Ford Continued His Charges After Facts Were Made Known to Him, Sapiro Says

(Jewish Daily Bulletin)

The fact that a committee representing Aaron Sapiro, plaintiff in the Sapiro-Ford $1,000,000 libel suit, explained to Henry Ford and his associates the exact activities and purposes of the cooperative farm marketing organizations at the time the alleged libelous articles in regard to them were appearing the “Dearborn Independent”, was brought out in the District Court here today by William Henry Gallagher, counsel for Sapiro.

Mr. Gallagher said in his opening plea before Judge Raymond, who is trying the case, that when Sapiro’s committee called on Ford he referred them to F. D. Black, business manager of Ford’s organ, the “Dearborn Independent”. The latter heard what they had to say and for some time the series of articles attacking Sapiro and charging him with exploiting the farmer, were discontinued. They were resumed after a while, however, no reason being given.

A prolonged conference between Judge Fred M. Raymond, Senator James A. Reed, chief counsel for Ford, and Attorney Gallagher delayed opening of court today for more than an hour. What took place in the conference no one would say, but it was understood an agreement had been reached to cut the introduction of evidence as short as possible.

In the course of his plea, which he had not completed at noon adjournment, Gallagher declared there would be no difficulty in proving preposterous the allegations of a “Jewish conspiracy” to control America’s agriculture, of domination of farmers’ organizations by Sapiro or of the idea of cooperative associations originating with the Jews.

“Only one Jew is associated with Mr. Sapiro where 10,000 gentiles are cooperating with him,” said the attorney, “and of the millions of dollars borrowed by the so-called Sapiro organizations not one dollar was obtained from Jewish banks.

“The idea of cooperative marketing is not Jewish; it is American, if anything. The managers of the organizations are not Jewish and are not appointed by Sapiro. True he advises and often recommends, but the board of directors does the appointing.”

Mr. Gallagher exhibited pictures which had appeared in the “Independent” and read excerpts therefrom.

“Mr. Ford was not content, through his publication, in attacking co-operative marketing and the Jewish race as a whole,” Gallagher said. “He went further than that. He said Mr. Sapiro was a member of an international Jewish combine to gain control of agriculture, being little more than a tool in the hands of the comspirators.

“Perhaps even worse, Sapiro was accused of spreading Communism and Bolshevism throughout the country; of entering homes and instilling the propaganda of ‘Red’ Russia in the minds of the children.”

Mr. Gallagher said the question for the jury to consider was “was there libel against Mr. Sapiro.”

“Was Mr. Sapiro injured when it was said he was a member of an international conspiracy to spread Communism; and exploit farmers.

“If it was true, then there was no libel.”

Senator Reed objected here and Judge Raymond asked Mr. Gallagher to confine himself to what the plaintiff intends to prove. The judge explained to the jury attacks may be made on races, religions and classes without fear of libel, but it was when individuals were singled out that the attackers were open to punishment.

“The first article alleged to be libelous was published April 5, 1924,” said Mr. Gallagher, and was entitled “Monopoly Traps Operated Under Guise.”

He read parts of this article in which Sapiro was singled out as one of “a band of Jews” which, the article stated, is “on the back of the American farmer.”

“Jewish bankers always stand ready to make the ‘loans’ to the needy farmers, the article says,” Gallagher declared.

“Making these ‘loans’ to farmers, the articles claimed, enabled the ‘ring’ to gain control of large amounts of land when farmers found it impossible to lift the debt,” Gallagher continued.

He showed to the jury pictures which he termed damaging to Sapiro that appeared in the “Dearborn Independent” He thumbed through the pages, reading captions and headlines.

“‘Mr. Sapiro is legal adviser of sixty-four cooperative organizations and knows nothing of the problem of the farmer,’ one article asserts,” said Mr. Gallagher. “We will show he is one of the ablest farm advisers in the country.

“The statement that this man is an autocrat and dictator is absolutely false.

“Other Jews said to be interested with this alleged conspiracy-Bernard Baruch, Julius Rosenwald, Otto Kahn, Eugene Meyer and Harris Weinstock–are mentioned sarcastically as ‘working for the farmer.’

“The article asked why all these men working for the benefit of agriculture are not farmers themselves. We will show they were thoroughly acquainted with the agricultural situation.”

Showing the jury a picture from the “Dearborn Independent” of a field of growing celery, he read from an article which he termed “false, scandalous, malicious and defamatory,” as follows:

“Every stalk of celery shown in this corner of a large field pays direct tribute to Jewish dominion [meaning the alleged conspiracy] of the cooperative marketing system of the United States.”