Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-24
400 FORD MEN IN
PROTECTIVE LEAGUE
Libel Suit Witness Says One
Factory Worker Fined $500;
y Another Interned.
CASE NEARING THE END

By the Associated Press.
MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich, July "a
In all probability, the long hearing of
Henry Ford's s1,O0O.000 libel suit
against the Chicago Daily Tribune
will reach the jury late next week.
1t began May II.
Attorney Weymouth kirkland, be-
fore court opened today. told Attor-
ney Alfred Lucking that the Tribune
case would be concluded today and
Mr. Lucking stated that the Ford re-
buttal would require only a few days.
Munitions Issue Up.
H. H. Esselstyn was recalled to the
witness stand in connection with
letter he sent to Henry A. Wise Wood
of New York. May 9, 1916. Mr.. Wood
in a speech at Detroit the night be-
fore quoted Mr.. Ford as saying that
"in case of invasion he would not
make a dollars worth of munitions
for profit
Mr.. Esselstyn wrote that he and sew
eral others who were at the luncheon
where Mr.. Wood and Mr.. Ford con-
versed had not heard the words "for
profits
Attorney Lucking protested that Mr..
Wood was ample authority for what
was said at the luncheon and afterward.
as much that was said by Mr.. Ford
could be heard only by Mr.. Wood.
400 in Protective League.
E. c. Clemet, who was witness early
for the Tribune. He testified that at
first there were 100 Ford employees who
became members Of the American Pro-
tective League, which operated to as
sist the secret service, and that the
membership in the factory grew to 400.
Their reports of suspected pro-Germans
wt1e turned over to the Hughes COM
mittee later in course Of the airship in
>estigation, witness said.
The organization of the American
Protective League in the Ford plants
was like that in every other factory
done. Witness said he was captain
in the league and operatives reported
to him in writing, signed only by the
operators number. Mr.. Clemet said
of the United States Department of
Justice.
IF an employe was suspected Of
pro-Germanism 1 assigned the in
vestigation to an operative in his de-
partment," said Mr.. Clemet. "Often
operative and suspect work right
next to each other"
did you recommend possession of
certain cases to the government? ?"
asked Attorney Alfred J. Murphy on
DISCRIMINATION.
One Fined, Another Interned.
Il don't think so. We simply turn
ed in the evidence. assuming that the
government would prosecute in it's
ed in the federal court and fined
$500"
One pro-German. Mr.. Clement said.
was interned as a result of insistence
of the Ford branch of the league.
When the government issued an order
requiring enemy aliens to carry per-
mits, a complete investigation of the
10000 Ford employees was made, and
6O7 German aliens discovered, he said.
Ford Hurries Away.
Mr.. Ford concluded his testimony
yesterday and selling his hat and
murmuring something about New
York." was away in a hurry.
A subsequent witness was John r.
Lee, who was one of Mr.. Ford's lead
ing executives for many years.
Mr.. Lee corroborated the printed
statement of Edward Marshall that
Mr.. Ford called soldiers "murderers."
Quick at Deciding.
According to Mr.. Lee. Mr.. Ford
made some very momentous decisions
off-hand. as in the instance of the
celebrated IS minimum wage.
Mr.. Ford's first idea was to raise
the pay of the men 81 a day." testi-
fed Mr.. Lee. Jim Couzens said why
not make it IS a day and Mr.. Ford
said All right That's all there was
to it."
Witness said that before the war
Mr.. Ford had often said he would not
manufacture munitions. when we
got into it we were employing 10000
men, and I wanted to see them doing
war work. "All right Mr.. Ford said
again, and we got all the war bust
ness we could to keep them busy"
continued Mr.. Lee.