Evening star., 1923-07-09
W-Henry Ford
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

He has dealers in every city and
town in America.
He makes commodity that al
most everybody uses-men, women
and children.
He is known from one end of the
country to the other.
You might assume from this de-
scription that Henry Ford is the
man. He is. But these three state
ments fit equally well and apply to
' Bill Wrigley, the chewing gum king.
Yet neither he nor Gillette. the safety
razor man, is being doomed for the
presidency.
People who are unfamiliar with the
inside workings of American political
parties have jumped TO the conclu-
sion that all that is necessary 1or
a nomination is that the man shoula
be widely known and that he should
have some semblance of an organiza-
tion throughout the country. Nothing
could be further from the truth. Ine
history of American poiltlcs, reVeara r
that at no time has any political per-
sonality sprung to the front IN q
presidential contest without some 6
conspicuous public service behlno
him Even William Jennings Bryan
had served a term in Congress before
his famous Gross of gold ,speecn
in 1896. Woodrow Wilson dld not
come direct from Princeton CnlNeI
sty to the White House, but serNee
a term as governor of the state OF
New Jersey. William MGkinley, ,.
William Howard Taft, Theodore
Roosevelt. Warren Harding; Grover
Cleveland, Judge Alton b. farkeIII
ALI the men who have been nominated
for the presidency in the present
generation-have either been elected
TO public office or previously mac
been appointed to some position oi
importance. .,
There is much similarity between
the boom for Henry Ford and the
movement that swept the country ~,
1920 for Herbert Hoover, but even
Mr.. Hoover had served in puplie
canacity as United states food ad-
ministrator, and while he hao no cor, :
nection with either OF the poiitiIaa "a
parties. there was no DOUBT OF n!
administrative ability when ehtraS'-
ed with a public office.
Henry Ford has never been elected
TO anv office of public trust in Amer
lea. He has several assets, poiitlcaiiS
speaking, but he also has many ia
bilities.
Here arc his strong points:
He is a self-made man. He has mao
romantic career in business, ana
has done almost the impossible In IN 1he
financing of his own business. iis
farmers of the country are achlhs
for some Moses to lead them out OF
their wilderness, and the name OF
Ford catches their imagination
Here are Henry Ford's political
liza bilities: ot
The American Legion would prop
ably never support man Tor Ihe
presidency whose son had been aGs
cused of draft evasion IN tne Worto
war If Henry Ford should become G
candidate for the presidency II Il
almost certain that one or the olheI
of his opponents of the political "orIu
opposing him would revive the con
troversy over Edsel Ford.
Henry Ford boasts Of ms ofs9rrS a;o :,
the Jews is in conformity with one
of the principles of the ku hiuS
Khan And whether the Khan III
dorsed him or not 1t seems almost
certain that he would be given the
label of the Klan by political oppo-
nents. Under such circuInslaI1cts
large numbers of Catholics Wouia oe
antagonized and would be inclined
10 oppose any man who was even
slightly favored by the Klan.
There would naturally be goou
deal of ridfcule in a Ford campaign
when, for example, in the Ioer suit
he conducted against the Chlcaeo
who Benedict Arnold was, he repied
"an English novelist" Opposins
campaign speakers would surely make
use Of this to show Ford's limited
knowledge of American history.
If the truth were known! Henrs
Ford is not anxious to get lnto tne
political limelight. He is not ampl-
tious for public office. Rather is he
the victim of those who are pushing
him forward. This is usually tnt
case when a prominent figures per:
sonality can be capitalized. Mr Eore