The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-01-25

"Sorap Of Paper" No. z.
Learn From the MulIah.
They WON'T Get Ford.
Worst Tax--ldIeness.
By ARTHUR BRlSBANl

Ill
by ARTHUR BRISBANE
lcopyrisht issl)
The street car trust Of New
York city has a contract with the
city limiting the fare to five cents.
When the contract was made.
passengers could have been carried
proftably for three cents. The
corporation urged that five cents
be written in the contract. 1t was
done.
Now Governor Miller. in a mes
sage to the New York legislature,
appears to recommend passage Of
legislation that would end the con-
tract for q five-cent fare between
the city and the corporation.
After this has been fought out,
the people will know whether the
Constitution Of the United States.
forbidding breaking of contracts
by legislation. has any. meaning.
1t is easy for a legislature to obey
q governor and pass law SAY
ING that contract between q
city and its corporations is ended.
Bullet a citizen refuse the
increased fare, demand that the
contract be kept, allow himself to
be elected, and arrange to have
his case brought to the Supreme
Court of the United States. Then
the legislature Of New York may
find that it is not as easy as it
seems to nullify a contract be-
tween five millions Of people and
q corporation because the corpora
ton tires of the contract.
This New York matter interests
every city in the United States
For IL, to oblige corporations, New
Yorks legislature can break con-
tracts and defy the Constitution
of the United States, no munich
pality should enter into any con-
tract with any corporation what
ever. No use signing a scrap of
paper" that the corporation can
get rid Of when it gets the right
governor.
Practical men, soon to be in
charge of the War Department
and of this country's defense. will
note the end of the "Mad Mullah."
For years that Mullah, getting
madder and madder. has been
bothering England. Soldiers were
sent tramping over the sand after
him. Manv died. but the original
Mullah. or a good imitation. went
on. Then came the flying ma
chine. and. with the big worry out
Of the way. England went after
Mr.. mad" Mullah with eleven
machines carrying about two hum
,dred men. The MullAhs learned
how. rabbits feel when hawks. .ap-
pear. And the Mad Muhah issiio
longer an obstacle to British rule
in Somaliland. %
American authorities. please no
tice. The new fighting weapons
are submarines and flying ma
chimes. Ships on water and troops
on land take second place.
This will interest Henry Ford:
Not long ago a well-informed man
from Detroit came to New York
and said. "In day or two they'll
get So and So." mentioning a man
who shortly afterward had his
great automobile properties taken
from him. The gentleman contin-
ued, "a little later they'll get
Ford"
They WON'T get Ford. He is
too powerful for them. But it will
interest Ford to know that they
are trying to get him. To take
big concern and pick it clean is
profitable.
When newspapers announce
that Henry Ford is in the market
for a loan of fifty to seventy-five
millions it puzzles the little man
who knows that Ford has been
distributing millions in bonuses to
his workmen. Ford needs the
money "to pay his income tax"
If Ford would come to New York
and talk to some intelligent pei
pie they would show him how
to put away the money that his
company earns, then ISSUE NEW
STOCK DIVIDENDS TO HIM
SELF, instead Of taking money,
paying nothing to the Govern
ment on that issue Of stock.
Henry Ford, who paid forty mil
lions in income tax a year ago, is
evidently an innocent gentleman.
In connection with Ford's bor-
rowing, Wall Street tells story,
not true, but "well found" 1t
represents Ford applying to j.
Pierpont Morgan for a loan Of
fifty millions and Morgan refer
ring him to Kuhn, Loeb e. Co.
Those that read the Ford Weekly
will see the point of that story.
As a matter. of fact, Ford does
not think much of Morgan & Co.
and says 50. Consequently he
would not 90 to them for money.
He probably could borrow hun