Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 July 1919 — NO SWIVEL CHAIR FOR FORD’S SON [ARTICLE]

NO SWIVEL CHAIR FOR FORD’S SON

staybd at homk during war TO HALF IN PLANT—RIFUSRD TO TAKI UNIFORM. FATHER WAS RESPONSIBLE Declares He Told Rdeel TMI War Work In Factory Needed Him— Would Not Aooept Safety Pi ret Commission. ML Clemens, Mich. —Henry Ford, during the last hour of his seven days on the witness stand, took occasion to claim full reponslbllity for his son, Edsel Ford’s, claim tor exemption from the selective dralt. "He wanted to enlist," said Mr. Ford, ’but 1 told him that he could do more good where ne was. He was offered several commissions which would have permitted him to wear a uniform and stay right in the factory, but be wouldn’t accept them." t Having made their decision, It wa* shown, ooth Mr. Ford and his son refused to camouflage it behind a swivel chair commission carrying boots and spurs. This subject, the introduction of which has been awaited ever since the trial opened, did not develop along the lines which had been generally expected. Mr. Ford’s inclination to shoulder full responsibility, his statement that bls son was absolutely essential to the war work being done in the factory and bls revelation ot the fact that Edsel Ford turned down, several offers of a commission, disarmed criticism. The charges, spread during a political campaign, and recently repeated on the floor of the United States senate, to the effect that the young president of the Ford Motor company bad shirked his duty were so fully refuted that Tribune counsel did not pursue the poinL It was the first time that a full explanation of the facts in connection with Edsel Ford’s war work has been made public and It was easily the feature of the eleventh week of tho trial. Henry Ford spent seven days on the witness stand and of this time he gave less than two hours to his own lawyers. As long as counsel for The Tribune was hammering him Mr. Ford sat'' Quietly in the witness chair answering tho constant fire of questions with great patience. But the Instant his own lawyers took him in hand hte attitude changed. He became selfconscious and diffident. He would not accept the efforts of his counsel to provide him with an opportunity to reveal tho full extent of his patriotic work during the war, his humanitarian views, or his advanced ideas of the relations which should exist between capital and labor. “It is all In the records,” said Mr. Ford. “I have told It all here once.” He avoided, with care, anything that verged on boasting. He would not even describe the extent of the war work which his factories did and when record breaking performances in the production of munitions was mentioned he declared, “we did all we could, let It go at that. I want to forget i about IL I feel just as the soldiers feel. I don’t want to talk about my war work.” The witness did, however, after being pressed, explain that his son had bought out the minority stockholders of the Ford Motor company because these interests had insisted on Mr. Ford squeezing the last dollar out ot the public, the government, the workers afrd the product He wanted to out loose from his associates, he said, so that he could carry out his ideas of the distribution of profits to am ployees through increased wages and to the public through lower prices. It was either buy or sell and Mr. Ford had considered selling and organizing a new company. His son, however, took up the task of buying out the minority stockholders and succeeded, despite the general belief in the financial world that this stock could not be purchased. One of the most interesting developments of Mr. Ford’s testimony came out when It was testified that the only legislation he has ever sought was that for the protection of birds. Other men ot millions, it was shown, keep lobbyists In the national and state capital to urge and work for special privileges, but the one favor that Mr. Ford has ever asked from the lawmakers had nothing to do with his own interests. It was a curious bit: of testimony and left a deep Impression on the audience in the court chamber. The subject was a result of questions concerning Mr. Ford’s list of frlbnds. He named Thomas Edison and John Burroughs, rhe naturalist, as his best friends outside of his immediate associates. Litigation in which Mr. Ford has been interested was another subject of interest. It was shown that when the automobile business was in the first years of its growth all manufacturers of motor cars were compelled to pay tribute to what was known as the Selden patent on Internal combustion engines. Mr. Ford fought this patent for ’seven years and won and by bis victory freed the entire industry from its shackles and made possible the wonderful growth which has marked the last few vearp' ,