Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-05-22 | Page 1 | Ford Denounced in Libel Trial

DEHED li LIE TIL Lawyer for Chicago Tribune Trib-une Reiterates Designation Designa-tion as "Anarchist." MQUXT CLEMENS, Mich.. May 21. A vehement denunciation, in which Henry Ford was characterized not onl as an anarchist, an-archist, but a dangerous one, startled spectators tn Judge Tucker's court hero today. The assertion camo from Elliott G. Stevenson of Detroit, one of counsel for the Chicago Tribune, which Is being sued for one million dollars' damages by Mr. Ford on a charge of libel. The pivot of tho alleged libel published June 25. 1916, was the heading of all editorial reading: "Ford Is an Anarchist." Jn his comment, incident to debate on a brief in wliich the plaintiff seeks to limit the evidence, Mr. Stevenson alluded to tho assassination of McKinley, the bomb outrage during the preparedness (Continued on Page 3. Column 4.) FDRD DENOU) 11 LIBEL TfiiAL (.Continued from page One.) parade at San Francisco, the wartime offenses of-fenses of members of the Industrial Workers of the World, and devoted some time to the "copperheads" of the civil war. He quoted President Lincoln as writing in reference to tho banishment into the confederate lines of Clement 1 Vallandlgham, a "copperhead' leader of Ohio, as follows: "Must I shoot the simple-minded soldier who deserts, while 1 must not touch a hair of tho head of the wily agitator who incites in-cites him to desert?" "So we say to Henry Ford," the lawyer declared, "you are more responsible for the outrages that have been committed during the war than any of the men who used direct action, because jou, a great leader and humanitarian, encouraged them and they believed that you must be right." FatiieV in the session. Attorney Alfred Lucking, representing Jlr. Ford, quoted much law In arguing that military preparedness pre-paredness has nothing to do with the present case and that there were many court decisions which would confirm ihe present issue to consideration only whether wheth-er the headline, "Ford Is an Anarchist," was a libel. It was immaterial, he sa.id, what editorial policv the Tribune had pursued pur-sued before. The "Tribune, Mr. Lucking admitted, had the right to show what its motives were in publishing the editorial, and might introduco the body of the editorial edi-torial in that connection, but he said it was far without the issue to introduce witnesses to give testimony on Mexican affairs when there w as nothing to show that their stories were known to the editorial edi-torial writer when ho wrote the alleged libelous editorial. Mr. Stevenson, replying to this, said: "It is our purpose to endeavor to show that Henry Ford was just the kind of a man we characterized him as being, an anarchist. We are talking about regular dyed-in-the-wool anarchists, the kind the article indicates. Henry Ford was the most dangerous kind of an anarchist that can be thought of, a man who, by insidious in-sidious propaganda undermines the confidence con-fidence of t-he people." Mr. Stevenson pointed to the assassin of President McKinley as one who wished to destroy the power of the government by violence. "What was it prompted him to commit the murder?'' asked the lawyer. "The insidious in-sidious propaganda that had been spread broadcast picturing M"Kinley as the puppet pup-pet of the trusts. What prompted the San Francisco bomb outrage? It was an attempt to intimidate the men who were working t o prepare this country to defend de-fend itself and discharge its duties. It 1 was the propaganda which said that we hud no right in the war, and that any one who engaged in it was not a patriot, but a loo! of Wall Street, and munition i makers. They heard Henry Ford and others say: :There is no danger of an attack from an enemy, there is no enemy in sight except the profiteers who want , to have this country involved in war.' " I Mr. Stevenson will finish tomorrow. I After he has been answered by counsel , for Mr. Ford, taking testimony will start.