the
motives of Henry Ford in opposing his
sons desire to enlist were disappointed.
Mr.. Ford's inclination to shoulder the
responsibility and the revelation of the
fact that, having taken what he be-
lieved to be the correct stand in urging
his son to remain at home and supervise
the details of the war work being done
by the Ford factories, both he and Ed
sci Ford refused to compromise that
decision and hide behind military trap
ping, completely disarmed the criticism
which it had been generally expected
would follow the introduction of the
subject. Willing, affable and anxious
to answer the questions hurled at him
by the Tribune attorneys, Mr.. Ford be.
came exceedingly self-conscious and
difident when his own counsel took up
the examination. He would not accept
the intent of his attorneys to draw
from him testimony which would reveal
the full extent of his patriotic work
during the war, of his treatment Of his
employees or of his hope that he may
| in the future.
II want to forget all about my war
work" he said once. Il feel just as the
soldiers feel. / don't want to talk about
what l have DONE"
Requests for details which would
| have cleared up points on which Trib
une attorneys dwelt effectively were de-
MED.
"It is all in the record" said Mr.
Ford.
| The real reason for the purchase by
Edsel Ford of the interests of the mi
nority stockholders in the Ford Motor
Company came out during the morning
Mr.. Ford said that last spring he had
been so bothered by the opposition oi
stockholders who wanted him tt
squeeze the public, the government, the
Ford workers and the Ford products
for the last possible dollar, that ht
made up his mind to quit the company
and offered his stock for sale with the
intention of organizing a new industry
in which he and his son could work
out their ideals unhampered. He offered
his stock for sale. Edsel Ford, how
ever, secured his fathers permission
to make an effort to buy out the mi
nority stockholders and succeeded, sc
that with the control of the company
entirely in their own hands, they gave
up the idea Of organizing new cor
marathon