AMERICAN PORTRAITS.—III.
HENRY FORD.
EXACTLY how long will it take before you can -LA make your first delivery of cars, trucks, caissons and the like ? "
" By three o'clock to-morrow afternoon my first delivery will be complete. I can telegraph to the plant and start work immediately. They should receive the order in five minutes."
The day America entered the War this conversation took place between a high official in Washington and Henry Ford. By three o'clock the next afternoon Mr. Ford did make his first delivery and, at the close of the War, he handed over his War profits, amounting to twenty-nine millions of dollars, to the United States Government. He does not believe in wars, though he believed in the principles that drove America into the War. It is characteristic of the man that the moment he returned to America after his astonishing " Peace Ship " expedition he realized. American participation was inevitable and shaped all his plans accordingly. Henry Ford is the richest man in America ; probably the richest man in the world. His fortune is estimated at about six hundred millions of dollars. John D. Rockefeller has given so much of his fortune away he is now reputed to be worth a mere three hundred million. Mr. Ford has made his money in twenty years. He started business with a capital of one hundred thousand dollars, a factory space of about .28 of an acre and with three hundred and eleven employees. To-day, the assets of the Ford Company amount to over five hundred millions of dollars, the plant covers one hundred and twenty acres of ground, and one quarter of the population of the City of Detroit are directly dependent on the Ford industries for their support. And Detroit has a population of almost a million souls and is the fourth largest city in the United States.
Nearly two per cent. of the entire American cotton crop is consumed by the Ford plant (Mr. Ford is reported to be entering the textile manufacturing field, as well he might), and as for output—a finished car is turned out every twenty-nine seconds !
He owns a railroad, bought it for a song,' in terrible condition, and has made it pay ; owns acre& of coal lands, a weekly newspaper and many water-power properties. He is-an authority on water-power. The farmers believe he can supply them with fertilizer at one dollar a-ton if he is permitted to buy a huge Government war factory now disused, and he probably could do it. The farmers are with him to a man.
All sorts of fantastic tales are told of Mr. Ford, his life and habits, and of his associates. Most of these stories are untrue. The secret of his success is simple. He turns out the best motor-car in the world for the price ; and he has done it and is continuing to do it because he has faith in himself and in his product, has unflagging industry (he works as hard to-day as when he started his factory), and he is honest.
Almost all the men who started with him are still in his employ and are rich men. His first book-keeper, now a Senator for Michigan, invested two thousand five hundred dollars in the Company and sold out to Mr. Ford in 1919 for thirty millions of dollars.
No large employer can point to such a successful Labour record as Mr. Ford. There has never been a strike in the plant. Yet Mr. Ford is not a Union man ; nor has he spent millions on welfare schemes, building clubs, gymnasiums and the like. What he, does is this. He pays the highest minimum wage in the country, equal to about 20 per cent. above normal market rate, together with a share in the profits estimated on a percentage basis, whereby the lowest paid receive a higher profit percentage. And he has definitely stated to his employees he expects them to apply these funds to the betterment of their homes and families and he sees that they do it.
Is it any wonder, then, that Mr. Ford is regarded as the friend of the common people ? Is it surprising, he has a tremendous personal following throughout the country ?. Is it remarkable that Henry Ford should be spoken of as a. Presidential possibility in 1924 ?
Both Republican and Democratic leaders are afraid of him. Neither feel safe from him ; for though Mr. Ford is a Republican he conducted a campaign as Democratic nominee for Senator in Mr. Wilson's time at the latter's request and because he believed in the principles Mr. Wilson stood for, and was defeated after a • campaign. of bribery and corruption on the part of the other side that subsequently cost his victor his seat in the Senate.
Neither party want him as their leader because Mr. Ford has a way of running the entire show himself, to suit himself, and then where would the Bosses be ? Will he form a third party ? Hardly, since neither he nor Mrs. Ford—as kind, simple and modest a person as her husband—wants in the least to occupy the White House.
It is,. however, certain he would attract to himself many thousands of votes if he could be induced to run. Many believe he can get the Democratic nomination any time he asks for it. Already some States—Nebraska, for example— have announced their preference for Mr. Ford over all other candidates spoken of. And why not ? The man is a genius. His presumed ignorance of politics and history is more than outweighed' by his immense services to his fellow-men. Mr. Ford might be a strange President, [Although the business genius of Kr. Henry Ford is patent to the whole world we can hardly agree that one ought not to predict of him that he would be a bad President. A President requires first of all a wide knowledge of political affairs and political history, and secondly the power of working with all types of men. Mr. Ford as a business autocrat has been able to agree with few men and apparently has not seriously tried to co-operate long even with them. His condemnation of all trade unions in principle would be a bad asset for the Head of the State. We see in the Times of Wednesday that Mr. Ford, in an interview in Collier's Weekly, declares that he is not a candidate for the Presidency and does not want office. He admits that he is not a- political leader. Nevertheless, he expresses his political. opinions.. He is against Labour unions, soldiers' bonuses, the Tariff, and the shipping subsidy. But he is strongly in favour of Prohibition. We do not quite know whether we ought to take Mr. Ford's declaration seriously. Of course, he means it, but it has sometimes happened that. when a man has described a crown the popular response has been, " You are the man to wear it ! " To such clamour, by the myriad. " Ford for President " clubs, Mr. Ford might yield. All the same we hope he will not.—En. Spectator.]
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