Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-03-25

about the Army ana Navy club here
and the various legations that a like
letter had been sent by the kaiser to
distinguished Italian statesman
Gossip has it that other letters of the
same sort are out.
OF course the professional navy man
insists that the reason for the EN-
peror's interest in limiting sea arma-
ment is due to the fact that Germany
Is not well fitted to become a naval
power. Her harbors are few. her peo-
pie not maritime. But all the same
her navy is either the second or the
third in the world Her merchant
marine is easily second. and in one line
of ships, the Hamburg-AmeFi she
has the greatest fleet of merchant yes
sells afloat If Emperor William is
automatically trying to reduce ex-
penditures for war vessels. lie cannot
be charged with doing it through fear
or for personal reasons only.
Few people understand how great
are the expenditures made by congress
either I'm payment for past wars or in
preparation for future and possibly
imaginary wars. Today out of the rev.
enues of the nation more than 65 per
cent goes to pensions, to the army and
the navy and for new naval construc-
ton. Mr.. Roosevelt has asked for four
battleships this year His request is
not going to be acceded to, but If 1t
were it would mean an appropriation
of easily SJ0000,000. Understand that
| this is raerely for new construction
for battleships only, eliminating cruis-
ers, torpedo boats and the submarines
which are just at present the source
of much scandal in congress. If one
tenth of the money spent in paying the
cost of past wars and in preparing for
others, which all hope will never be
declared. could be used in developing
our waterways. in digging canals. in
preserving forests and mineral lands,
the country and its people would he so
prosperous that if n foreign danger
should threaten it it would he better
able to meet the emergency.
The least estimate of the appropria-
| tons of this session of congress Is
| $900,000,000. That is the money which
| will be appropriated in Il six months
| session just before Il presidential cleo
| ton, u time when the politicians of the
| majority party are trying very hard to
be economical That means, roughly
| speaking, SD for every man. woman
and child in the United States. Chill
| dren don't pay taxes. Their parents
/ must pay them for them, for of course
| this money must in some way be
| found. Statisticians estimate the aver
| age family as being made up of five
| people. That means that this six
months congress will cost the average
man $50. Is there not reason why he
| should interest himself in securing a
congress which will reduce taxation.
| even if it reduces the spectacular fea-
lures of the army and navy in SO do
Ing?
| Tariff Reform In the House.
| Now, this is the cheerful agreement
by which the Republicans of the house
hope to humbug the tariff reformers of
the nation. Moreover, it is the shrewd
plan by which the stand patters in the
same party are going to try to keep
| their tariff revision brethren In line
I The plan is to authorize the commit
tee on ways and means, which is of
course the committee in charge of tar
| iff schedules, to sit during the coming
| summer, taking testimony and gather
1 ing data with view to tariJ revision
! after the next Inauguration. The chaiF-
man of that committee is Serene Payne
| of New York. Its most powerful MEM
Der is Dalzell of Pennsylvania. high
priest of protection. All the other Re-
publican members down to Nick Long
worth of Ohio are avowed high tariff
men and stand patters. The seven
Democrats, headed by Champ Clark,
| could do nothing to secure even fair
hearings. OF course the scheme is sim
| ply to offer an excuse for putting of
any tariff legislation until after cleo
ton. That postponement will be made
with or without any excuse But If
this plan shall be adopted no citizen OF
the United States who is FESTIVE unde.
tariff taxation need look upon 1t as
other than a cheap subterfuge.
Washington, D. G.
WILLIS j. ABBOTT.