Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-02-26
The World Wide War Trust

The var trust has never hesitated to
!. cheat the government when IL found
an opportunity to do so. and it has
managed to find such opportunities. 1t
| is probable that the exact extent of
the frauds that have been perpetrated
upon the government by the war trust
viii never be known. because it has
been only by sheer accident that such
/ frauds have become public in few in
stances.
/ 4 proposition has been made to
{ Secretary Daniels, however, that If he
viii agree to reward those who furnish
the evidence Of extensive armor-plate
swindles with a certain percentage of
I the sums recovered from the armor
ring as a result of such information
that Il will be forthcoming. Those
who have made this proposition 10 the
I secretary state that the men who have
such information have dealings with
7 the arrnor concerns. and that others
. who would testify are in the employ
ment OF the armor manufacturers, and
that they can not sacrifice their in
terests and means OF livelihood with
out some kind Of protection. Since
there would be no cost TO the govern
ment unless Il was able 10 actually re-
cover fines from the armor patriots.
Go can not be seen how the government
can well refuse this proposition. There
is little doubt but that the government
has paid high prices for inferior and
"doctored" and defective armor plates,
guns and gun forEinEs in scores of in
stances without the same being detect
ed.
ANY discussion as 10 armor frauds
ueCcssitates the mention OF one of our
prominent mlllionaires who travels
about the country posing as a great
patriot-Andrew Carnegie. who, de
spite his intimation that he has ere
tired" holds $500. OOO.OOO worth OF
bonds IN the United States steel cor
poration. which in turn owns the Car
ueele and other war-trafficking sub
salaries. which never hesitate TO take
advantage Of their strange hold of our I
army and navy. Mr.. Carnegie's pro- |
testatiuns OF patriotism notwithstand- 1
ing. Mr.. Carnegie's slice of pork re-
sulting from his $500. 100000 worth OF
bonds amounts TO S16,0O0.O0O annually. /
The American taxpayers contribute /
the greater portion OF this in the form /
of increased cost of living.
on Jan. :. 1911. Mr.. Carnegie made /
speech before the Republican club I
I'm New York City. in which he told /
how he came TO go into the armor-
plate business.
81 was coaching in Scotland" he
said. when / got a cablegram from
Secretary Tracy" This is the same
Secretary OF the Navy Tracy who, aft
er leaving the government service, be
came the attorney for the Carnegie
company, saying in effect the presi-
dent says he understands ii to be your
duty 10 enter into the manufacture of
armor and save the ships from waiting
on the stocks for want of it,
Mr. Carnegie proceeded then TO say:
THAT telegram settled it. for when
ever the public calls on me for any
thing I can do. unless ! fall dead. it is
my glory TO respond.
"Ths. is what ! did, because the
president asked me TO do it. and if the
president thinks it is my duty to do
anything or to go anywhere for my
country, I consider It the voice of
God"
AR Carnegie went into the armor !
business as a result of listening TO the
voice of Cod but there is a suffi-
ciently large amount of documentary
evidence to indicate that once in the
armor business. with Uncle Sam as
customer. his hearing must have be-
come defective. and that instead of
listening TO the voice of God he listen
ed 10 the voice of greed, as I shall
show in the next chapter.
ITO he continued.