The Denver Jewish news., 1923-08-23
The Weekly New York Letter
Tribute to the Departed from Tragedy
to the Ridcu0us-The Dearborn Clown
BY GERsHoN AGRoNsKY

now been east into degree OF de1ec-
ton and despair which arouse the most
profound sympathies. Death Is terrible
for all. and the Presidents widow.
despite the noise and the rumblings
necessarily accompanying the passing
of President. is just as miserable as
the widow of tailor
II is passing frcm tragedy to ridi-,
culous buffo0nery to speak in the space
OF one page OF him who was the chief
executive and of the Dearborn clown
who imagines the nation is determined
to draft him into presidential service.
| Ford has given many manifestation
of his impishness. But 1t was to the
mannikins that surround the fivver
mngnnte that the absurd viciOusness
was frequently ascribed For once we
are led to believe that Ford has spoken
for himself Golfers Weekly. in its
current issue. presents Ford MS he
really is. II we are not to place too
much weight on the mechanics Of the
interview. and the unusual ability OF
the interviewer. Ford seems to have
had the opportunity Of lifetime. Day
nfter day, piece by piece. his ideas"
md "opinions'' were siftel assorted
and dexteriously woven into an inter-
view by u journalistic expert who ap-
pnrently can do nothing without tell
Ing effect And the result of all this
labor Is II hitleous. motisy thing. n
squeak nbout THE Jews the enter
rationnl flnanciers." an assertion that
would sound much more natural had It
come from an inarticulate. gibbering
idiot.
seriously. For. with the assistance of
the Interviewer. Charles w. Wood.
..pre~iA~sstial pIntform has been draft
ssl T1lerr ns~y NJ snss~ srngihae tlainGr
In this platform, hut 1t is all vitiatesI
az fni ns any rAtional being h con-
c~rned by the Incredible drivel about
.'the Jews Wreckers Of fndustry are
the Jews. weired men with grasping
hands that reach out and clutch rotten
and rctting things: men who build
nothing: international financiers."
who scent It the minute an industry
slows down or tries to expand abnorm-
ally. and like keen-scentetl watch-tlOgs,".
lie In wait for industrial corpses. that
they may gnaw Mt their homes and cor
rude the dismembered limbs. This is
the picture of the Jew in Henry Ford's
mind.
The question IL. can u man who car
ries such picture he trusted to see
anything straight. Apparently not
And the fnct that this negative is be-
fore his minds eye. always there to
he developed and colOred. makes 1t inn
possible for anyone to read the pain
stalking interview without feeling Of
revolt.
Unless one il humOrist like the etli-
tors in the New York World. who see
the joke of the thing and turn 1t to
good advantage. Read this editorial
passages and see what fine service
Ford renders occasionally the member
of the stnff who has to write the live
lier vein" editorials:
''Mr. Ford in Golfers Weekly proves
that he has no racial prejudices- He
explains that when he says Jews he
means international financiers.
THAT relieves lot of us who had
been disturbed by the journalistic po-
groms in the Dearborn Independent.
When Henry Ford speaks of Jews he
Is referring only to such leaders of the
race as ]. P. Morgan. THOMAS w.
Lamont, George F. Baker and Andrew
w. Mellon.
"Thus it is perceived that the word
Jew is not generic term. has no
racial significance in Mr. FOrd's mouth.
1t is vocational epithet. implying
1uantitative emphasis in the matter of
handling money 1t embraces those
bankers who do not bend their talents
70 financing the manufacture OF auto
mobiles.
rabbi Stephen S. Wise is not an in
ternatiOnal financiers and consequently
not Jew. by the Ford definition. Car
dinnl Gibbons was not high up in the
Beard of Directors. of the First Ma
tional Bank of New York. Ergo. His
Eminence was not a Jew. DIR. Charles
p Steinmetz is not Jew. but Thomas
A. Edison's holdings prove him to he
= member of that Israelite tribe against
whom Mr.. Ford inveighS."
No man should be punished for speak
ing I'm rshly in his diStrnSS -Talmlfd