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The Commoner
28
VOL. 15, NO. U
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When the War Trust Robs No More
tFrom the San Francisco Star.
Word comes from Washington
that congress is to bo asked to ap
propriate for national defense an in
crease of about ?160,000,000 more
than was appropriated last year; that
the estimate for increased array and
navy amounts to $842,000,000 for
the next six years; that for new war
vessels and more men in the navy the
estimate Is, in round figures $500,
000,000; and that the plans contem
plate an army of more than a mil
lion trained men within the next six
years.
Is such a war establishment justi
fied? If it is justified, how will the
government raise the hurfdreds of
millions of dollars to pay for it? And
at the end of six years how many
more hundreds of millions will be de
manded for the same purpose?
Let it be taken for granted that
we need a larger navy; let it be ad
mitted that wo need an adequate
navy. Secretary Daniels would have
all the new ships built by the navy
department, an:l would have the gov
ernment manufacture its own am
munition and other supplies for the
navy. But what will congress do
about the secretary's recommenda
tions? Congress is not yet emanci
pated from the unholy influence of
the war trust.
It is evident that the war trust Is
very busy creating sentiment for a
greater navy and a greater army.
For years it has been busy at that
job. Thursday of this week came a
dispatch from Washington saying
that confidential reports received at
tlio navy department reveal that
Great Britain and Germany have al
ready anticipt ' jd the increases pro
posed in our new plan of naval pre
pjjedness; that by 1923 Great Brit
ainwill have 80 dreadnaughts of the
first class, and that Germany will
have 33; and that England is plan
ning to have i many warships as
1 Gormany and the United States com
bined.
Now, our own advocates of pre
paredness at least, the more noisy
ones insist that we should have a
navy large enough to meet the navies
of any two powers, and some demand
that our navy be large enough to
meet tho combined navies of all oth
er powers. If we go into the race
for big navy preparedness, whore
shall wo stop? Will It be possible
to stop short of bankruptcy? Wo
are willing to admit the need of an
adequate navy, but what is the lim
it? From Paris came a queer Asso
ciated Press cablegram, Oct. 20. un
der tho head "To Seize the United
States." Hemembering what the war.
trust has done in the past to pro
mote the expenditure of hundreds of
millions of dollars for "prepared
ness," as shown by Representative
Tavenner, It is a safe guess that the
Paris dispatch is another war trust
fake to create a "preparedness" panic
iu this country.
In order to rais the money for the
greatly increased navy and army, it
is said that congress will bo asked to
extend the emergency war tax
which expires December 31 and to
retain the present duty on sugar be
yond next May, when under the pres
ent tariff law sugar will go on the
free list. But even these proposed
measures would not produce the
needed money. The money must be
raised by increased taxation on con
sumption, which means increased
taxation of tin poor and does not
meai increased taxation of the very
wealthy or of special privilege.
Not a word has come from Wash
ington suggesting that needed in
crease of revenue be derived by di
rect taxation of special privilege, or
bv higher income taxes on those
whose incomes are derived from
swollen fortunes. As is always the
THREE EXCELLENT POLICIES
THE MIDWEST LIFE is putting out some very attractive policies
Take, for instance, their annual premium policies maturing at ages 60, 65
and 70, or at prior death. These policies meet the two great objects in life
insurance, which are (1) Protection for those dependent upon the bread
winner, and (2) Provision for tho old ago of the breadwinner himself. The
premiums oh thoso policies are payable until the insured attains the age of
0, 65 and 70, respectively, or until his prior death. If he attains the given
age, the face amount rot the policy is paid to him, but in case of prior death,
it is paid to his beneficiary.
Tho annual rates are very reasonable. For example, on an annual pay
ment policy maturing at age 60 or at prior death, the premium is $27.26
at age au ror eacn $i,uuu or insurance; on an annual payment policy ma
turing at age 65 or at prior death, it is $23.70; and on an annual jpayment
policy maturing at age 70 or at prior death, it is $21.32. Or $72.28 a year
for the three policies of $1,000 each, at age 30. ifust think ot having $1,000
paid you on your sixtieth birthday, another $1,000 on your sixty-fifth birth
day, and still another $1,000 on your seventieth birthday
These policies, after three annual premiums have been paid, have lib
eral loan and surrender values, one of which, extended insurance, is auto
matic. For $3.00 per year extra tho company will pay double the face amount
of the policy, If tho insured shall die from accidental means within ninety
aays aiier receiving me injury.
Another valuable feature is that in case tho Insured becomes totally
and permanently disabled from bodily injury or disease, tho policy be
comes paid up for its face amount; that is, no more premiums are payable.
This disability must occur .prior to reaching age 65 if the policy is an an
nual payment policy maturing at age vu or at prior death. In other words
this benefit only extends to age 65. '
There is no time in one's life when money would be more acceptable
than at ago 60, 65 or 70, just as his earning capacity is leaving him It
means to the person who buys a policy of this kind that he can carry pro
tection for his family while they most require it and in his declining years
J1H.VW lUO ueuuuia VUUIU bU III HI,
h
The Midwest Life
N. 2. SNELL, President
A NEBRASKA STOCK COMPANY
SELLING NON-PARTICIPATING LIFE INSURANCE ONLY
FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING, LINCOLN.
case with indirect taxation, "The
Man With the Hoe" must contribute
proportionately far more of tho tariff
taxes than the millionaire. Is it lust
that tho government should always-
search the slim purses of the poor
when more revenue is needed?
It is said that the war department
wants $72,000,000, more than last
year, of which $46,000,000 is to be
spent for reserve material and coast
defenses, and $26,000,000 for new
armies regular and continental, To
this question, as to most other ques
tions, there may be two sides, but it
is difficult to understand tho neces
sity for such increases in expendi
tures for the army. Recently, during
the training camp season, it was as
serted that a few weeks in a training
camp would train the untrained man.
If that be true, why the necessity for
the long and elaborate training pro
posed? October 16 came a dispatch from
Washington saying that "employers
throughout the United States cor
porations, manufacturers, profession
al men, tradesmen and business men
of all classes are to be asked to con
tribute, as their share in the national
defense, permission for their em
ployes to engage, without serious fi
nancial loss, in two months' military
training during eaoh of three years"
and that this is an essential part of
the plan for raising in the next six
years a citizen army of 800,000 men
which, with a regular army of
140,000 men and 300,000 reserves
would give us a trained force of
1.200,000 men, exclusive of state mi
litia. It appears, then, that the great
plan of preparedness as far as the
army is concerned depends to a
largo extent on the willingness of em
ployers to permit employes to receive
military training. But it does not
appear that employers are to be
trained for the trenches. Employ
ers are to contribute wages for em
ployes while the latter are training,
and the employes will contribute
their lives.
The most sinister aspect of the
Whole business is this fact, that the
men most active in the movement for
spending hundreds of millions of dol
lars in preparing for war are the men
who would reap millions and tens of
millions of dollars from the large ap
propriations If prjvate contracts are
let for armor, ammunition and other
supplies. Not only is there a war
trust in this country. Tint if a oii
known that the war' trust is interna
tional, and it has for years deceived
and cheated tho people of the United
States, of France, of Great Britain,
of Germany and other countries. Its
business is to deceive and scare tho
people, and then cheat them.
If, as is reported from Washing
ton, President Wilson is in favor of
the enormous expenditures proposed,
we can not doubt his absolute sincer
ity. As the servant of the people it
is his duty to recommend what he be
lieves the people want. It is not his
duty, and certainly it is not his de
sire, to tell the people what they
tcij ui may noi nave, it may be
that he has received from the maga
zines and newspapers the impression
that public opinion in this country is
overwhelmingly in favor of incurring
the enormous expenses for increased
preparedness. It must be admitted
that the preponderance of noise is on
that side.
FREPAREDNE9R TVTUST BE PAID
won
?e AmerI;an people can not eat
their cake and Iiavit. If they want
iiZti : a "r . national defense
they must expect rpay for it.
can bo obtained only by the oxnnn.ii
tur of money. .. expendi.
The national government is facfn
a budget of $1,240,000,000 but in fi
main this is a war budget. Exclud
ing the postal appropriations'
are for a department that iVnrl?
ticaliy self-sustaining so far as Zt
ating expenses go, the administration
and congress must provide approJl
mately $900,000,000 for the next fi
cal year. Of this sum $430,000,000
is for the army and navy, $170 ooo
000 for pensions and $23,000,000 for
Interest on the public debt, which h
a war charge.
!& these tbreo items alone wo have
$623,000,000 for wars past and wars
to come and preparedness for war
The total war charge is more than
two-thirds of all the regular disburse
ments of the government, nuri
year this charge will far exceed tho
toiai ordinary revenues of the gov
ernment in 1909.
It is evident that there can be no
sweeping economies in a government
in which two dollars out of every
three must be spent for military pur
poses, and while it is the duty of con
gress to save every dollar that can be
saved, the amount will not bo inr
It can not bo large unless all the civil
activities of the federal authority are
to be suspended.
The American people face the cer
tainty of an increase in national tax
ation, and they might as well face it
philosophically unless they believe
that national security from foreign
aggression is not worth what it costs.
New York World.
THE "PORK BARREL"
The Washington, D. C, Times
throws out the genial suggestion that
Mr. Bryan is organizing the "pork
barrel" brigade to defeat prepared
ness, and as evidence submits his call
for better roads, and more internal
Improvements.
Hero we have a hint of what is
ahead if the militarists have their
way, the money the people need for
better living will be "pork" to the
end of the chapter, while the money
expended for uniforms and gunpow
der will be "patriotism."
Nothing is more interesting to the
student of history than the supreme
contempt militarism has always had
for industrialism, and the freedom
with which that contempt has been
expressed at tlio very time that tho
industrial community was taxing it
self to the limit to support an idle
military aristocracy.
But Mr. Bryan, if he be given
credit for no other talent, has for
a talent the sort of debate suggested
by this talk of better roads as "pork.
If when ho gets into action he does
riot make the militarist section ex
ceedingly weary of the "pork" sug
gestion, he will have lost his cun
ning. Des Moines (la.) Register aua
Leader.
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