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The Commoner
20
VOL. 15, NO. 12 1
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Profits and the Navy League
Congressman Tavenner's Reply to Navy League Official
Washington, D. 0., Dec. 2, 1915.
Colonel Robert M. Thompson,
President, Navy League,
- Washington, D. C.
My Dear Colonel:
I assume from your letter of the
20th ult., and from your various ut
terances as president of the Navy
league, that the impression you do
sire to create in the minds of the
American people is that none of the
men who founded, or who have been,
or are now,' directors of or contribu
tors to the Navy league, have ever
been, - are now, in any manner in
terested any concern which would
profit financially from the $600,000,
000 bond issue for ttleships, etc.,
which you are advocating.
I understand your position to be
that none if the monoy which the
Navy league has used to banquet
members of congress and secretaries
of the na y or to carry on the propa
ganda for the vaa'ly increased naval
appropriations which you advocate,
has come from any gentlomon who
stand to profit therefrom. I contend
that the opposite is true.
In your letter you request that I
give you some specific information.
I ct.ll you attention to the fact
that Elbert T". C , -who is described
in the directory of directors for 1914
as "Chairman of tho Board of Direct
ors and Chairman of the Finance
committee of the United States Steel
Corporation," contributed $1,000 on
June 10, 1915, and that on the same
date representatives of the J. P. Mor
gan estate s ibscribed $2,000.
I call yorr attention to the fact
that J. P. Morgan, who Is a director
of the United States Steel corpora
tion, was formerly treasurer of the
Navy league and is now a director of
and a contributor to the Navy league
and that J. P. Morgan's brother-in-law,
Herbert L. Satterlee, was one of
the incorporators of the league, 'and
is at tho present time the general
counsel of the league. I also note
that Edward T. Stotesbury, a member
of tho firm of J. P. Morgan. & Co.,
and a director of the Baldwin Loco
motive works, Cambria Steel Co.,
Phoenix Iron Co., Riverside Metal
Co.,. Temple Iron Co., Wm. Cramp &
Sons Ship and Engine Building Co.,
and fifty-four other corporations,
banks and trust companies, is one of
tho honorary vice-presidents of the
Navy league.
I also call your attention to the fact
that O rgo F. Baker, Jr., No. 2, Wall
Street, Now York, son of a director
of United States Steel, contributed
?i,ooo to the Navy league, June 10,
1915.
I call your attention to the fact
that Robert Bacon, formerly a mem
ber of the firm of J. P. Morgan &
Co., and now first director" of United
States Steel, is a director of the Navy
league.
I call your attention to the fact
that Henry C. Frick, a director of
United States Steel, and ten other
corporations, banks and trust com
panies, is one of the vice-presidents
of the Navy league.
United States Steel controls the
Carnegie Steel company, which has
drawn down from the navy contracts
A Militaristic Pipe Dream
ft -par By Savoyard, in The Columbia. S.
0., State.
Of all the crazy visions even the
present war has produced, the bloodi
, est and most destructive of human
history, tho stuff quoted herein is the
daftest. It would appear that the
belligerent powers over yonder have
nothing in particular in the way of
malice against one another. Our
Uncle Samuel is the man they are
after, and his lands, tenements and
hereditaments, goods and chattels,
rights and privileges, are to become
tho spoil of embattled Europe, that
is now merely In training to lick us,
as your Fitzsimmonses and Jack
Johnsons get in trim for a prize fight.
Here is this pipe dream:
"Great Britain is to occupy New
England, Maryland, Virginia, North
and South Carolina, Georgia " and
Florida.
"France is to get the French parts
of eastern Canada, and the states of
Louisiana, Mississippi Alabama,
Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky.
"Germany is to occupy the states
of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri,
Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
"Japan is to take the Pacific coast,
the state of Oregon, upper and lower
California.
."Mexico is to be compensated for
lower California by ceding to it Ari
zona, New Mexico, and part of Texas.
"Russia will receive Alaska.
"The Panama canal will bo de
clared free, while tho western' states,
North and South Dakota, Nebraska,
Kansas, Oklahoma, Washington,
Montana, "Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and
Colorado will be consolidated into an
imperial crown domain of the Ger
man empire."
Well, they Wve Uncle Sam the
District of Co.. ,bia. That" helps
tome. This pipe dream appeared in
,th news columns of a Washington
paper one Sunday morning and I
doubt if its like ever was printed be
fore. London and Berlin, Paris and
Vienna, Petrograd and Constantino
ple, Rome and Sofia, are no more
thinking of a conauest of tli TTnitaii
States than they are of a military
expedition against tho planet Jupiter.
It may be deluced from the idiocy
of the conception that some fellow
imagined the stuff and put it in the
paper hoping to promote the cause of
preparedness." That is likely, for
our glorious land is full of folk who
believe in haunts and witches and
things. Here we have it laid down
that Germany does not covet Bel
gium; New York is what she is after,
and Calais she cares not a continental
for if she can get Chicago. It seems
that Germany is to have 'the lion's
snare or tne great divide, though
ivioAiuu win do allowed to regain
Texas and some other states round
about. England is ndt interested in
destroying the German navy and
sweeping tho German merchant ma
rine off the seas. She wants New
England and the south end of our
Atlantic seaboard. Franco is not af
ter Alsace-Loraine. She covets
French Canada and that part of the
United States Thomas Jefferson
bought of Napoleon Bonaparte. Rus
sia is perfectly indiffarAiif. nim.,f
Constantinople; her aim is to regain
Alaska, which she sold to William H
Seward at an enormous price as the
trade was then estimated by the
public. Japan is to put up with our
Pacific slope, and other far western
chips and whetstones laying about
loose in Uncle Sam's backyard are to
bo gobbled up and made into an im
perial crown domaU for the kaiser
This is the most extravagant and
tho stupidest crazy dream that the
war has produced, so far an v i
servation goes.
aggregating $32,954,377 for armor
plate alone, and if the Navy league's
$500,000,000 bond issue goes through
congress this firm will profit still fur
ther. I call your attention to the fact
that Allan A. Ryan, a director of the
Bethlehem Steel corporation, con
tributed $100 to the Navy league on
June 10, 1915, and to the further
fact that George R. Sheldon, a direct
or of the Bethlehem Steel corpora
tion, and the American Locomotive
Co., both of which concerns have
profited hugely from European war
orders, is. one of the vice-presidents
of the Navy league. Mr. Sheldon is
also a director of twenty-four other
corporations.
The Bethlehem Steel corporation
has obtained from the navy depart
ment armor contracts amounting to
$42,321,237, and if the Navy league's
program goes through, Bethlehem
stands to receive increased orders.
From the foregoing it would ap
pear that two of the three concerns
composing the armor ring in this
country have representation either
among the contributors to the Navy
league or among the officers or di
rectors of the Navy league.
The government has purchased
from these two concerns, Bethlehem
and Carnegie, $75,275,614 worth of
armor plate, paying an average price
of approximately $440 a ton there
for. If this armor plate had been man
ufactured in a government armor
plate factory, which the Navy league
has cold-shouldered, at least $25,
000,000 could have been saved to
the American taxpayers. There have
been ten estimates by government
officials as to the cost of armor plate
in a government plant and the aver
age of these estimates is $238 a ton.
By contrasting $440, the ptice we
have paid the private manufacturers,
with $238, the cost at which we
might have manufactured this armor
In a government plant, it is possible
to obtain an inkling as to the reason
we do not now have more prepared
ness to show for the colossal appro
priations made for that purpose.
I note there are thirty-one direct
ors of the Navy league. The personal
fortunes of these thirty-one men, by
the most conservative fsHmno oo-
gregate $100,000,000, or $3,000,000
to each director. I contend that any
board of directors whose individual
fortunes average $3,000,000 can
hardly be considered as representa
tive of the views, feelings and heart
beats of the great mass of the Amer
ican people.
On November 19 th I publicly stated
that inasmuch a3 the Navy league in
sisted that its management and back
ers are entirely free from any atmos
phere of war-trafflckimr infliiimnaa t
would, as soon as congress convened,
liuroauce a resolution providing for
an investigation of the league, speci
fically requiring J. P. Morgan and
other directors of the league, past
and present, to take the responsibil
ity of testifying, under oath, whether
they are interested or ever have been,
in war-trafficking firms, or concerns
which stand to profit from the pro
posed bond issui of $500,000,000.
On November list I received a
letter from you threatening a suit. I
Zl ilGr our letter nothinS re
nor less than an attempt to intimi-
?r If int0 abaning my plans
of vla conSJeBjjonal investigation
of your organization. When I am
right, the Navy league can not intim
idate me.
tnvnniw deflire ln a11 eood faith to
take the responsibility of makimr a
suggestion to tho Navy league I
suggest that you call a meeting of
the board of directors and go on
record in favor of the government
manufacture of battleships! su?mS
nncs, armaments, muniu u" ,
order that the people may obtainthe
preparedness hich you are advocat,
mg, at cost. I recommend that vn
6itMf d0vtliiS 0r fold tent and
quietly take your departure from the
national capital. in8
Very respectfully.
CLYDE H. TAVENNER, M. C.
THE CALL TO THE TROUGH
7 The New York Herald which a few
days ago took Issue with the Time.
Union on the question of military
preparedness, seems to have ini
much of its enthusiasm on the suh!
ject. Just listen to thin frnm n
itorial columns: u"
"Beneficiaries of extortionate ta
riffs are trying to force the country
to a militaristic basis in order to com
pel the re-enactment Of the Dingloy
schedules to provide sufficient rev
enues, making the consumer pay tho
bill for a Prussianized republic.
Muntions makers are preparing a
campaign in congress to perpetuate
their war profits at the expense of the
American people."
All this is as true as Gospel, but it
sounds strange coming from a paper
that wishes to double the cost of the
army and navy.
A great deal is doubtful about this
military preparedness program. While
the ships we already have are lack
ing in men, and while the army can
not secure recruits to keep it up to its
authorized strength, it is doubtful
whether men will volunteer to man
twice as large a navy and twice as
large an army. Maybe if one man
will not volunteer two will, but we
can not understand it.
But we do understand, and every
man understands, that it is proposed
to double the cost of tho army and
navy, and if the people are called on
to pay they will have to do it. Every
man also understands that the extra
quarter of a billion dollars a year will
have to come from additional taxa
tion. Internal revenue taxes will
have to be imposed on articles not
now taxed or the taxes already in
force will have to be increased. Im
port duties will have to be imposed
on commodities that now come in free
or be increased on commodities on
which they are already imposed. Here
is the opportunity that the advocate
of the highest protection has been
looking for.
The republicans are practically
united in favor of protection. The
party vote will be. cast for the high
est protective duties, and every man
who knows anything about American
politics knows that in raising an ex
tra Quarter of a billion dollars for
.war purposes taxes will be imposed
mat win taKe three-quarters or a ou
lion out r" the pockets of the Amer
ican people, two-thirds of which will
not go to the government at all, but
will go to the favored classes.
Why should not the hogs gather
at the trough when they hear the call
to feed? This scramble for special
favors is the natural outcome of the
talk of adding a quarter of a billion
dollars a year to the expenditures of
the government. If the President's
military rrogram goes through as to
amount It will carry with it the high
est tariff this country haj ever known,
and its passage will be possible only
in case the American people who have
so long feared nothing have become
mortally afraid of ghosts. Jackson
ville, Fla., Times-Union.
J. M. Kuhn, Portland, Ore.: A
suggestion from an American patriot
ic citizen: Since the burden of all
wars fall upon the shoulders of the
citizens who are compelled to sacri
fice their lives for their country, it
would not be too much to ask of the
capitalistic classes to contribute from
their personal and corporate funds
to the nation for such preparedness
as they deem necessary for the de
fense of this nation.
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