(Jewish Daily Bulletin)
W. J. Cameron, editor of the “Dearborn Independent,” took the stand Friday as the first witness in the $1,000,000 libel suit of Aaron Sapiro against Henry Ford, being tried here.
Cameron’s testimony was brief and called forth so many objections from Senator James A. Reed, chief of defense counsel, that Judge Fred M. Raymond halted the trial and called for a conference behind closed doors. The break came when William H. Gallagher, Sapiro’s chief counsel, asked Cameron certain questions about articles printed in the “Dearborn Independent” prior to those which attacked Sapiro. Senator Reed was on his feet immediately objecting to the question as irrelevant.
Gallagher protested that he asked about these earlier articles in an effort to determine just what the term “International Jew” had come to mean to the “Independent’s” readers, and that this information was necessary to properly determine the nature of the libels against Sapiro. Judge Raymond at this point called the counsel for both sides into his private chamber to settle the point of procedure. His decision on the matter is expected when court opens again on Monday.
Questioned as to Ford’s views as compared with those of the “Dearborn Independent,” Cameron said: “Mr. Ford is strong against war and all that pertains to it and the paper stands for preparedness. Mr. Ford looks on the Russian Soviet Government more leniently than we do.”
“Do you mean he favors the Soviet Government?” Gallagher questioned. “He’s just more lenient towards it than the ‘Independent.'” Ford’s counsel continually objected to any questions asked Cameron pertaining to Ford’s views on the Jewish race, the international “Ring of Jews,” or any other racial questions. Frequently the counsel for both sides engaged in arguments concerning the procedure, and these held up the trial considerably.
At one time Gallagher asked: “Have you discussed at any time with Mr. Ford his attitude towards the money powers?” This question was instantly opposed by Senator Reed. Senator Reed finished his address to the jury before noon. In it he alleged that American farmers lost millions of dollars through the Sapiro plan of cooperative marketing, while Sapiro collected $1,000,000 in fees. Reed told the Jury he would introduce evidence concerning a secret meeting in Chicago in October 1925 which was attended by former Governor Frank O. Lowden of Illinois, Eugene Meyer, Jr., former head of the War Finance Corporation and Robert H. Bingham of Louisville.
This meeting, Reed held, “was called to consummate the plans of Mr. Sapiro in the formation of the cooperative wheat association in all the wheat states of the country, and then the federation of these associations into national exchanges, and then an international exchange.
“This, however, was not the program of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Later these plans became public, and the federation refused to join in them.”
Gallagher interrupted to ask what that had to do with the libel case.
The Senator declared: “If counsel will let me have the floor long enough to say one word–it appears in the pleadings that ‘The Independent’ has charged Sapiro was trying to form an international association and this evidence bore on the charge.”
“But if the court please,” Gallagher insisted, “we do not claim any libel in having the intention to advertise to the farmers of the world to combine for their interests. Our libel charge is that they charge we are one of a gang of international Jews who are organizing the farmers for the benefit of the international Jews.”
Under fire of the objections on the part of Sapiro’s counsel, Senator Reed showed complete confusion as to who is who in the alleged “international ring.”
“If Frank O. Lowden is a part of this conspiracy, is one of the gang of international Jews–if they can prove that –all well and good,” Gallagher declared.
“Oh, well,” Senator Reed said, “Eugene Meyer was a Jew and Sapiro was a Jew and Sam Guard was a Jew.”
“Sam Guard is not a Jew,” replied Sapiro. “Never was a Jew.”
“Then I am in error, but Herbert Steen?”
“Herbert Steen never was a Jew and is not today.”
The argument continued until Judge Raymond declared he could not rule then on admissibility of evidence to come later and allowed the Senator to continue.
“I want to show,” the Senator went on, “that these people planned to control the wheat of the United States and to control wheat internationally. That is the very charge that has been made, and that, I think, Mr. Gallagher said we could not prove.”
“Prominent Jews advanced loans to carry out Sapiro’s plan, he continued. Bernard M. Baruch advanced $3,000 for the project; Julius Rosenwald, $15,000; Bingham, $2,000 and Sapiro put in $5,000.” This declaration came after Reed told the jury Sapiro had collected more than $400,000 in fees from farmers’ organizations and that some of these fees were paid only after Sapiro sued for them. “We will show you,” Reed told the jury, “that thousands of farmers suffered losses totalling millions and millions of dollars as a result of Sapiro’s plan. We will show you that Sapiro had in his mind a dream of an Empire.
“We will show you that it was Henry Ford’s duty to publish these articles and that they were published in good faith and then we will ask you to find that Aaron Sapiro did not exploit the American farmer.”
It is expected that Cameron will resume his testimony today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
