Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1915-08-11
WASHINGTON LETTER.

(By Congressman Clyde H. Tavenner
Washington, August 9-The Ameri-
can people should not permit them
selves to be fooled by the expression,
peace at any price" .5zSs5 y
will venture to say that not one
public official in the United States,
not one man outside of lunatic
asylum, has ever advocated peace at
any price,"
70 be for peace at any price would
be equivalent to saying that a foreign
power could come over iere, burn our
homes and attack women, cut Off our
hands and legs and gouge out our
eyes, and that we would still be for
peace. 1t is absurd. Any nation
jumping on us or invading our fair
land with the idea we are for peace
at any price would receive the sur
prise of their lives. ~ NJ FL;
"a Peace at any price" is merely the
officially adopted cry of. anguish x Of
the stockholders OF the munition and
armament firms. and their friends,
who are making use Of it to take the
wind out of the sails Of any man who
has the audacity to oppose their war
propaganda their private profits
These patriots for profit-the rich
est and most powerful group Of men
in the United States-have their
minds set on vastly increased arma-
ment, and they want no interference.
But what is more important, and
more significant, they also have
their minds set on supplying the in
creased armament themselves.
In this connection desire to sug-
gest to the American taxpayers a
m at hid NV WI to1 fboxy 1op <nrr ho
tables and take the wind out of the
sails of the patriots for profit who
hold stock in munition firms and cry
out to heaven for preparation for
war. v; u 81 t r +. agEf
Have Congress say to the j. p:
Morgan. and the other war trust
stockholders, some Of whom are men
high in official life: All right, gen
tlemen; you can have a fleet Of bat
tleships that will darken the sky,
and Notifications that will cumber
the earth, but the government itself
will manufacture all of its own war,
paraphernalia in government plants.
But although you will not draw down
the fat munition contracts as hereto
fore, your patriotic desire to serve
your country will not be sighted
The present tax on incomes in excess
of 100000 annually will be immedi.;
ately trtpled, which will give you an
opportunity to demonstrate the calibre
of your patriotism by helping the
poor bear the burden of the cost Of
the increased armament which you
advocate. and 80 per cent Of which
agitation comes from the rich. or
course you gentlemen will have no
objection to complete government
manufacture Of war materials, be-
cause your only interest and motive
is the safeguarding of your country
from invasion by a foreign foe, and
SO long as you get the ships and the
increased armament, and the coun-
try is saved, you don't care where
the ships and the munitions come
from o. h: & (: 3,t rs y Y.
There have been ten official esti-
mates as to the actual cost OF the
manufacture OF a ton Of armor plate.
The average estimate is $238.64 q
ton. Yet since 1887 we have pur.
chased 217,379 tons Of armor, paying
the armor ring an average Of $4,000
q ton, or total of $95, 656, 24O. II
all this armor had been manufactured
| In q government plant it is entirely
conservative to say that at least $685.
900, 900 would have been saved to the
American taxpayers. Ill
Another sample Illustration !: The
War Department, In 1913, purchased
| 1000 ~ inch shrapnel shells from
the ammunition ring, paying $25.26
each therefore. At the same time
precisely the same article was being
manufactured in the government own
ed Frankfort arsenal for 4$15.45.
A hundred similar D Illustrations
could be given which would make
plain why it is, that although we
have been spending s24O,0O0,OO an
nually on our Army and Navy, the
claim can now be made that we are
'pitifully unprepared'' and that I'll
war, were to break out today it would
be found that our coast defenses
have not sufficient ammunition for ar
hours fight" :