Mr. Slack's Billion

Some weeks past the country was astonished to learn that a bid of $1,051,000,000 had been made for the whole U. S. Government Merchant Marine. It was at first suspected that the bidder, John W. Slack of Silver Creek, N. Y., was acting for Henry Ford. The bid was obviously fictitious and was not seriously considered in Washington. Mr. Slack's name, however, as well as the name of his native town of Silver Creek, N. Y., received instant and widespread publicity.

Last week Mr. Slack, in an article in The New York Times, while still somewhat artificially protesting his sincerity, reveals his purpose, in which he was to a degree successful, of getting three million dollars' worth of publicity for nothing. Mr. Slack claims his action was a "rebuke" to the Government--just how is not clear. The whole affair must be classed with the enormous but fictitious check recently sent to Mayor Hylan to pay the expenses of the Civic Jubilee. Meanwhile Slack, event if he has not made himself famous, has at least gained a temporary but universal notoriety.