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The Commoner
10
VOL. IB, NO. 12
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the Jingoes and war traffickers would frighten.
tho. country into tho belief that wo have a little,
puny, egg-shell of a navy! .
Tho five-year naval program calls for AN IN
CREASE of $500,000,000 $100,000,000 IN
CREASE a year which, including tho inevit
able incidental expenses for expanding the whole
naval establishment in order to accommodate
tho program, will reach $600,000,000 or over by
the time the five years expires!! This is all
EXTRA IN ADDITION TO the large appropria
tions we have been annually making.
Tho army four-year program demands $450,
000,000 INCREASE, over $100,000,000 a year
EXTRA, being an INCREASE of MORE THAN
100 per cent OVER OUR annual army appropri
ations! ALL EXTRA APPROPRIATIONS, bo It
remembered. EXTRA TAXES MUST BE PAID
BY THE PEOPLE, BE IT REMEMBERED!
Before leaving the subject of the enormity of
the proposed program, I desire to make a fur
ther observation:
At tho expiration of the five-year period for
tho program this country will then bo EXPEND
ING ON ITS ARMY AND NAVY MORE THAN
ANY NATION IN THE WORLD in TIMES OF
PEACE EVER EXPENDED ON ITS ARMY AND
NAVY; more than England, with her navalism,
more than Russia or Germany, with their huge
militarism. At the beginning of tho European
war Germany was expending for past wars and
preparations for wars (on its army and navy)
55 per cent of the total amount of revenues col
lected, Japan 45 per cent; Great Britain 37 per
cent; France 35 per cent; THE UNITED
STATES OVER 60 PER CENT. With the pro
posed MILITARY AND NAVAL PROGRAM EN
ACTED into law the UNITED STATES WILL BE
EXPENDING OVER 70 per cent of ITS TOTAL
REVENUES that is, out of every $100.00
COLLECTED FROM THE PEOPLE OVER
7AVr0 WILL G0 INT0 MILITARISM AND
YLISM' deluding pensions leaving LESS
THAN $30.00 FOR ALL OTHER FUNCTIONS
of OUR GOVERNMENT and FOR ALL OTHER
BENEFITS OF THE PEOPLE.
8. -AS TO THE CONDITION OF OUR TREAS
, URY. AND ITS REVENUES AND EXTRA
TAXATION REQUIRED
The condition of our treasury and our revenue
and the necessities. of the government are less
able now to permit increased appropriations
than ever before. The treasury has felt most
heavily the burden of the present war. Our
general surplus fund of over $150,000,000 is
monthly disappearing; our deficits are annual
and monthly; our revenues have diminished- we
have strained the nerves of the government to
get sufficient revenue to meet its ordinary ex
penses; we have been forced to levy an emer
gency tax; our deficits still exist; our revenues
still insufficient. After the expiration of the
present emergency tax December 31, 1D15 we
will bo. faced with deficits for the coming year
of at least $117,000,000. This is upon the as
sumption that not a dollar of increased appro
priation will be made for any purpose over the
last year's appropriation (yet I understand that
there will bo from $30,000,000 to $40,000,000
increase asked other than the army and navv
increase). This $117,000,000 deficit is upon the
further assumption that congress will repeal the
sugar free list provision of the Underwood act
which goes into effect May 1st, 1916 (which it
self will impose $100,000,000 burden upon the
people). For this program bf militarism and
navalism euphoniously called by its advocates
"national defense" or "preparedness" program
' $200,000,000 annual increase of taxation IS
REQUIRED. This, added to the. deficit above
mentioned, makes $317,000,000 additional an
nual taxation, (even with the free sugar clause
repealed), which must be raised, on tho a$
iumption, too, there will not be a dollar increase
in any other appropriation over that of last year.
This is THREE TIMES LARGER ANNUAL IN
CREASE THAN WAS EVER REQUIRED OR
RAISED (and practically all of it must be
raised by direct or excise taxes) THAN AT ANY
TJME IN THE HISTORY OF OUR GOVERN
MENT, except during the Civil war. No man in
th administration or in the Ways and Means
committee, although for months they have
-wearied their wits over it, has yet been able to
solve even the beginning of the problem of rais
ing: wuh uuuriuouB increase or revenue. I have
had hundreds of suggestions as to how to raise
ltt AH the suggestions combined would not be-
. tin to raise the amount. Every suggestion has
hffinK however, to raise the tax on the other fel-
v Jw. and ,pn the other fellow's business or prod
uct and not on his. When tho Ways and Means
committee beings to attempt to framo measures
for raising tho revenue, and especially when tlie
people begin to pay the taxes for this enormous
increase, they will then, perhaps, realize what
the program means. I have had experience
enough with taxation t6 know that those who
are howling most loudly now for the big army
and navy program will protest and howl most
wildly against any measure which may be at
tempted or proposed for increase of taxes.
4 THE BIG, OVERREACHING OBJECTION
TO THE PROGRAM
The huge burden, heretofore unheard of or
undreamed of, which this fabulous increase of
appropriations for the army and navy will place
upon the tax-payers can, and will have to be
borne, in spite of their murmurs and protests,
which will surely come in the future.. This of
itself to me is a cruel wrong, especially under
tho conditions and situation of our country and
our navy, as I have above outlined.
But the big, overreaching objection to this
stupendous program is that this sudden, rad
ical and revolutionary move for big war prepar
ation on our part is going to shock the civilized
world, and whatever be the outcome of the pres
ent war, will alarm the world again into an
armed camp. It will postpone for generations
the day of universal peace for which all Chris
tendom has been praying. It will deprive this
government, through its President, of the great
est opportunity to serve mankind that ever came
to nation or to man, in the final negotiation of
peace terms among the belligerents, to lay the
basis of perpetual international peace.
The militarists and war traffickers of every
nation in the world will point to our conduct as
an example and cause why big war preparations
and big armaments should be renewed on a
larger scale than ever before and its consum
mation will only be limited by the ability of the
nations appealed to. If we take this step every
nation will suspect in fact, every nation will
reel convinced, and no argument of our govern
ment can dissipate such conviction that our coun
try in this tremendous step has btlier "designs
than mere self-defense. Every nation will ab
solutely know that no such step or measure is
necessary. The world will be convinced, in spite
or our protestations, that we are preparing, as
the Seven Seas Magazine, the organ of the Navy
league, declared in its last issue that we should
prepare for "WARS OF CONQUEST." This or
gan of this so-called partiotic society in its same
issue boldly broadcasts throughout our country
the savage, barbarous sentiment which I ouote
"There should be NO DOUBT THAT Sm
WITH ALL POSSIBLE MORAL REFINEMENTS
IT IS THE ABSOLUTE RIGHT of ana to
live to its fullest intensity, to exnand to
FOUND COLONIES, TO GET RICHPR ' aSS
RICHER. BY ANY PROPER MEAS sSoHAB
ARMED CONQUEST. Such expansion A? AM
AIM IS AN INALIENABLE RIGHT anS IN TOT
CASE OF THE UNITED STATES IT IS A PAT?
TICULAR DUTY." This organ of tht nIw
. eague, the organization, as I said before which
has, by organized effort, created the senthnent
of our people for a big militarism and MvaUsm
18 but giving the people of this country and of
the world an earnest of what we are to exneot
when this program is enacted into law
The world, even among the belligerents of ,
present war, is already looking with grave s
wrHLa?iaalfm U?n thia Glossal stfpesinc;
writing the above, in confirmation of it tho
morning papers bring to us the sneh !5 r S
Rosebery, made at the London 5n?2fiLord
actlv' in' proporwon ?o ra5B4sB-?-
THE UNITED STATPq t .HB FLBET F
aftethls war, wM be fLi t.he,.burdm- which,
almost broken, our backs?" ' haT0 broken' r
Ihl! TH? PBAKS ' OTO PEOPLE-
-&.-ir.Mf2a tVra r"
Pie, provoked by The European f ?Ur "
rated and intended ?$&!?
the so-called "patriotic societies" and th ,
trafficker, I desire to make a few observntJ"
With the experience of the preset wfrl0
wo are daily observing, even if our fleet wZiC
half as big as it is (and I have shown that it?1
superior to that of any other nation in the won,3
except that of Great Britain), it would hi iS
possible, notwithstanding the jingoes unci 1?"
war traffickers and the press, foi?G rmany'o?
any other country to ever bombard or land I
soldier on our coast, provided we were equipped
with mines and submarines. With these we are
most rapidly equipping ourselves. England has
a navy two and one-half times as stromr i Ttw
of Germany England and Francf have a fl e
more than three times as strong as that of Ger
many. Take a map and you will see that tha
German seacoast on the North sea is practicX
at the head of the English channel witliini
than 300 miles of London, and has severa lmues
of seacoast along the Baltic. The bulk of the
English and French fleet is now, and has been
within less than a day's run of the German coast'
If England could bombard or land on the coast
of Germany, on the North sea or on the Baltic
sea, the war would end in sixty days. Germany
would have to withdraw from France to protect
her own soil. Why does not the fleet of the Allies
?i? mHUfl l Strong' s in and destro;
the little fleet of Germany, bombard her sea
coast at once, land an army, etc.? Certainly not
because of a little German fleet already bottled
up, one-fourth as large, but BECAUSE op
MINES AND SUBMARINES. Newt look f at the
map again and see how the, Russian coast and
the German coast compare, and how they adjoin
along the Baltic sea; Germany has control of the
Baltic, even against the fleet of the Allies. Ger
Hn has a fleef-four Jfmes as large as that of
Russ a. What keeps Germany away from the
Russian coast? Why doesn't Germany, with a
fleet four times as strong, destroy the Russian
fleet, bombard her seaport towns, and land an
army? If she could do this, the war would end
in sixty days.
Russia would be forced to a separate peace in
spite of her agreement with the Allies. Certain
ly It is not , the little one-,fourth size fleet she
JS&J?1' ?aEGAUSE OF MINES AND SUBMA
RINES. If Germany, with her. fleet not one
third as strong as that of the Allies, does not
rear the bombardment of her coast or the land-
;?g o?? army by the Allles' when within less
than 200 miles, and if Russia, with her little
lleet one-fourth as large as that of Germany, is
not afraid of Germany bombarding her coast
ana landing an army on her shores, why in the
nam,i ,common sense, should any man, woman
or child In the United States lear that Germany
or any other nation can ever get within gun
reach of our shores or land an army on our
coast, when they are over 3,000 miles away, pro
vided we are equipped with mines and subma
rines? Add one thing further, that, in spite of
the press, the "patriotic societies" and the jin
goes and war traffickers, our coast defenses are
superior to that of any nation in the world.
President Taft, in his speech U Chicago, Novera
L ?' before tne National Security league,
said: American coast defenses are as good as
any in the world." At the hearings in the last
session of congress, (this year) General Erasmus
M. Weaver, chief of coast artillery, whose duty
?' saW t.0 "be advised as to the character
and sufficiency of our sea coast armament."
stated "My, information is that our system of
fortification is REASONABLY ADEQUATE FOR
ALL DEFENSIVE PURPOSES WHICH THEY
ARE LIKELY TO BE CALLED UPON TO
MEET"; and further said, "I HAVE BEEN A
CLOSE STUDENT OF THE -WHOLE SUBJECT
t TSlALLY F0R A NUMBER OF YEARS and
I KNOW OF NO FORTIFICATIONS IN E
WORLD, AS FAR AS MY READING, OBSERVA
TIQN AND KNOWLEDGE GOES, THAT COM
PARE FAVORABLY IN EFFICIENCY WITH
OURS." General Crozier, chief of ordnance,
considered one of the greatest experts in the
country ori fortifications and guns, at the hear
ings, considering the alterations then asked for
and now being made, said "In my opinion these
guns with other advantages which our land-defense
fortifications have, WILL BE ADEQUATE
FOR MAINTAINING A SUCCESSFUL COMBAT
WITH VESSELS OF WAR ARMED WITH ANY
GUN WHICH IS NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION
ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD TO MY KNOWL
EDGE." C AS TO THE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE
PRESIDENT AND MYSELF
We thoroughly understand each other. I
know that he is convinced deeply and sincerely
If
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