Bismarck daily tribune., 1915-10-03
MID WEST CONFERENCE
ON PREPAREDNESS
Iowa and Illinois Cities Start
Agitation for More Ma
tional Defenses E1l

Davenport, Ia, Oct. 2-Tne Tri.
Cities OF Davenport, Rock Island and
Moline have called a midwest con.
ference on preparedness. One hund.
red and eleven members of Congress
from nine states have been invited
to spend October IA and Is in the
Tri-Cities as the guests of that five.
borough community. All of the ex-
perses OF the visiting members of
Congress, including railroad fare,
will be paid. Their hosts will be the
commercial organizations of Daven.
port, Rock Island, Moline, East Mo-
line and Bettendorf. f........
Secretary of War Garrison and 9TH
er government officers have. been in
vited to attend, as well as all the re-
states of Iowa, Illinois, Missouri,
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Neb.
raska and North and South Dakota.
The present countrywide discus.
sion of national preparedness is res.
ponsible for the conference. 1t was
realized that while the people Of the
states on the Atlantic and Pacific
coasts have always been in favor Of
adequate preparation for national de-
fense that this proposition has not
been considered of vital interest or
Importance by the people Of the
middle west. u
Their location in the heart OF the
country, hundreds of miles from the
nearest national boundary lire has
given them feeling of : securit.
which has made it difficult for them
to understand the big Army" and
big Navy" agitation that has con-
tinued for years along the seaboard.
1t occurred to the Greater Daven-
port committee, which took the lead
in this matter, that this was the psy-
Geological moment for a conference
by members of Congress represent.
ing the nine great middle western
states referred to, on the subject Of
preparedness, which unQuestiOnably
will be the all important problem set
before Congress for solution during
the coming session. The other cities
Of this community enthusiastically
offered their cooperation. The COM
mittee of fifteen members from each
Of the cities of Davenport, Rock
Island, Moline, East Moline and Bet.
tendorf, was organized and the Hon.
A. F. Dawson, president of the First
National Bank of Davenport, who re-
presented the Second district of Iowa
in Congress for three terms, was el-
ected president of the committee and
Irving C. Norwood, executive officer
of Davenports promotive organiza-
tions, was made secretary.
Realizing that the calls upon the
purse of the average member OF Con-
gress are many, the committee rals-
ed an adequate fund with which to
defray the expenses Of all senators
and representative who attend the
conference, from the time they leave
their homes until they return.
A banquet, organized by the lead.
ing business men Of the five cities,
viii; he rendered to the visiting states
men. Another feature Of interest
that has been arranged is an inspec-
tion of the Rock Island Arsenal, the
Governments great inland arms fac
tory.
/ arranging for this visit, the peo"
n,e of the Tri-Cities have not an en-
tirely unselfish object in view. Tney
'believe that when members Of Con-
gress see this big plant, in which the
government has $1S,0O0,OOO invested
and realize that it's immense shop
buildings with more than 30 acres OF
floor space and It's large and econo'
mical water power plant are hund'
reds of miles from the nearest ma
tional boundary and therefore actu'
ally secure from attack, not matter
what might befall. they will be Det-
ter able to appreciate the advantages
Of this inland arsenal and the excel
lent reasons that exist for It's proper
maintenance and continual enlarge
ment. - o...o -,
The people of the TriCities are
houeful that the conference on re-
paredness will be informative ana
beneficial to all concerned and tnat
it will help in the rapid and mar
monious solution of the problems
that will confront Congress at the
session that begins early in Decem'
ber. .--- =