The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-05-23
BY McDoUGAL

THE man is insignificant. But Henry Ford"
i personifies American Capitalism. He stands
with Morgan, Rockefeller and Norman Thomas
in statingwith a hypocritical editorial, that
I'VE" must give our dimes and quarters for
Blockade; the scheme that checks each workers
life and militancy against the bosses as it
esqueezes out their reluctant charity. Though
this saves funds for the rich by appealing to
everyone to give, Ford has a better plan for
Capitalists.
Although Ford led the way in mass produc-
ton that requires thousands Of workers in
single giant factories he now proposes the re-
verse: decentralization Of factories into small
rural units A back to the land movement. A
retreat from the masses Of organized workers
who are knocking at his gates demanding work
and food. Back to the land" Back to export
surplus farmers who can be trained, and kept
apart from each other and from outside agit-
ators"
Last summer there was the usual Ford bally-
hoo. He was going to save the farmers" then.
He had begun the small factory experiment. But
the unemployment periods came in the winter,
when the land Of his farmer workers was frozen.
Nevertheless, they turned up in the spring with
their hats in their hands. Ford's foremen brag
that the hicks" can be trained to equal the out
put Of high paid union men. in the Dearborn
plant. And when they go home at nights they
don't visit pool-room a meeting or talk to
radicals; they go straight home to Mary, have
a good night and come back in their model cts"
bright and shining" Ford not only avoided
'labor troubles" he produced cheaper
On April 26, he went to the White House to
tell Hoover about it. Now a new Ford ballyhoo
is started This time he is supposed to save the
workers; but the scheme is just the Same-back
TO the land. Move your factories away from
city cepters Of unemployment mad bread lines.
Away from demonstrations OF hungry workers.
Ford met such a demonstration with bullets at
his Dearborn plant--balyhoo or bullets.
Ballyfoo Is cheaper than bullets and safer
while it works. This new form follows the COL
lapse OF his New Car bubble. The "v' eight
that was to start the wheels Of industry-wI1ere
is It? Even Mr.. Hoover boosted for it. Re-
member Hoover's statement that everyone who
planned to buy car should put in the order
now to help along2
Ford pictures the small factories surrounded
with happy workers filled with sense Of sec
urity because they have zone foot on the land
and the other industry--if one fails, the other
is there. and both can't fail together. "WE"
must all work together, whether anyone en-
ploys us or not, and the always open door to
self employment is the land" CNothing about
winter unemployment and frozen landD
Workers should realize that Fords "back to
the land" scheme is made just now because he
knows that there will never be work for the
crowds who press on his employment offices
The workers have fought his police and defied
him before his own factory. He is telling them
to go away to the country Farmers should real
lie that when Ford brings shops to the villages,
he only wants to exploit farmers at low wages
on part time basis Ford himself says that
his plan has no Santa Claus features" for I'VE
have grown accustomed to expecting that the
government, the employer, or some fund will do
something for us"
Behind Ford's ballyhoo and bullets, behind the
ives" and Gus" is the American capitalist.
Jightened by the chaos OF eurpIus food ana