Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1925-08-28
Continued from Editorial page,
HENRY FoRD)

Mr.. Ford that he wouldn't accept
of a nomination under any circum-
stance, and asking for his friends
to support Mr.. Coolidge. Mr..
Ford said quietly: 81 think Mr.
Coolidge is doing a good job of
being President and that we
should hire him at least four years
more" That settled it-there
was never a doubt in the minds of
1.-THE people who could see ahead,
THAT Calvin Coolidge would be
re-hired. +" The simple childish
honesty of Henry Ford had cast
1.-THE die. Roosevelt chose Taft and
some think he turned his choice
down when Mr.. Taft refused to
do the Roosevelt bidding. How
different with Henry Ford (whom
1--WE believe was as largely respon-
sible for the election of Mr.. Cool
Iidge) since Mr.. Coolidge was elect
ed, we haven't seen a word of
criticism nor a line of praise from
Mr.. Ford. He hasn't been inter
viewing the President, nor making
suggestions, nor giving advice.
Apparently he reckons that Mr..
Coolidge will do the job of Presi-
dent and Mr.. Ford will keep on
doing the job of turning out cars.
|Such phrases as "public patron
age" taking care Of our friends"
and Strengthening the party"
are all foreign to Henry Ford, He
lis dominated by the simple facts
of being honest-facts his mother
taught him back in Michigan fifty
years ago.
The second example was the
Peace Ship Inside of three
! weeks from the time Rosika
Schwimmer, an Austrian Peace
Leader, first suggested the idea,
the boat was on the Atlantic head
ed for Europe. 1t was all the i'm
pulse of childhood-an ideal to be
sought. He was literally in quest
of the pot Of gold at the end Of the
rainbow. Let no one whisper that
: Mr.. Ford did it for publicity. He
was born while the cannon of
Gettysburg and Vicksburg were
lroaring, ard that may be one rea-
son why he hates war. He de-
spises the pomp and glory of the
battlefield. Napoleon is no hero
to him.
1.-THE drying up of a single tear
has more
Of honest fame than shedding seas
of gore. ~
! That is Henry Ford's religion
! He is born pacifist. Without
consulting wife, child, or lawyer
the Oscar II was chartered and
something like ITS invitations
were sent out to all classes and
creeds to join him on the trip as
his guests. Of this number 16s
q accepted and I was one of the
: number. Ny first real thrill was
in the recoco room of the Grandc
Hotel in Christiania, Norway, at a
morning peace conference. The
daily press announced that the eX
lpedition couldn stop the war but
admitted cit might lessen the dur.
alton of the war; Some of the
headings said the expedition
had failed. Ford sat in the cen
ter of the circle. Reports were
read and suggestions were made
Some meekly suggested it might
be well to disband. Then Ford
quietly stood, and in low but pos
tive voice said: "Some say this
undertaking has failed. The press
reports that yesterday several
thousand soldiers were killed.
am reputed to be worth a quarter
of a million dollars. Friends, ii
all my wealth could be spent III
lessening the duration of this war
one single day, it would be well
spent and would be cheerfully
given, The expedition will con.
tinue,"
That settled it-after that there
was no talk of going back. Henry
Ford had heard a sermon when he
was a boy on "gaining the whole
world and losing his soul" He
had applied that text literally
and was ready to give everything
he possessed to save the life of one
soldier.
He fought to keep out of the
war but after we got in he made
up his mind the quickest way out
vas "force to the uttermost." lie
put his entire factory at the dis,
lposal of the government. Without